Why Sale to Cotter & Company Was Not Consummated
Scope and Content Note: Meeting in Ft. Lauderdale with John Cotter in late winter 1973. Cotter was frank. He merely wanted to buy Wisco in order to get Wisco's accounts which would help justify his plans for building a half million square foot warehouse in Minnesota. Comes back from meetings with Cotter and Company feeling this a good example of a big company wanting to be a do-gooder because they didn't want to be embarrassed by having this smaller, but older, competitor going out of business because the biggies had been stealing its customers. Then went to Justice Department to see if it would oversee the involvement of Cotter and Company. Within a half hour of his return to Madison, Cotter & Company withdrew its offer to purchase.