Ulrich H. Wiegand & I.O., Inc. (fka Interordnance) Creating Jobs in North Carolina

You hear the phrase, “job creator” a lot right now, but you don’t many specific individuals named as actual job creators. So, I thought I should mention my friend, Ulrich H. Wiegand.

Uli Wiegand is a firearms manufacturer and importer who actually employs over 25 people, including two recent U.S. Army veterans, in Monroe, North Carolina, just outside of Charlotte.  Uli has been in business for almost 15 years.  He originally started his import business Interordnance with his brother Oliver M. Wiegand.  Later, Uli bought out Oli, changed the company name to I.O., Inc.,  and started manufacturing firearms, including his new and improved Hellcat .380 automatic compact pistol.  Uli’s Hellcat .380 is not only made in the USA, so are all of its parts.  Even the machines I.O., Inc. uses to manufacture its in-house parts are made in America.  I.O, only sells its handgun through Hellcat .380 distributors, who, in turn, sell to Hellcat .380 retailers.  The end customers are U.S. civilians and law enforcement officers.  (BTW: another big customer of I.O. generally is the U.S. Department of Defense.)

In a difficult economy, when good jobs are scarce, Uli has built a local business and actually created good, American manufacturing jobs here at home, and I am very proud of him.