Wilhelm Lillieöök is a seasoned businessman with a long career of successful ventures. He completed his studies at the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, in 1973, with degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Economy, and Organization. He worked through school as an electronics and audio/visual salesman.
Two years later, he founded LEAB, a Stockholm-based pro/consumer audio equipment company. LEAB grew to command much of the supply chain, including importing, distribution, and contracting, and went on to outfit over 600 professional projects across northern Europe, including multiple cruise ships. In 1993, LEAB merged with a competitor to become Intersonic-LEAB, specializing in complex applications including satellite automation/machine control, and computerized operating systems for radio stations. LEAB was eventually sold to Sennheiser, and remains in operation today.
In 1982, Wilhelm embarked on a startup venture, organizing a spinoff of Mattel Electronics in Scandinavia and Finland. The group focused on product development, imports, distribution, marketing, and service of Mattel Electronics Intellivision. The entity was sold in 1984 to the Swedish Nintendo Group.
Wilhelm also introduced Direct, Sweden’s first direct-from-factory retail store chain. Direct carried imported consumer electronics from various countries to the end user. The company was sold in 1989 to the Scandinavian holding company, Audionord, with a turnover exceeding $150 million. Direct is still in operation, and is headquartered in Aarhus, Denmark.
In the late 80’s and early 90’s Wilhelm oversaw the expansion of Pewex, Poland’s largest Western currency chain store. He also worked on a number of international contracts in radio and satellite communication and high tech electronics, and as communication consultant–and later contractor–to Russia’s first Five-Star hotel, the Grand Hotel Europe in St. Petersburg.
Wilhelm moved to the United States in 1995 to serve as president to 160 Research based in Clinton County, Kentucky. He worked to develop new, environmentally-friendly techniques for producing high octane blend stock for gasoline. A year later, he joined Nordica Engineering, a Miami-based, full service marine repair, maintenance, and installation company with global reach. Under his leadership, Nordica introduced a patented technique for cleaning commercial air ducts with infra sound vibration. With Nordica, Wilhelm oversaw more than 400 employees, invoiced over a million hours in a year, and realized in excess of $18 million.
In the meantime, he helped to found Viking Energy in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The group assisted an institutional partner in the reactivation project of a 100-mile natural gas pipeline and gathering system, and engaged in exploratory activities across four Kentucky counties.
Wilhelm purchased Kelcas in Owensboro, Kentucky, in 2000. The family of companies–originally founded in 1988–specialized in oil exploration, production, and servicing, and owned 330 stripper wells on roughly 11,000 leased acres. Kelcas grew rapidly under Wilhelm’s leadership, and when the price of oil peaked in 2008, Kelcas sold most of its production in order to develop the more than 6,000 leased mineral acreage beneath the Ohio River in Henderson County, Kentucky. Exploratory drilling of this project started in 2012, and the first directional well beneath the river was drilled during November of 2013.
Mr. Lilliehöök continues to focus most of his efforts on Kelcas’ exploration and production, but is also working to develop an economical, environmentally friendly method of extracting oil from tar sand.
Wilhelm has three sons and a dog; his family lives overseas. He enjoys boating, working on cars, 20th century European history, and international travel. He is an aficionado of acoustical music and high-fidelity audio.