West Virginia Executive Spring/Summer 2020 | Page 50

Winner’s Circle 2020
BUSINESS IS AT THE FOREFRONT of the current national dialogue. In West Virginia
and across the U.S., small businesses are the heart and soul of numerous communities,
creating jobs, rebuilding downtowns and attracting tourists. In spite of the international
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world economy, many businesses are staying the
course, and with the important role exporting is playing in the Mountain State, hope
for a brighter future remains.
As always, West Virginia Executive (WVE) is committed to celebrating the successes
of West Virginia’s business community, large and small. Despite significant changes
in operation for the time being, these all-star companies—all of which have at least
one facility in West Virginia and have taken their unique products and services across
state lines or even around the world—have continued to create art, solve problems with
innovative solutions and feed the hungry.
In conjunction with its energy, manufacturing and development issue, WVE is proud to
present the 2020 installment of Winner’s Circle. Nominations were received from around the
state, and these winning companies stood out as tried and true assets, proving that West Virginia
companies produce high-quality products enjoyed around the country and the world.
Welcome to our winner’s circle.
Allegheny Treenware, LLC
BY CATHY BONNSTETTER. Susan
and Stan Jennings, founders of
Allegheny Treenware in Evansville,
WV, started selling their
hand-crafted, wooden kitchenware
at craft shows in 1990 and
soon realized their art could
become a business. From measuring
cups and bowls to forks
and knives, their line grew to
approximately 170 different
utensil designs, each crafted
from West Virginia hardwood
and sanded before being branded
with the species of wood, shop
signature and year the piece
was made.
Photo by
Jerry Anthony
Photography.
The designs are practical, and for Susan and Stan, they’re
also personal. The designs for their salad hands products—
Sammy’s Salad Hands, Nicky’s Salad Hands and Lorena’s Salad
Hands—started as tracings of their grandchildren’s and niece’s
hands. As they grew, so did Allegheny Treenware. In fact,
orders doubled every year for nearly 20 years after it opened.
“Our growth on the wholesale side put our work across the
country,” says Susan. “We have chefs, culinary institutes and
private individuals around the world using our work.”
Allegheny Treenware has been featured in local and national
publications, including Southern
Living, Martha Stewart’s Living and
Country Woman magazines, and Chef
Damaris Phillips, host of the Food
Network’s “Southern At Heart,”
featured the utensils during three
of the five years the show aired.
“We are still riding that wave of
popularity,” says Susan. “We are
also consistently the number one
wood seller at Tamarack and have been
for years. Having been in the doors of
Tamarack when it opened has been a
cornerstone of our business.”
Allegheny Treenware has customers throughout the U.S.
and Canada, and its internet presence includes a website and
an Etsy store.
“Stan and I have worked hard at our business for 30 years,
and we feel very lucky this all took place in West Virginia,”
says Susan. “We have the abundance of hard wood, and we are
located in the center of a large wheel, where traveling four or
five hours gave us access to dense population venues.”
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Stan and Sue
have been working solely from their Preston County farm and
workshop, but they are working toward reopening their showroom
to tours this summer.
“Keeping our friends and neighbors in our community earning
a fair living and bringing every cent of what our company earns
back to Preston County is a source of pride,” says Susan.
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE