LaVon began his career at Wenger Manufacturing in 1955 after studying engineering at Kansas State University. In 1977, he was named President and led the company, along with his cousin Don, to achieve significant success and global reputation. Through the years, LaVon used his intuition and foresight to develop numerous innovations for extrusion cooking technology – especially for pet food processing. LaVon is the inventor on 44 US patents.
Scott Krebs, President of Wenger Group, said, “LaVon’s fingerprints are evident each day in the various solutions used by Wenger customers around the world. Many of his pioneering concepts over the years have become today’s industry standards. His legacy continues to provide an example for us to be caring, fair, and respectful toward others. We are truly blessed to have known and worked with such a wonderful person and we extend our deepest sympathies to the Wenger family.”
LaVon lived his entire life in the town of Sabetha, Kansas USA. This is where Wenger Manufacturing was founded in 1935 and continues as the company’s global headquarters today. For decades, LaVon dedicated his time and talents to various community organizations to help Sabetha and neighboring towns become great places to live, work, and raise a family. Although he had an enormous impact on the extrusion cooking industry but people in Sabetha in particular will remember him most for being a kind and caring person. LaVon Wenger was a model of what true leadership looks like.
The team at Dr. Harnisch Publications joins with our readers in sending condolences to the Wenger team and family.
About Wenger
Founded in 1935, Wenger is the world’s leading supplier of extrusion cooking systems for use in food, pet food, and aquatic feed processing. Wenger is a wholly-owned subsidiary of JBT Marel Corporation.
