Story
Henkel through the generations
Since Henkel’s beginning over 175 years ago, our company’s founder Fritz Henkel committed that Henkel would always be driven by family values, a community spirit, and a passion that is upheld through the generations. He believed the Henkel name would always be characterized by responsibility - for employees, society, and the environment. Today the Henkel name still stands for these values.
As we recently celebrated Mother’s Day, and look forward to celebrating Father’s Day, let’s take a closer look at how family values come to life at Henkel today. Here are some shining examples of families across Henkel North America facilities that embody the spirit our company was founded on.
The Johnson Family:
The Johnson Family has been a fixture in the Salt Lake City facility for nearly three decades, working to manufacture liquid and powder laundry detergents and dish soaps destined for customers in the United States.
Jerry Johnson worked as a Machinist for 27 years before he retired, and his son Mike eagerly followed in his footsteps, with a now 22-year tenure as a Production Services Manager. Not pictured are a long list of other family members that have also worked in the facility over the years.
Jerry’s brother Gene, a Forklift Operator and Truck Driver, other son Troy, a Forklift Lead, daughter-in-law Leanne, a Quality Control Specialist, nephew Jerry, a Suds Operator, and Aunt Dorothy, an Administrative Assistant, truly embody what it means to be a ‘Henkel Family.’
Colette Kingsbury Rich and Mallory Rich – Rocky Hill, CT
Colette has been working with Henkel for 38 years, starting as a secretary and moving through several promotions to reach her current position as a Quality Engineer.
When her daughter Mallory was growing up, she would come to ‘Take Your Child to Work Day’ each year and always came home saying “you work at a really fun place!” When she graduated college and was looking for ways to advance her career, she fondly remembered those days and applied to a few different positions before accepting her current role as an associate in our Adhesive Technologies rotational program, PRISM, last year. (Pictured far right is Colette’s other daughter, Makenna)
Tony and Jim Kirby – Warren, MI
The Henkel facility in Warren, MI manufactures a variety of metal surface treatments under the Bonderite® brand. These products are used in automobiles, commercial airplanes, soda cans, metal roofing materials, and other metal coating applications.
Two employees in Warren make up a set of twins, Tony and Jim Kirby. While they don’t have identical Henkel journeys, they have enjoyed working together over the last 31 years. Jim joined first in 1990, holding a few different positions before starting in his current role as a Receiving Supervisor. His brother Tony joined two years later, also rising through ranks to become a Production Manager in the facility today.
Julie and Morgan Robb - Rocky Hill, CT
Julie, a Human Resources Business Partner, and her daughter Morgan, a Global Marketing eCommerce Manager, have a combined 29-year tenure at Henkel.
Julie joined the company in 1997 via the Loctite brand acquisition where she enjoyed flexibility as a working mother and driven professional. Morgan decided to follow in her mother’s footsteps in 2022 to continue her career in marketing.
Ruri Chappel and Anri McCusker – Geneva, NY
The Geneva, NY site supports Henkel’s Consumer Brands businesses, producing products from brands including Dial®, Joico® and Zotos Professional®.
Two of the site’s employees include mother and daughter pair Ruri Chappel and Anri McCusker. Although Ruri has now retired and is enjoying time with her granddaughter, Anri has been with Henkel for 14 years and is still active in her role as a Supply Planner in Geneva.
Richard and Keith Cavalieri – Rocky Hill, CT
Richard Cavalieri came to the company after moving his family from New Jersey to Connecticut to pursue a career with the Loctite brand that lasted 27 years.
His son, Keith, got his start with Henkel as an intern through the Loctite brand acquisition. Keith found that he enjoyed the company so much that he continued his journey in a full-time capacity over the last 21 years, now serving as a Category Manager for the Adhesive Technologies Marketing team as well as a PRISM program manager.
Keith and Ed Copeland – Warren, MI
The Copeland brothers were preceded in their Henkel service by their father Dick, who was with the company as a Maintenance Mechanic for pumps and pipe fitting for 23 years prior to his retirement in 2011.
His son Keith joined him at the facility in 1998, where he has worked in logistics, production, and quality management over his 25-year tenure. To continue the family legacy, Ed joined the company as a Production Specialist in 2015 and has enjoyed working alongside his brother ever since.
As Fritz Henkel once said, “The best that came from my company was not the fruit of my own thoughts, but the result of my employees working together in partnership.” These family stories are just a small sample of the many partnerships that underpin Henkel’s commitment to family values in all of our operations. Our employees’ willingness to take home a sense of enthusiasm for their jobs and to represent what it means to work for this organization is helping to shape the future of Henkel one generation at a time.
