Nonstick coating industry leader David “Dave” Willis, chief executive of Whitford Corporation for 50 years, passed away last week at 87.
Willis co-founded Whitford in West Chester, PA, in 1969. He presided over the manufacturer of nonstick and low-friction coatings for consumer and industrial applications until 2016, when he handed day-to-day reins to his daughter, Anne Willis. He served as Whitford’s chairman until its acquisition by PPG Industries in 2019.
Willis in 1969 spearheaded the introduction of Xylan, Whitford’s first fluoropolymer nonstick coating for cookware and other housewares. The company’s 1990 release of the stainless steel-reinforced Excalibur coating ushered in a new era of nonstick stainless steel cookware. Other leading housewares nonstick coatings from Whitford include Eclipse, Eterna, QuanTanium and Fusion.
Dave Willis oversaw Whitford’s global expansion, opening a number of international offices, as well as 10 manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Canada, the UK, Brazil, India, China, Singapore and Italy.
“My father made a difference in lives of so many people,” Anne Willis said. “He represented and impacted people as more than a boss. He was a mentor, a father figure and a uniquely inspirational figure in a demanding business and marketplace.”
“Dave Willis was a true American entrepreneur who created a lasting legacy on our industry and changed how corporate culture was run,” said Fran Groesbeck, the managing director of the Cookware & Bakeware Alliance, who previously managed Whitford’s consumer and global retail/brand marketing for 20 years. “He was an innovator, a leader and a true friend. Dave gave me and so many others a unique opportunity to do what we love in a company that became our family. He will be so very missed. My life is forever changed having known this amazing man.”
Whitford’s history under the leadership of Dave Willis was chronicled in the 2017 book, The Whitford Way: A Story of Corporate Chemistry in the Real World, by business editor Tony Tedeschi.
“Dave was, first and foremost, a problem solver,” Tedeschi said. “Whitford’s coatings are foundational to so many products, and they play a major role in making the world run more smoothly. When I gushed about the universal level of that impact to Dave, he told me he was reluctant to deal in hyperbole. I’d never met a senior executive so thoroughly committed to letting the story of his company be told by the accomplishments of its employees. His loss leaves a pronounced empty space for me and I am sure all those who benefitted from his deep sense of humanity, impressions he left upon us, which will continue to bring him to mind long after he’s gone.”
Information on memorial services and a tribute page for Willis are available at David P. Willis, Jr..
