Michael J. Lindell

Mike Lindell
Born June 28, 1961 (aged 57)
Mankato, Minnesota
Nationality American
Occupation Businessperson
Website www.michaeljlindell.com

Michael J. Lindell is the inventor[1] and CEO of My Pillow, Inc.[2][3] He is also the founder of the Lindell Foundation.

Early life and career

Lindell was born in Mankato, Minnesota, and was raised in Chaska and Carver, Minnesota.[2]

Prior to inventing MyPillow, Lindell launched and operated a number of small businesses including raising pigs, carpet cleaning, lunch wagons, and a few bars and restaurants in Carver County, MN.[2][3]

Lindell had been plagued with many addictions, including cocaine, crack cocaine, and alcohol addictions, with his cocaine addiction starting in 1982, and his crack cocaine addiction starting in the 1990s. His addictions even stretched through the early years of the MyPillow business. Due to these addictions, he lost his 20-year marriage, his house, and nearly lost the MyPillow business. On January 16, 2009, Lindell, through prayer, quit all his addictions, and has been clean and sober ever since.[2][4][5]

In March 2017, Lindell produced The Mike Lindell Story: An American Dream, a documentary about Lindell overcoming drug addiction and building a multimillion-dollar business. The documentary was shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Pantages Theatre.[6]

Activism

Lindell created the Lindell Foundation, a faith-based foundation originally started to help addicts and MyPillow employees.The Lindell Foundation had a soft launch nationwide in August 2017 with a special project to help Hurricane Harvey victims.[7][8] The foundation's focus was then broadened to help people with any issue, including addictions, work and spousal problems, cancer victims, veterans, and active duty military members.[4]

Political positions

At the request of then-Republican candidate Donald Trump, Lindell met with Trump in August 2016 in the Trump Tower in New York City. They talked about the benefits of products being made in America, bringing jobs back to the USA, and helping the inner cities.[2][9][10] From that time on, Lindell was an avid and very open supporter of Trump, even calling Trump, “the most amazing president this country has ever seen in history.”[11] On October 19, 2016, Lindell attended the final presidential debate in Las Vegas,[12] Lindell spoke at a Trump campaign rally in Minneapolis on November 6, 2016 and attended the Official Donald Watch Party on November 8. He attended Trump's inauguration, receiving an inauguration lapel pin as a personal gift from Trump.[11][13][9] On July 19, 2017, Lindell sat next to President Trump at the White House’s Made in America Roundtable with 19 other industry leaders, Vice President Mike Pence, White House staff members, and 4 US Representatives. At the meeting and later in print, Lindell emphasized the economic importance of products being made in America.[14][15][2][16]

References

  1. ↑ "United States Patent: 7461424". United States Patent and Trademark Office. Department of Commerce. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "How this entrepreneur went from a crack addict to a self-made multimillionaire". CNBC. CNBC. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  3. 1 2 "The Preposterous Success Story of America's Pillow King". Bloomberg Businessweek. Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  4. 1 2 "'My Pillow' founder opens up about addiction". Salvation Army Northern Division: Serving every county in Minnesota and North Dakota. Salvation Army. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  5. ↑ "International Opulence Fall 2017; Philanthropy; The Most Seen Man on TV and His Novel Notion on Giving". International Opulence Magazine. pp. 126–127. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  6. ↑ ""The Mike Lindell Story: An American Dream" Exclusively on RFD-TV". RFDTV. Frankly, Inc. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  7. ↑ "Special Projects Donation Update: Hurricane Harvey". Lindell Foundation. Lindell Foundation. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  8. ↑ "MyPillow to donate 60,000 pillows to Hurricane Harvey victims". Shakopee Valley News. SWNewsMedia.com. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  9. 1 2 "What MyPillow's CEO got from Donald Trump at the inauguration". Minneapolis/St Paul Business Journal. American City Business Journalsa.
  10. ↑ "Mike Lindell: Here's why Made in America really will help make America great again". Fox News. FOX News Network, LLC. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  11. 1 2 "Web Extra: Mike Lindell Speaks At Trump Rally". CBS Minnesota. CBS Broadcasting Inc. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  12. ↑ "Live Reaction to Pres Debate". Facebook - Fox Business. Facebook. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  13. ↑ "MyPillow CEO on attending 'surreal' Trump party". KARE 11. KARE-TV. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  14. ↑ "Made in America Roundtable". Whitehouse.gov. United States Government. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  15. ↑ "MyPillow CEO Featured In White House Event With Trump, Paulsen". CBS Minnesota. CBS Broadcasting Inc. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  16. ↑ "Mike Lindell: Here's why Made in America really will help make America great again". Fox News. FOX News Network, LLC. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
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