Karl Willig is the definition of a businessman. The 65-year-old has spent decades doing what he loves most — building companies — and now he’s coming out of retirement to take the helm of a Santa Barbara institution that’s been around longer than he has: Mission Linen Supply.

The Idaho native has headed several national companies, ranging from agriculture to restaurants to real estate, but he’s best known in the Tri-Counties as the founder of InfoGenesis, a Goleta tech company that started with four people and made a fortune for investors when it was sold.

Now, the 32-year resident is putting his years of experience and business savvy back into Santa Barbara as the president and chief executive officer of Mission Linen, a linen and uniform rental service founded in 1930.

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