He started out making well under a dollar an hour as just a toolmaker. Decades later, his net worth is likely a state secret, but Merlin Hanson of Michigan's Great Southwest is still just a toolmaker, and now his story is being told throughout the region.
The millionaire industrialist, born to deaf parents in South Bend, Indiana, has worked harder than most people are ever even willing to consider, and his legacy is legendary across the region. Now, his story is being told in a new Public Television documentary from WNIT Public Television in South Bend. The colorful documentary debuts this week with an inaugural airing Thursday night (9/29) at 8pm and will be replayed on Sunday, October 2nd at 6pm for those who miss it. Both will be played on WNIT Channel 34.1.
The story delves deeply into Merlin's remarkable rise to power through his myriad enterprises from Hanson Mold and Hanson Logistics to Eagle Technologies and beyond. The biography tells a warm story about the dynamic accomplishments of Merlin and his associates in the world of business, but equally as important, in the world of community.
His story is already legendary, but the WNIT broadcast team and researchers have done a marvelous job of capturing the essence of what it means to be Merlin Hanson, to be a part of his family, a part of his inner circle, a part of his life, and the part that he has played in so many of our lives across the region.
The hour-long broadcast takes you back to the very beginning and the startling fact that he didn't learn to talk until he was five years old, and his undying dedication to innovation, fairness, perfection, and the ability to scope a vision for his enterprise as well as the place he calls home.
From entrepreneur to philanthropist, from industrialist to community leader, Merlin Hanson and his wife Carolyn have had a major impact on the greater community along Lake Michigan, yet…as the story so eloquently portrays…he is still just a toolmaker who goes to work every single day and may well do so until his final day on the planet.
Take time to watch this remarkable story whether you know Merlin or not. If you can't be home when it airs, set your DVR and save it for a future viewing. You won't be disappointed.
WNIT is thankful to the major underwriters who have made the "Legends of Michiana" program on Merlin Hanson possible including:
- The Hanson Group
- Hanson Mold
- Hanson Logistics
- Eagle Technologies
- 1st Source Bank
- Chris & Carmi Murphy
- K&M Machine Fabricating, Inc.
- Whirlpool Corporation
- Lake Michigan College
- Vail Rubber Works of St. Joseph
- Chemical Bank
- Lakeland Health
- LeValley Chevrolet, Buick, GMC
- Passaro, Kahne & Taylor Law Offices
- Starks Family Funeral Homes & Cremation Services
- and a host of other donors who contributed to the effort and are listed in the documentary…
