Vince Witherup
Conair Group
Inducted 2021
Vincent Witherup’s (1942 – ) strong work ethic led him to begin working at age 8, eventually become an Eagle Scout, and win a football scholarship to Grove City College, where he earned a degree in metallurgy in 1965. His first job after college was at Inland Steel of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he worked in technical sales.
Two years later, Witherup was invited to conduct a three-month study exploring the feasibility of the Conair Group entering the turnkey material handling systems business in his hometown of Franklin, Pennsylvania. That study led him to join Conair in 1967 as a salesman and work up to VP of International Sales and Marketing in the mid-1970s.
When he retired in 2007, Witherup was instrumental in Conair’s entering the international market, expanding its product line to include material handling systems, and growing its sales from $1 million to $160 million annually. After retirement, he served as a consultant for IPEG Industrial Group, which owns Conair, until 2009.
In addition to these accomplishments, Vince was inducted into the Plastics Pioneers Association (PPA, 1996), was named SPI International Businessman of the Year (2000), served as chairman for NPE2000, received the PPA Distinguished Service Member Award (2016), and was named PPA president in 2016.
Witherup has since turned his efforts to serving his community, including two terms as a Venango County Commissioner (Pennsylvania) and serving on several local boards. He has been and continues to be a mentor to many young engineers and sales professionals.
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