Biography of Theodore H. Nixon

Born in Louisville in 1952 to Dotsie and Bo Nixon, Ted grew up in a loving family with three sisters and a younger brother.  Ted's education was learned as much at home as in school, with his parents emphasizing work ethic, excellence, fair treatment of people from all walks of life, and active community involvement - and he has carried on those traditions in how D.D. Williamson operates today.  He began his career at DDW during his sophomore year in high school working in the factory to understand the science, the process, and especially the hard work that goes into creating caramel coloring.

After graduating from Princeton Univesity in 1974, with a BSE, specializing in Systems Engineering and Applied Statistics, he rejoined DDW in the operations area.  As the company grew, he took over Sales in 1980 and became President and COO in 1982.  He attended the University of Louisville and graduated with an MBA in 1983.

The partnership of Ted and his father, Bo, created a path of growth, such that when Bo retired in 1992, and Ted became the CEO, DDW was already the largest manufacturer of caramel color in the world, operating four plants and supplying products to customers in dozens of countries.

DDW has continued to flourish under the partnership of Ted, his sister Edie, and a superb executive team.  Focused on quality service to the customer, continuous improvement and innovation, the company now has ten locations and partnerships manufacturing caramel and other natural colors on five continents.  In 2000, DDW formed a partnership with colorMaker to enter the natural color marketplace and represent colorMaker's blended solutions on a global basis.  In 2005 and 2006, DDW acquired the natural color business of Artemis International and Dinesen Trading, respectively.  A primary supplier to most of the household names in the food and beverage industry, DDW's products are sold in over 100 countries and are used in more than 1.5 billion servings of food and beverage products on a daily basis.

Ted has demonstrated a strong interest and belief in personal community involvement, over the years serving in over 10 non-profit board positions and currently as a Director on two for-profit company boards.  DDW is also proud of its community outreach, with each of its regions around the world challenged to execute on projects that improve their community.

Ted credits his wife Mary Nixon, a senior executive with YUM Brands, as his source of encouragement and inspiration.  He and Mary have two daughters, Caroline and Houghton.