Don Welge, president of Gilster Mary-Lee dies of COVID-19
The private label industry has lost one of its pioneers. Don Welge, president and CEO of Midwestern private label food maker Gilster Mary-Lee — who was inducted into the Private Label Hall of Fame in 2013 — died April 16 from COVID-19. He was 84 years old.
Welge’s death was reported in the Benton Evening News and the company posted about his passing on its company Facebook page.
"Those who knew him certainly understood his love of the food industry, the company he helped build, and the relationships with customers, suppliers, fellow employees, and other business associates he established over his 60 plus years in the industry," the company said on Facebook. "He was also devoted to his family, church, community, and region."
Gilster Mary-Lee, based in Chester, Ill., has been a major contributor to the Southern Illinois region where it was headquartered, as well as in parts of Missouri and Arkansas where the company ran a dozen plants, distribution and trucking fleets.
Gilster Mary-Lee has roots that date back to 1895, as a milling company in Steeleville, Ill. Welge, a great-nephew of the original Gilster family, joined the company in 1957 when the milling company was making around $1 million in annual sales, making a name in private label cake mix, drink mix and potato products, eventually expanding into its Chester headquarters.
Following a series of acquisitions and expansion during the ’60s, the Gilster management group mostly moved on, and in 1971 the company united with Mary Lee Packaging to form the current company. Almost immediately, more expansion occurred as the company acquired and moved into private brand food production beyond baking mixes into macaroni and cheese, ready-to-eat frostings, enhanced packaging capabilities, cereal, popcorn, pasta and more.
In all Welge, saw the company grow into it a successful company making more than 8,000 SKUs under nearly 500 different private label brands. The company grew to employ nearly 3,000 people.
Read more about the community reaction in the Benton News article.