August 10, 2022 – Jackson, Wi – Wisconsin Pharmacal Company, LLC (d/b/a Pharmacal) is excited to announce Heath Ashenfelter has joined the company as Chief Executive Officer.
Heath has spent the entirety of his career in the consumer goods space, primarily in retail merchandising, marketing and business development roles. Heath has a track record of building and executing strategy, leading organizations through transformative change, developing new consumer-focused programs and developing high-performance organizations.
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He has deep experience working with many of the nation’s largest retailers, including home improvement, mass merchandise, sporting goods, farm and ranch, grocery, drug, and club channels.
Prior to joining Pharmacal, Heath served as the Chief Merchandising & Marketing Officer at Appleton, WI based Fleet Farm, a 47-store chain owned by private equity firm, KKR. Previously, he served as the Chief Merchandising Officer at Chicago, IL based True Value, a leader in the distribution of hardware and home improvement products.
Heath started his career at Marysville, OH based The Scotts Company, the global leader in the consumer lawn and garden products space in a variety of sales and business development roles of escalating responsibility.
“We are fortunate to have someone of Heath’s caliber and experience to implement our strategy and capitalize on the attractive market opportunities,” said John Wundrock, the long-time former CEO of Pharmacal and a minority owner of the company.
“Heath is a strong communicator with deep leadership skills, and we are confident he will lead us successfully as we enter our next phase of growth.”
“We could not be happier Heath decided to join Pharmacal at such an important time in the company’s history. His track record of growing sales and margins, developing innovative new programs and energizing the teams he leads will be a great asset to the company,” said Michael Healy, CEO of Gardner Standard LLC, the majority owner of Pharmacal. “Given Heath’s 20+ years of industry experience, together with the outstanding team at Pharmacal, we are confident Pharmacal will continue to flourish as it enters its next stage of growth.”
“I’m thrilled to be joining Pharmacal at such an important time in the organization’s history. The company has long been known for manufacturing and distributing consumer products that address our customers’ needs and exceed their expectations,” added Heath. “There are tremendous opportunities for us to develop and commercialize new products, profitably grow our customer base and modernize our marketing and sales efforts.”
Heath serves on the Board of Directors for the American Heart Association – Southeast Wisconsin and lives in West Bend, WI with his wife Heidi and daughters, Ava and Charlotte.
About Pharmacal
Pharmacal is a diversified consumer products company that is FDA & EPA approved and manufactures and distributes long-established brands in the OTC Health/First Aid and Outdoor/Safety markets. Among its well-known brands are vH Essentials® Feminine Health Products, MG217 Psoriasis/Eczema/ First Aid Products, Potable Aqua® Water Purification Products, Sting-Eze® Insect Bite Relief Products, and Baitmate® Fish Attractants. Wisconsin Pharmacal is also the official licensee of Coleman® Insect Repellents and Coleman® First Aid Products. In addition to its own portfolio of branded products, the company provides strategic contract manufacturing services and unique consumer product formulations / product delivery systems for a growing number of store-branded and private label consumer products.
About Gardner Standard
Gardner Standard is a private investment firm that invests in lower middle-market companies and traces its origin to a Minnesota-based, family-run business founded in 1884. Gardner Standard considers investments in a wide variety of market segments, including manufacturing, aerospace & defense, industrial services, and engineered industrial products. The fundamentals of a business, particularly its growth prospects and competitive position, are Gardner Standard’s focus rather than a specific market segment. In addition to traditional private equity investments, Gardner Standard targets opportunistic investments in high quality operating businesses with low-quality balance sheets.