Jordan Beck | Daily Press From left, Cloverland Paper and Supply Company owner Fred Sundstrom, bookkeeper Hope Meunier, and secretary Lynn Brodersen stand among some of the products Cloverland offers. The business recently celebrated its 85th anniversary.

Editor’s note: The Daily Press features a profile of an area business each week. This week’s featured business is Cloverland Paper and Supply Company in Escanaba.

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ESCANABA — Cloverland Paper and Supply Company has long been a part of Escanaba — the business recently celebrated its 85th anniversary. However, Fred Sundstrom, the business’ owner, said changes have been made at Cloverland since it was established.

According to Sundstrom, his business’ connection to the area’s history extends to its name.

“The name ‘Cloverland’ came from what the Upper Peninsula was doing back in the ’20s,” Sundstrom said. At this time, the Upper Peninsula Development Bureau was working to encourage farmers to raise clover in the hopes that this would attract sheep and cattle from outside the area.

Sundstrom said Cloverland was founded by Leonard Stade.

“He was the circulation manager for the Daily Press,” he said of Stade.

However, Stade’s involvement with the business was cut short.

“He got killed in a crash in 1942,” Sundstrom said. The business was taken over by Stade’s wife Ella, who hired Harold Lindsey to help run Cloverland.

When Lindsey died, his wife took ownership of Cloverland.

“She hired my dad (Lowell) to run the business … in 1964,” Sundstrom said. Coincidentally, Lowell had worked as an advertising manager for the Daily Press.

In 1966, Sundstrom’s father hired him to help out at Cloverland.

“I’ve been here ever since,” Sundstrom said.

Early on, Cloverland primarily served as a paper supplier.

“Our business actually was selling … printing paper and newsprint to the newspapers,” Sundstrom said.

However, their business model has changed significantly since then.

“We are actually now considered a janitorial supply business,” Sundstrom said. Cloverland now offers household paper products, cleaning equipment, and cleaning chemicals, among other products.

Sundstrom said he played a major role in this shift towards janitorial supplies.

“It started taking place when I started working here,” he said.

In its earlier days, Sundstrom said Cloverland had 15 customers.

“Now, we’ve got 300 customers — maybe more,” he said.

Business at Cloverland has fluctuated over the years, but Sundstrom said he has been working hard to continue growing the company.

“(If) we lose one customer, I try to go out and get three more,” he said, noting that he is also still actively looking for new business opportunities for Cloverland.