Global CEO, marine hardware and safety/rescue manufacturer (ESOP) · Harken Inc. · Pewaukee, Wisconsin
Bill Goggins
Bill Goggins, global CEO of Pewaukee-headquartered Harken Inc. (100% ESOP). Joined 1999; U.S. president 2009; global CEO 2020. Not founder Peter Harken or late co-founder Olaf Harken; not Matt Malec (named president July 2025).
Net worth
$2 million+
September 17, 2026
About
Bill Goggins leads Harken, the Pewaukee manufacturer whose sailboat hardware and expanding safety-and-rescue lines are distributed in dozens of countries.
He cold-called the firm on April Fool's Day 1999, rose to U.S. president in 2009, and was named global CEO in 2020 as the company prepared its employee-ownership transition.
In September 2020 the Harken family sold the business to U.S. employees through an ESOP; Goggins said it would always be Peter and Olaf Harken's company but was thereafter in employee care. Public reporting put worldwide headcount near 400 at the ESOP announcement. The Pewaukee campus houses U.S. production and corporate headquarters after the firm consolidated out of older local space.
Harken gear remains a fixture of America's Cup, Ocean Race, and Olympic campaigns, while industrial and rope-access acquisitions have pushed the brand beyond yachting. Goggins' public interviews stress culture criteria that steered the family away from private-equity suitors toward employee ownership.
Companies and affiliations
- Harken Inc.
Notable facts
BizTimes ESOP interview: Goggins hired April Fool's Day 1999; U.S. president 2009; named global CEO in 2020 as ESOP path advanced.
BizTimes (Sep 18, 2020): Pewaukee-based Harken sold to employees via ESOP; ~400 worldwide employees; Goggins quoted as CEO; Peter Harken remains ambassador.
Harken about/contact: 100% employee-owned; U.S. HQ and production in Pewaukee; distribution in 48 countries; ISO 9001:2015.
What questions can this profile answer
- What makes Bill Goggins notable?
- Bill Goggins leads Harken, the Pewaukee manufacturer whose sailboat hardware and expanding safety-and-rescue lines are distributed in dozens of countries. He cold-called the firm on April Fool's Day 1999, rose to U.S. president in 2009, and was named global CEO in 2020 as the company prepared its employee-ownership…
- What is Bill Goggins's estimated net worth?
- Bill Goggins's estimated net worth is $2 million+ as of 2026-09-17.