John Winn’s grandmother bought a boat when he was a child, a used 15-footer with an outboard engine big enough to pull people on waterskis. Boating got into John Winn’s blood. He says he knew then that boating would be his life.

“And it just went from there. Then we started building hydroplanes in the basement in the winter, and we’d race ’em in the summers. And I knew I was going to be in the boat business growing up,” Winn says. “In fact, when I graduated from college — I went to Western Michigan [University] — I didn't even interview with any companies other than boat companies.”

In 1975, John Winn; his dad, Bill Sr.; and brothers Bill Jr. and Charlie bought a struggling boat company in Cadillac and launched a new brand: Four Winns. Contrary to what one might assume, given the obvious success of the company today, the rise of Four Winns boats was far from a sure thing and could have been sunk 100 times in its early years.

In this week's Northern Express - sister publication of The Ticker - writer Patrick Sullivan explores the fascinating story of how Cadillac became the unlikely home of the third-largest boat builder in the nation. Read the complete story online here, or pick up a free copy of this week's Northern Express at one of nearly 700 spots in 14 counties across northern Michigan.