Mike Lindell | |
|---|---|
| File:Michael Lindell at the Rose Garden.png | |
| Born | Michael James Lindell June 28, 1961 Mankato, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Founder and CEO of My Pillow |
| Political party | Republican |
| Website | Official website |
Michael James Lindell[2] (born June 28, 1961) is an American inventor, businessman, and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of My Pillow, Inc.[3][4][5] He is also the founder of the Lindell Foundation and the Lindell Recovery Network.
Lindell was born on June 28, 1961, in Mankato, Minnesota, and was raised in Chaska and Carver, Minnesota.[3]
Prior to inventing MyPillow, Lindell launched and operated a number of small businesses including carpet cleaning, lunch wagons, and a few bars and restaurants in Carver County, Minnesota.[3][4] In the 1980s and 1990s, Lindell became addicted to cocaine, crack cocaine, and alcohol. His addiction loomed so large, that his house would be foreclosed and his wife filed for divorce. Lindell stated that he achieved sobriety through prayer in 2009, and since then, he has been clean.[3][6][7]
Lindell invented the MyPillow pillow in 2004 and grew the business into a major Minnesota manufacturing company.[8][9]
In August 2016, the New York State Attorney General's office charged that My Pillow failed to collect and remit over $500,000 in sales tax. The company denied any wrongdoing and agreed to pay $1.1 million in settlement.[10] In November 2016 My Pillow settled a lawsuit brought by the district attorneys of ten California counties regarding unsupported health claims "that My Pillow 'knew or reasonably should have known' that the marketing claims were likely to mislead consumers."[10] The company admitted no wrongdoing, and agreed to pay $995,000 in civil penalties and donate $100,000 to homeless and domestic violence shelters in California. "In addition, My Pillow must stop promoting itself as the 'official pillow' of the National Sleep Foundation because it failed to disclose its financial connection with the foundation to consumers."[10]
In March 2017, Lindell produced The Mike Lindell Story: An American Dream, a documentary about Lindell overcoming drug addiction and building a multi-million-dollar business. The documentary was shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Pantages Theatre.[11]
On August 21, 2019, Lindell was presented with an honorary Doctor of Business from Liberty University.[12]
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.[13][14] The foundation's focus was then broadened to help people with any personal problem, including addictions, work and spousal problems, cancer victims, and veterans.[6][15]
The Lindell Recovery Network was founded by Lindell to "bring hope, recovery, and mentorship" to those struggling with drug addictions. The platform shares stories from recovered addicts to those looking to overcome their own addictions. The network also provides information on vetted Christian recovery organizations, as well as access to mentors for help with recovery. The Lindell Recovery Network was highlighted in an October 24, 2018, Opioid Crisis meeting hosted by President Trump at the White House. Lindell attended this meeting with 21 other private-sector and nonprofit partners.[16][17]
On January 16, 2020, Lindell announced the release of his new memoir, What Are the Odds? From Crack Addict to CEO,[18][19] an account of his entrepreneurial journey from battling addictions, hardships, and failures to becoming CEO of MyPillow. Proceeds from the book will help launch the Lindell Recovery Network.
In August 2016, Lindell met with then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, at Trump's request, in the Trump Tower in New York City. They discussed products being made in America, bringing jobs back to the US, and working with inner cities.[3][20][21] Lindell became an avid Trump supporter, calling Trump "the most amazing president this country has ever seen in history."[22] On October 19, 2016, Lindell attended the final presidential debate in Las Vegas.[23] He 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 President Trump.[22][24][20]
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 four US Representatives.[25][26][3][21]
At a rally in Fargo, North Dakota on June 27, 2018, President Trump praised Lindell, saying, "I want you to be my ad buyer because I guarantee you, he makes great deals."[27] Lindell spoke at a Trump rally on October 4, 2018, in Rochester, Minnesota, saying he was "100 percent convinced [Trump] would be the greatest president in history" after meeting with Trump during the 2016 campaign.[28]
Lindell spoke at the 2019 Conservative Political Action Conference, in which he praised Trump as "the greatest president in history".[29]
Lindell spoke at a Coronavirus conference alongside President Trump in March 2020, encouraging the American public to "read [the] Bible and spend time with [your] families."[30]
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