Bottom Line: The Kansas City area is losing one of its most visible company headquarters with the sale of Williams Foods, an old BLC client. Conrad "Jim" Hock, long-time eccentric owner of Williams, reportedly is having health problems and that is the main reason for the sale. We gave this story to the KC Star... 03-14-2008
Williams Foods sold to San Antonio company By JENNIFER MANN, The Kansas City Star Williams Foods, a Lenexa-based food seasoning and mixes company with a long history in the area, has been bought by San Antonio-based C.H. Guenther & Son Inc. Steve Phillips, vice president of corporate human resources for C.H. Guenther, said some changes have been made in top management at Williams, including the departure of the chief executive and chief financial officers. Otherwise, Phillips said, the company plans to continue operations of Williams as it is, including its manufacturing facility in Lenexa. “Obviously, we’re very excited about this acquisition, as it fit in well with our operations,” Phillips said. Phillips declined to disclose revenues for either of the companies and declined to discuss terms of the acquisition. Williams, which has about 200 employees, is best known for its various seasonings, including for chili and tacos. The company was started 1937 by C.L. Williams in Webb City, Mo., who started putting his seasonings in small brown bags. In January, Williams sold its well-known English muffin maker, Wolferman’s, to specialty foods retailer Harry & David Holdings Inc. About 18 employees of Wolferman’s, which was started in 1888 and had 2007 sales of $28 million, were offered jobs with Harry & David. C.H. Guenther, which was started in 1851 in Fredericksburg, Texas, makes and owns a variety of food products, including baking mixes, gravies, corn goods and flours. Brand names owned by C.H. Guenther include Pioneer Brand, White Wings and Morrison.
