The Cleveland native has spent decades creating businesses that combine grit, innovation and purpose — and now, with the support of MAP (Mergers, Acquisitions, Partnerships) Lab, he’s writing his next chapter with Heritage Brands, a food distribution company rooted in legacy and growth.
“I’m a young 69-year-old,” Williams laughs. “And I’m very motivated. I don’t know what I’d do if I wasn’t doing this.
Williams’ path has been defined by persistence and reinvention. After graduating from Cleveland Public Schools and earning a double major in procurement and operations management from Bowling Green State University, he landed his first job with Eaton Corporation. But when economic conditions shifted, Williams became determined to build something lasting in the city that built him.
His first major leap came in the early 1980s, when he bought a struggling manufacturing company that made wood shipping containers. “My father told me, ‘I wouldn’t touch that with a ten-foot pole,’” recalls Williams, who earned an MBA from Baldwin-Wallace. “I told him, ‘I’ll show you.’ That was my first mistake — but also my first real lesson.”
That risk turned into opportunity. Williams’ company won government contracts and supported military operations during the first Gulf War. When a customer encouraged him to move into corrugated packaging, he took another leap, and never looked back. Over time, his business grew into Elson’s International, a name honoring his parents, Earl and Lois Williams, and their sons.
At its height, Elson’s became one of the few minority-owned manufacturing firms in Cleveland — even building the first new industrial plant in the Buckeye Road area in decades. “That was probably my proudest moment,” he says. “I was able to retire my parents.”
When Elson’s sold in 2016, Williams launched Packaging Tech, a corrugated packaging distributor that reconnected with many of his long-time customers. And this year, he expanded again, in an entirely new direction.
In April 2025, Williams acquired Heritage Fare, rebranding it as Heritage Brands, LLC, with a vision to build a platform for acquiring and scaling food distribution companies that reflect the full spectrum of American heritage.
“Everyone has a heritage,” he explains. “Whether you’re Italian, African American, Jewish — there’s a story there. That’s how we want to build this platform.”
This newest venture came together with the support of MAP Lab, GCP’s program that helps underrepresented entrepreneurs scale inorganically through M&A, Strategic Joint Ventures and Franchising. It also helps businesses identify target companies, evaluate deal opportunities and connect with service and capital providers.
When his long-time friend and fellow business owner Wendell Turner was ready to sell his company, Williams saw the perfect fit — and MAP Lab helped make the transition smooth.
“MAP Lab is needed,” Williams says. “They’re one of the only organizations focused on helping minority-owned and diverse companies not just start, but grow through acquisition. They help you structure deals, identify opportunities and think strategically about the next level.”
Beyond the business support, Williams says the MAP Lab community creates something even more powerful: connection.
“When you talk about minority-owned companies, when you talk about companies owned by women, it’s a great arena to be seen, to network, and to gain the resources that MAP Lab offers,” he says.
Now, with Heritage Brands as his newest platform, Williams is thinking generationally. “What’s next for me? Bringing my children into the business,” he says. “I want them to know what it means to build something that lasts.”
For Williams and his team, the work is about more than business. It’s about legacy, community, and proving that Cleveland — and its entrepreneurs — still have the power to create their own opportunities.
“Cleveland used to say it was the best location in the nation — and that’s still true,” he says. “From here, you can reach 75 percent of the U.S. population. But opportunity isn’t about luck. You make your own luck. You use the data, you trust your gut, and you keep building.”
