Brian, Mary Ann and Greg Heinz
Mary Ann and Greg Heinz started HandiThings over 20 years ago with the commitment that it would be a family owned and operated business. With that in mind, their 2 children Jennifer and Brian have been involved in different aspects of the business since its early days. Mary Ann is a 1988 graduate of St. Louis Community College Occupational Therapy Assistant Program. She worked as a COTA/L in pediatrics in both the preschool and elementary school settings for most of her career. Her husband Greg has over 30 years’ experience as a Designer and Engineer. This blending of education and experience gave birth to HandiThings in 1998.
While working for a large school district Mary Ann found that the majority of her students had handwriting difficulties. A unique tool was needed that would facilitate the development of an appropriate pencil grasp. This would allow the student to focus on the basics of letter formation, size, and line/space adherence. To satisfy this need, she and her husband conceived and developed their first product; the HandiWriter. They applied for and were granted a US patent in November of 1999. All of their subsequent products have been developed from the direct needs encountered in the educational and therapeutic environment.
Greg and Mary Ann’s daughter Jennifer has been very involved in the development of HandiThings. Her talents as a seamstress and artist have been very beneficial to the company. Jennifer made many of the products for years and was instrumental in re-designing and improving them as well. In addition, her artistic ability and creativity is demonstrated in the company logo which she designed and fine-tuned with the help of Greg, Mary Ann and Brian.
We are very proud that HandiThings has grown and expanded its product line and customer base over the past 20 years. We now have a wide variety of fine motor and weighted products being sold throughout the US and around the world.
To maintain our original commitment to high quality, we have chosen to keep our production in the hands of local manufacturers and a dedicated team of experienced seamstresses and assemblers who work from their homes and in sheltered workshops. By having frequent and direct contact with our skilled workers, we can maintain the highest level of quality control and also monitor product consistency and ongoing improvement.
In 2017 Mary Ann and Greg stepped back from the management of HandiThings to retire. The company is now in the capable hands of their son Brian and his wife Caroline. Brian has been involved with the company in different capacities from the very beginning. He is now the owner and Managing Partner and is handling all of the operating duties. Mary Ann, Greg and Jennifer will always remain as advisers and support staff, and their contributions to the company are without measure. We are confident that Brian's and Carrie's ongoing commitment to produce high quality products with the utmost in customer service & satisfaction will mean even greater success for HandiThings going forward.
We sincerely thank you for taking the time to visit our website and learn a little about us. Our products and customer satisfaction are the most important part of our business! If you ever have a question, concern or problem with any HandiThings product please contact us and we will do whatever it takes to make sure you’re satisfied. We also love hearing success stories about our products and how they are helping to make people’s lives better. Our mission is to always offer the highest quality products, deliver the best customer care, and continue to help people all around the world. Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
The HandiThings Team
While working for a large school district Mary Ann found that the majority of her students had handwriting difficulties. A unique tool was needed that would facilitate the development of an appropriate pencil grasp. This would allow the student to focus on the basics of letter formation, size, and line/space adherence. To satisfy this need, she and her husband conceived and developed their first product; the HandiWriter. They applied for and were granted a US patent in November of 1999. All of their subsequent products have been developed from the direct needs encountered in the educational and therapeutic environment.
Greg and Mary Ann’s daughter Jennifer has been very involved in the development of HandiThings. Her talents as a seamstress and artist have been very beneficial to the company. Jennifer made many of the products for years and was instrumental in re-designing and improving them as well. In addition, her artistic ability and creativity is demonstrated in the company logo which she designed and fine-tuned with the help of Greg, Mary Ann and Brian.
We are very proud that HandiThings has grown and expanded its product line and customer base over the past 20 years. We now have a wide variety of fine motor and weighted products being sold throughout the US and around the world.
To maintain our original commitment to high quality, we have chosen to keep our production in the hands of local manufacturers and a dedicated team of experienced seamstresses and assemblers who work from their homes and in sheltered workshops. By having frequent and direct contact with our skilled workers, we can maintain the highest level of quality control and also monitor product consistency and ongoing improvement.
In 2017 Mary Ann and Greg stepped back from the management of HandiThings to retire. The company is now in the capable hands of their son Brian and his wife Caroline. Brian has been involved with the company in different capacities from the very beginning. He is now the owner and Managing Partner and is handling all of the operating duties. Mary Ann, Greg and Jennifer will always remain as advisers and support staff, and their contributions to the company are without measure. We are confident that Brian's and Carrie's ongoing commitment to produce high quality products with the utmost in customer service & satisfaction will mean even greater success for HandiThings going forward.
We sincerely thank you for taking the time to visit our website and learn a little about us. Our products and customer satisfaction are the most important part of our business! If you ever have a question, concern or problem with any HandiThings product please contact us and we will do whatever it takes to make sure you’re satisfied. We also love hearing success stories about our products and how they are helping to make people’s lives better. Our mission is to always offer the highest quality products, deliver the best customer care, and continue to help people all around the world. Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
The HandiThings Team
Brian & Carrie Heinz, Owner/Manager HandiThings LLC
