Mulder remembered for bringing Blaine community together through development

Mike Mulder, who died from amyloidosis June 16, will be remembered by many as an impassioned businessman known for his drive to build Blaine into a prosperous city with strong community values.

Mulder, 65, an Everett native, grew up in Tsawwassen, B.C. before eventually moving to Custer.

Known for developing downtown Blaine properties, Mulder also invested time and money in philanthropic pursuits through the nonprofit he co-founded, Wildbird Charity. Buildings line Peace Portal Drive bringing life to Mulder’s ideas, from the parking lot next to The Railway Café to his last complete project, The Rustic Fork.

With landmarks like the Goff building under his belt, Mulder pushed forward with development, even until his last days. Through his real estate company, Nimbus Real Estate, he was planning an elaborate event center and bakery, all while racing for a September opening of Gateway 1890 Taphouse, Seafood & Grill.

Mulder dreamed of bringing Blaine together by developing spaces that could create shared community experiences, friends and business partners say. Mulder invested his time into other people who could help build Blaine into a destination town similar to La Conner or Anacortes.

“He liked to give everybody opportunities,” said Karen Trudel, who worked closely with Mulder as a Nimbus Real Estate broker. “He wanted to employ people, he wanted people working and he wanted the town working.”

Those who knew Mulder describe him as big-hearted, generous, uplifting, family focused and as someone who gave opportunity to those around him. His philanthropic values drove him to co-found Wildbird Charity in 2016 with a group of friends from Trinity Western University in Langley, where Mulder attended school in the ’70s.

“He was really conscious of giving back to the community, whether that’s in business or in charity,” said Phill Esau, a Wildbird Charity co-founder and Nimbus Real Estate broker. “And even though he was a quiet sponsor of Wildbird Charity, he was a major sponsor from our start nearly five years ago to present day.”

Nimbus Real Estate’s extra profits went to the nonprofit, and all of Mulder’s developments, like The Rustic Fork, contributed to Wildbird Charity. The charity founders originally sought out to fill gaps serving people in Whatcom County and found a niche providing students meals on weekends. The organization went from feeding 250 to 900 county children per week during the pandemic last summer, according to the Wildbird Charity website. Mulder’s wife also started Wildbird Charity Boutique in downtown Blaine to help fund the nonprofit’s projects.

“A real estate company that funds a charity was his dream,” Trudel said. “You’ll never hear that again. It just doesn’t happen because [real estate] is about making money and this guy was not about making money for himself. He wanted to take care of everyone else around him. He wants everyone to be self-supporting and do their own thing.”

Mulder was a humble man who happened to be smart with his investments, Trudel said.

Esau, who was Mulder’s college friend from nearly 50 years ago, said as ambitious as Mulder was with good will and real estate, he was equally eager to belt out hearty vocals.

“There’s a rich history there,” Esau said of Mulder’s music. “Music was always a really important part of his life. Those of us that have known him for longer, we’ll never forget that part.”

Mulder produced several albums during his lifetime, and according to a July 28, 2020 Business Examiner article, Mulder co-wrote “The Turkey Song” with Canadian producer Roy Salmond that was played on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Music also took Mulder on tour through Canada and the U.S., Esau said.

He would write an array of music, from upbeat dancing to slower, reflective melodies. Music was so important to Mulder that he wanted to incorporate it into many of his downtown Blaine establishments, Trudel said.

Mulder had a passion for helping anyone he met, whether that was regularly buying food for someone without a home to helping someone start their career, Trudel said. For Mulder, developing properties was always about bringing more to the community.

And The Rustic Fork did just that. Weeks before its grand opening last December, those passing by peeped through windows of the Italian eatery in anticipation. Calls would pour in from people hungry for more information about the restaurant opening during a time when indoor dining was closed.

“He gave me the opportunity. I can’t say that enough,” said The Rustic Fork owner Gary Slavin. “And if we can do that for other people, and just keep building this town the way it is, that’s what he wanted to see.”

Mulder helped Slavin open his first Blaine restaurant, and the duo had more on the way with Gateway 1890 and an event center to follow.

Mulder, known for 3 a.m. texts about new ideas for the city, didn’t stop working until the day he passed. Trudel said he texted her three days before he died about purchasing a downtown property. He also didn’t stop trying to help those around him, as one of his last text messages to Trudel was telling her not to worry.

“He gave to everybody else before he worried about himself,” Slavin said.

Mulder’s friends and business partners are still finalizing ways to honor Mulder. Slavin has already decided to hang Mulder’s photo – one of him with a baseball cap and black suit – in every establishment Slavin owns, or will own. The Rustic Fork will also have menu items dedicated to Mulder, with proceeds going to Wildbird Charity.

“I wish he could see how this town would end up,” Slavin said, before pausing. “He will.”