This year marks the 70th anniversary of Winholt, just the latest accomplishment for the company’s excellent track record. Winholt was founded after World War II as a shopping cart supply company supplying the original supermarkets in the United States. The company has seen strength growth and expansion with the addition of the company’s now Chairman and CEO, Jonathan J. Holtz.
Based out of Woodbury, New York with manufacturing in Pennsylvania, Texas, California and China, Winholt is truly a global manufacturer of high quality foodservice, food handling and material handling equipment. Their success relies on many important factors, one of which is the support that Winholt’s associates have given them over their seventy- year history. By fostering those relationships Winholt can provide their customers with Value Engineered Solution based products and a Supply Chain advantage over other companies.
Winholt has created and implemented an industry leading “We Care” program. The mission for the initiative is to put extra emphasis on treating customers, suppliers, associates and the community with respect and being a positive influence. Instead of pushing products on customers that may be higher in price but do not fit their need, Winholt uses their in-house engineering to design around what their customers’ needs are. This can only be done with top-notch employees. “We have people who have been at Winholt for three or four decades and our average tenure is over twelve years,” said Holtz. President and COO Dominick Scarfogilero agrees, saying, “It is our people who make the difference. Winholt has an experienced team and dedicated group of associates that work hard every day to add value to our customers.”
Holtz brings a unique background and vision to his position. The Harvard Business School graduate has kept the company on target towards its stated mission to “continuously provide our customers with value engineered solutions based on quality products.”
Winholt has to be on top of a changing business world. The Holtz management strategy is unique to manufacturing in that he creates ninety-day business plans for the firm. “In today’s world you cannot sit down and write a two year business plan. You need a flexible business model not a rigid one.”
Holtz’s approach also includes a commitment to transparency to his employees and customers. Winholt sends out a monthly letter from Holtz’s desk outlining how the company is adapting to challenges.
In a marketplace increasingly driven by a race to the lowest price, Winholt’s goal is to deliver added value to its customer base. For Winholt the relationship with its customer bases only begins with the sale of its products.
That approach has enabled the Long Island firm to serve the foodservice professional for seven decades.
