The Mills family is one most successful in the medical supplies field, due to their exclusive ownership of Medline Industries, Inc. Medline is an Illinois-based $10.1 billion company that manufactures and distributes medical supplies and equipment and provides products, education, clinical programs and services throughout the healthcare field. The family patriarch, A.L. Mills, launched the Northwestern Garment Factory in 1910, which manufactured aprons for stockyards. Two years later, Mills started Mills Hospital Supplies, Inc., which produced surgical gowns and nurses’ uniforms. In the 1920s, the second generation took control of the business in the form of Mills’ son, Irving. He put his stamp on the family business by expanding the operation to include the manufacturing and distribution of medical supplies. The third generation took over in 1966, when A.L.’s grandsons, Jim and Jon Mills, formally changed the name of the company from Medco to Medline. This coincided with the construction of a 2,000 square feet warehouse in Evanston, Illinois. Medline continues to be a family-run business today, as three members of the fourth generation hold senior positions in the company. Since 1997, Charlie Mills has served as CEO, while his brother, Andy, serves as President and their brother-in-law, Jim Abrams, who married their sister, Wendy, serves as COO. Wendy used to work in the business in the Public Relations department before focussing on philanthropy and environmentalism. Forbes estimates the Mills’ family net worth to be $1.1 billion.
