Erwin H. Weder was born on Deck’s Prairie in 1904 and attended Highland High School. During WWII Erwin served as a Captain in the Illinois Militia Air Corps where he was a flight instructor.

Erwin worked at several jobs in the 20’s and early 30’s gaining valuable skills that would later serve him in his business endeavors.

In 1937 Erwin founded Highland Supply Corp. The company started as a wholesale floral supply company, but moved to manufacturing. He developed over 8,000 products and held more than 400 patents. Highland Supply Corp. is recognized as the premier supplier of floral packaging in the floral industry. The Wholesale Florist and Florist Supplier Association posthumously awarded Edwin the Leland T. Kintzele Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to the industry. Through the efforts of Erwin and his son, Don, the company pioneered the use of water-based inks replacing solvent inks. They received numerous awards including the Illinois Governor’s Award and awards from the Environmental Protection Agency for this work.

Erwin was also responsible for founding numerous other business entities including Highland Manufacturing and Sales Company, which produces Easter grass for baskets. He established a cattle, horse, and buffalo ranch in Montana that became home to over 650 head of bison. He founded a 90 acre business park in California where buildings are leased to a variety of tenants. He formed a company to farm rural properties in Illinois. Today, production and/or warehousing entities resulting from Erwin’s endeavors operate in Illinois, California, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Montana, Texas, Canada, and Mexico. Headquarters for the diverse group of companies remains in Highland, IL.

Erwin was also a preservationist and an environmentalist. He is responsible for planting more than 100,000 trees and preserved thousands of acres of timberland. He and his wife, Louise, restored the one-room country Giger School to its original condition and the Deck Cemetery. In 1987 Erwin founded the Erwin H. Weder Family Deck’s Prairie Historical, Educational and Research Foundation which established a museum in the historic Schott Brewery Building. In Hobart, Oklahoma a facility housing the Great Plains Youth and Family Services, Inc. is named the Erwin H. Weder Building in his honor.

He was a founding member of the Highland Manufacturers’ Association.

Erwin died November 1, 1987 at age 82.