PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) – The chief executive officer of one of the Mid-Ohio Valley’s most iconic companies is among 50 women featured in a magazines that focuses on life in West Virginia.
Parkersburg native Mary Anne Ketelsen, who owns and runs the day-to-day operations of the Mister Bee Potato Chip Company, is featured in the fall edition of WV Living magazine.
It’s the seventh year the magazine has recognized women in the state for their “can-do attitudes and Mountain State spirit.”
“I am very honored to be recognized, as well as congratulations to all the other recipients,” Ketelsen said. “It means a lot to Mister Bee to get this kind of recognition. And it makes me believe that the hard work has paid off.”
Mister Bee has been a staple in the Mid-Ohio Valley since it was found in 1951 by Leo and Sara Klein. Leo Klein ran the business until his death in 1979 at age 73, and the company stayed in the Klein family until 2010.
The company, which has its offices and production facilities on West Virginia Avenue, saw its share of rough times, including a fire and bankruptcy, before Ketelsen joined a group to buy the company in 2015.
