Bill and Nancy McHenry from Widgeteer join host, Fran Groesbeck, in this edition of What’s Cooking with the CBA. They discuss the challenges and rewards are operating as a family business, the development of their product lines, and how their involvement in industry organizations has helped them grow their company.
The founders of Widgeteer believe that some of the most important moments in life take place around dinner tables. With that in mind, their mission is to help make your family meals become family memories.
Widgeteer Inc. is an American company that shops home products from around the world. Their team visits trade shows in the U.S., Europe, and Asia to find the newest and most interesting items. They look for products that are the most useful, clever, stylish, and high-quality.
Bill McHenry is an innovative leader in the world of sales and marketing with over 25 years of extensive corporate and entrepreneurial experience. As a creative and energetic problem solver, Bill has helped launch a number of exciting new products and companies, building them from the ground up including Widgeteer. As the founder and President of Widgeteer, Bill uses his comprehensive industry experience to bring innovative European housewares brands to North America. As the company has grown, he has been able to grow the logistics part of the business creating a bridge between international factories and retailers in North America.
Throughout his noteworthy career, Bill has served in key capacities for a number of varied and high-profile companies including Carnation, a division of Nestle Corporation, 3M and North American Philips in upper executive positions in sales, marketing and business development sectors.
Bill is a graduate of Alma College and served as President of the Alumni Board from 2016-2018. His commitment to the students and College earned him the recognition as Advisory board Ambassador of the year in 2016 and the Smith Distinguished service award in 2020. Bill is very active in his community and serves on the CASA board of McHenry County, the National Board for Gift of Adoption and Rotarian for Crystal Lake.
Nancy McHenry joined Widgeteer in 2020 as Executive Vice President. She is responsible for Widgeteer’s operating performance and achieving its financial goals.
She draws on her 36-year hospitality background with Marriott International where she was a Sales, Marketing and Operations Executive. Nancy’s strengths include driving sales and profit, change management, creating high-performance teams and exceeding goals across multiple markets, countries and cultures.
Connect with Widgeteer:
- Website: https://widgeteerinc.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Widgeteer/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/widgeteer.inc/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/widgeteer/about/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billmchenry/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-mchenry-78579a17/