No one could ever imagine the simple dream of a young couple—to decorate their first home—would become the company HENN is today. But in 1982, one simple idea was deftly woven together with the right idea at the right time, a good family name with a tradition of handcrafting and many valuable friends to create an American dream success story…HENN.
At a time when the “Country” decorating trend was just starting to sweep the nation, Jerry and Cherie Henn began the arduous task of decorating their first home. Both Jerry and Cherie were raised with a strong appreciation and love for antiques, but unfortunately the “Country” trend was driving prices through the roof. Reproductions were an alternative, but they felt most of these were lacking in quality and authenticity. Jerry and Cherie saw a need for high quality, handcrafted reproductions—and HENN was born.
The HENN business grew from a small workshop on the corner of Jerry’s 5-generation family homestead land to eventually encompass three manufacturing facilities (2 in Ohio, and 1 in Pennsylvania) employing 300 craftspeople and several thousand decorating “Consultants” internationally. In 2004, HENN received prestigious national recognition by the worldwide renowned accounting firm Ernst & Young, who named Jerry Henn, Entrepreneur of the Year.
Through it all, one thing has remained clear and constant—we would not be here without all of you, our many valuable friends. It is your loyal following and appreciation of HENN products that have made Quality, Functionality and Collectability synonymous with the name HENN. Each of you is considered a member of the HENN family, and we wish to thank you for your continued dedication to HENN quality, and welcome you to share many exciting new seasons and opportunities with HENN.
Very interesting background and structure of the company. Whether someone is selling insurance or handcrafts the attributes of starting small and appreciating your consumer base is important. Keeping in mind where you started will lead you to a more successful future.
Jerry
www.leads4insurance.com
Posted by: Jerry | July 25, 2007 at 09:23 PM
Yeah, if only it was really a success. I left in 2003, the writing was on the wall, how they got an award in 2004 is beyond me. And its not about selling and clients. Its about treating your employees well so everyone behind the product has pride in their work. Anyone can find a good thing and market it, to make it a long term success takes more business savy than salesmanship. Too bad they didn't have it.
Posted by: jd | February 11, 2009 at 01:28 PM