By Emma Delk

NEWELL — Elizabeth “Liz” McIlvain is keeping business in the family as the first female CEO and president of the Fiesta Tableware Co. after four generations of male leadership.

McIlvain’s roots with the company stretch back to the late 1890s, when her great-grandfather purchased the firm formerly known as the Homer Laughlin China Co. from founder Homer Laughlin. Her great-grandfather, grandfather, father and brother each had a turn as CEO before her.

Entering the leadership role was not a planned affair for McIlvain. She took the reins at the company in 2013 after her brother, who was the CEO at the time, began to suffer from major health issues.

“I might have been in denial a little bit when I first got the job,” McIlvain said. “I always thought in my head that I would work in the family business because I love the company, it’s like my second family. Little did I know I would be put into a role so soon after returning from maternity leave.”

After initially joining the company in 1979, McIlvain held a wide range of positions within Fiesta Tableware. Becoming familiar with all aspects of the business was “part of the deal” her father made with her when she was given a job at the company.

McIlvain has held positions at the warehouse, manufacturing plant and decorating shop. She also acquired leadership experience during her time as manufacturing plant superintendent.

After her first daughter was born, the time McIlvain could spend at the company “became limited.” The most she could often fit into the schedule was “some day-to-day paperwork.”

When her second daughter was born, she stopped working completely for the next four years.

On whether she regrets the decision to put her career on hold to raise her daughters, McIlvain responded: “Yes and no.”

“I regret not being part of the company, but the valuable time I had with my daughters was priceless,” she elaborated. “If I had stayed at the company during that time I would have been much farther along than when I left. I was kind of thrown into a leadership role when I came back to work, and I could’ve used some more training and skill development.”

Though she admits she wasn’t prepared to take on the top post after her brother, McIlvain found she grew into the role.

McIlvain’s extensive experience on the manufacturing side of the business helped ease the transition. She also credits the mentorship of her brother and Vice President and Treasurer William Danley in helping her adapt to the role.

Though the company has been within her family for decades, McIlvain emphasized the importance of gaining respect from her peers to succeed in the new position.

“After I came back from maternity leave, everybody at the company knew about me, but gaining the respect of people was still of the utmost importance,” she noted. “I grew into the role, so I had to gain respect from the people I didn’t know as well.”

As someone who had to become a leader when they weren’t fully prepared for the position, McIlvain noted women entering the manufacturing field need to be prepared to weather “difficult scenarios or people.”

“If you’re interested and want to grow, knowledge is important,” she added. “In particular, the knowledge of who you’re working with. Being able to discern who the most valuable people to go to is vital because there’s going to be people out there that want to see you fail.”

Though there may be growing pains, McIlvain encourages any female to “stick with it” if manufacturing is what they are interested in. She added that a background in chemistry also lends itself to a potential career in pottery through ceramic engineering.

“You’ve got to be able to hang with it because every day is a different problem,” she noted. “I give women all the credit for going into the manufacturing arena. It isn’t easy, but it’s very, very fulfilling.”

The ability to impact American homes through their products is what McIlvain finds the most fulfilling about the pottery industry. She is frequently amazed by the enthusiasm and support of Fiesta Tableware collectors.

“The collectors know more about my family and this company than I do,” she joked. “I am overwhelmed by their dedication to the product. It’s amazing how excited people get when we bring out a new color or item.”

Since pottery manufacturing largely transitioned into cheaper overseas production during the 1980s and 1990s, McIlvain is proud that Fiesta Tableware is the last major manufacturer of dishware in the United States.

“This company is so important to this community and surrounding people,” McIlvain stressed. “I do not want to sell the entire business when there have been too many businesses in this community who have left the area. To me, the most important thing is keeping jobs in Hancock County and in the panhandle of West Virginia.”

Apart from keeping manufacturing jobs in the Mountain State, McIlvain hopes to keep the family business within her lineage. Two of her three daughters work at the company, and Chief Operating Officer Matthew Wicks is her nephew.

One family member McIlvain has not been able to convince to join the company yet is her retired husband, Jack McIlvain.

“Sometimes he says yes to coming in, sometimes he says no, so we’ll see,” she said. “I used to say I retired at the wrong time to raise my daughters, but he keeps himself busy at home.”

McIlvain resides in East Liverpool with her husband. She noted the low cost of living drew her to the area, and the jobs being created “up and down the Ohio River” keep her there.

One way McIlvain stays involved in the area is through Fiesta Tableware’s community outreach. The company provides yearly scholarships to Oak Glen and East Liverpool high schools and frequently donates to local charitable organizations.

“I’m hopeful that this community can come back to what it once was to the height of all people working and wanting to stay here in the area,” McIlvain added. “It was a good place for me to bring my kids because I knew they were safe here, so I’ve been lucky with the choices I’ve made.”