Nancy Wilson
CEO
Morrison Container Handling Solutions
Who doesn’t like to build things? Especially things that don’t already exist. We have the opportunity to design and manufacture custom equipment every day to meet the specific needs of our customers, all while providing enriching, well-paying jobs in our community!
Nancy Wilson is the CEO of Morrison Container Handling Solutions, in Glenwood, Illinois, a recognized leader in the packaging machinery manufacturing industry, providing custom designed container handling systems, timing screws and change parts for national and international companies since 1971. Since assuming full ownership and operational responsibility from husband and founder Nick Wilson in 2012, Wilson has driven growth strategies that position the company to be at the forefront of industry innovation now and into the future.
Prior to joining Morrison in 2011, Wilson enjoyed a distinguished 25-year career in sales and marketing at Ford Motor Company, in leadership positions ranging from operations to strategic marketing to new business development. Here, Wilson built a track record as a problem-solver and revenue-generator, making a clear impact with each new assignment. Wilson’s reach goes beyond Morrison. An active member for over a decade of PMMI, the leading global resource for the packaging and processing industries, Wilson was elected to the Board of Directors, where she helps drive the strategic plan for the industry and foster success in the global marketplace for member companies and also is the chairperson of the Future Workforce Committee, where she led the group in establishing $500,000 in matching funds to help members work locally to build the future manufacturing workforce.
Additionally, Wilson is recognized for her unwavering commitment to growing and developing the roles women hold in today’s workforce. During her tenure at Ford, Wilson was active in many diversity efforts, a member of the Diversity Council and established herself as a mentor to foster the development and advancement of women at Ford. She is now looking to help in the packaging industry. Wilson was asked to bring her experience to the Executive Council of PMMI’s Packaging & Processing Women’s Leadership Network (PPWLN), a group that serves to recruit, retain and advance women’s careers in the industry by bringing established female leaders together with young professionals. Furthermore, in 2016, under Wilson’s guidance, Morrison was awarded the National Women’s Business Enterprise Certification from the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), certifying that the business is owned, operated and controlled by a woman.
Along with her work to champion women’s involvement in the industry, Wilson has continued to play a strong role in the educational advancements she and her husband Nick Wilson have worked tirelessly to develop and support at the secondary education level. These programs marry the mechanical focus of the packaging industry of the past, to the servo/PLC controls focus of the present, guaranteeing a deep bench of future leaders to shepherd the industry forward. Wilson serves as an active member of Purdue Northwest Chancellor’s Advisory Board and on the College of Technology Dean’s Advisory Committee.
Wilson is an active member in the recently formed Calumet Manufacturing Industry Sector Partnership (CMSIP), working with local manufacturers and supporting public partner organizations to address mutual needs where she serves on the steering committee and workforce development committee. Additionally, she was recently appointed to the Board of Directors for the newly developed Southland Development Authority, launched as a vehicle of growth for the economy of Chicago’s South Suburbs. These affiliations allow Wilson to work within the community to develop ways to enrich the local economy while remaining true to her passion for developing the next generation of our nation’s leaders.
Born and raised on a farm in Ohio in 1960, Wilson earned a BS in Marketing from the University of Toledo in 1983, and an MBA from Michigan State University in 1993. The Wilsons live in Downers Grove, Illinois, and have five children and eight grandchildren. When not at Morrison, you can find Wilson with her grandkids, in the garden, or on the golf course.