Small Beginnings to Corporate Titan

Wintor-Swan was founded in 1971 by David Swantek, a printing instructor at Macomb Community College, using a modest $270 duplicator machine. Swantek partnered with one of his students, Lyle Whitton (creating the name "Wintor-Swan"), and relocated the operation to Detroit in 1974.

The company grew rapidly, specializing in massive-scale commercial printing, including advertising circulars and high-profile publications. By 1994, Wintor-Swan was a powerhouse with sales peaking at $35 million, employing roughly 165 people and handling massive jobs like the annual reports for General Motors and Kmart, as well as a national atlas for National Geographic magazine.

Taking Over the Russell (1991)

In 1991, looking for a facility large enough to house their massive industrial printing presses and expanding advertising business, Wintor-Swan purchased the 2.2-million-square-foot complex from New York real estate billionaire Leona Helmsley. Under their ownership, the Albert Kahn-designed auto plant effectively became one giant commercial printing hub.

The Downward Spiral & The 1998 Storms

Wintor-Swan's tenure at the building came to a sudden, dramatic end due to a mix of financial misfortune and a literal natural disaster:

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• The Kmart Blow: In the mid-1990s, the company's largest client, Kmart, abruptly canceled a massive portion of its printing work. This dealt a devastating blow to Wintor-Swan’s revenue, dropping their estimated sales down to $22 million and creating immense financial strain.

• The 1998 Tornado and Flood: The final, literal breaking point occurred in 1998. A severe storm and tornado ripped through Detroit's Milwaukee Junction neighborhood. The disaster smashed rows of the building's windows and completely flooded the complex, destroying the facility’s primary electrical transformer.

Plagued by financial difficulties and unable to afford the costs of fixing the storm damage, Wintor-Swan collapsed and was forced to halt operations entirely.