Welcome to Hesselson’s! Meet Our Owner, Tom

Here at Hesselson’s, we love our customers, our hometown feeling and our country. Since 1955, we have been the place to find whatever you need for any season. Chances are, while you’ve poked in the corners of our 20,000 square foot store, you’ve run into our owner, Tom Witzel on more than one occasion.

Tom joined the Hesselson’s family business in 1989 as a swimming pool installer. Later that summer he moved into the store doing sales and working in the warehouse, all while attending SUNY Oneonta.

In the spring of 1990, Tom Hesselson, then the owner of Hesselson’s, approached Tom Witzel about managing a new store they were opening in Hornell, NY. Tom accepted the job and spent the next 7 years in Hornell managing the day to day operations and creating a great rapport with the community. He also expanded Hesselson’s presence to another region of New York.

In 1998, Tom came back to the main store in Elmira Heights, NY to begin managing it. Under Tom Witzel’s leadership and direction, Hesselson’s expanded the hot tub and footwear divisions, of which they have now become industry leaders in the Twin Tiers. Swimming pools have always been the main focus at Hesselson’s, but the hot tubs and footwear departments, along with the expansion of Columbia, Under Armour, and Carhartt clothing, have made Hesselson’s a more diverse company.

Outside of work at Hesselson’s you can see Tom at the golf course or playing outside of his home with his two sons, Jarryd and Jayden. Tom has always had a huge passion for the New York Yankees and playing cards with his wife Stacy & their two sons.

In 2015, Tom purchased Hesselson’s from Tom Hesselson after years of working on a successful secession plan. Fortunately, Tom has a great staff, with many of them having 15 plus years of experience here at Hesselson’s; so we know the tools of how to run a successful company.