The International Housewares Association (IHA) board of directors elected three industry leaders to join the board and three board members to serve as 2026/2027 officers.
The annual election and appointments took place September 16 at IHA’s fall board meeting and will take effect at the beginning of IHA’s 2026-2027 fiscal year, which starts October 1, 2026.
The new IHA board members appointed to three-year terms are Will Augenbraun, chief strategy officer, Scrub Daddy; Eric Endres, president, Select Brands; and Linda Levine, president, The Godinger Group
Current directors appointed to IHA officer positions for one-year terms are Chairman, Tom McMahon, president, Jura Incc; Vice Chairman/Chairman-Elect, Sal Gabbay, CEO, Gibson Homewares; and Treasurer, Bill McHenry, founder/CEO, Widgeteer
Augenbraun (pictured above left) is chief strategy officer at Scrub Daddy, where he oversees business growth and long-term strategy with specific focus on international expansion, M&A efforts and social media marketing. During his 13-year tenure at the company, he has also managed U.S. sales operations, helped build long-term partnerships with many of the country’s largest retailers, and oversaw the acquisition of two foreign subsidiaries in Hungary and the Netherlands. He also played a key role in the design and construction of the company’s headquarters in Pennsauken, NJ.
Endres (pictured above center) is president of Select Brands, the Lenexa, KS-based kitchen appliance company he joined at its founding in 1998 by his father, Bill Endres, Select Brands chairman. With nearly 30 years of experience in the housewares industry, Eric Endres has held a wide range of roles within Select Brands. Today, the company’s portfolio includes Toastmaster, TRU and Babycakes, alongside officially licensed product lines developed through partnerships with Disney and Warner Brothers.
Levine (pictured above right), a 30-year-plus veteran of the home and housewares industry, Linda Levine is president of The Godinger Group – a leading tabletop, gift and home décor company that has been in business for more than 50 years. At Godinger, Levine drives sales along with product development, in addition to overseeing day-to-day operations. Levine has also held leadership positions with Mikasa and Lifetime Brands, and she has worked on the retailer side at Macy’s as a tabletop/housewares buyer. Levine also serves as vice president and a founder of the Tabletop Association, which took over the promotion and management of the New York Tabletop Show.
McMahon has served as president of Jura since 2020. He first joined this Swiss-owned manufacturer of fully automatic coffee machines as Midwest director of sales in 2011 and was named vice president of sales in 2013. Before joining Jura, McMahon, who has more than 30 years of experience in the housewares industry, served as regional sales manager at De’Longhi America from 2008 to 2011. He began his housewares career in 1994 as district manager at Syratech Corporation, handling the Towle, Wallace and International Silver brands. In 2006, Lifetime Brands purchased Syratech, and McMahon was named senior vice president, tabletop.
Gabbay is CEO and owner of fourth-generation company Gibson Homewares, and he has spent his 47-year career growing the company into a leading manufacturer of cookware, cutlery, dinnerware, glassware and other products for the table and kitchen. Gibson’s portfolio of brands currently includes Martha Stewart, Sur La Table, Calphalon, Babish, Kenmore, Crockpot, Mr. Coffee and Oster, as well as popular legacy brands Gibson Home, Gibson Elite, Bloomhouse, Laurie Gates and Soho Lounge.
McHenry is founder/CEO of Widgeteer, a kitchen and tabletop company he founded in 2007. As the company has expanded, McHenry has led the launch of hundreds of items and multiple brands. He brings more than 40 years of corporate and entrepreneurial experience, having worked in sales, marketing and business development for such companies including Carnation (a division of Nestle Corporation), 3M, and Philips North America.
IHA’s 2026-2027 Executive Committee was also confirmed at the fall board meeting. The full committee includes officers McMahon, Gabbay and McHenry, as well as: Mike Otterman, president & CEO, Lodge Cast Iron (IHA immediate past chairman); Mark Adkison, president, consumer group, John Boos & Company; Pamela Stafford, president & CEO, Hestan Culinary; and Cze-Chao Tam, CEO, Trinity International Industries.
