Betsy Winsett gave her “Who Am I?” presentation at the October 9, 2025 meeting- the last step toward her Blue Badge. Betsy was born in Ohio during one of the worst snowstorms of the 20th century. Betsy grew up in North Canton, Ohio, where her father worked for the Hoover Company. She went to Hoover High School and enjoyed summers at Lake Erie. Betsy went to Miami University and earned a BS in Applied Science. Her undergraduate work included learning BAL, COBOL and APL, all run on key punch machines.
After graduating, Betsy worked for the Hoover Company as a market research analyst, but saw little opportunity for advancement. She earned an MBA from Kent State and went to work for Black & Decker household products where she led marketing for small appliances like the Dustbuster. Betsy then moved to San Diego to head marketing for the Thermoscan Instant Thermometer (click HERE to watch one of their effective ads), which was eventually acquired by Gillette with a 190 million dollar return to investors.
In 1997 Betsy founded her consultancy Mainspring Marketing and then bought the San Diego Bridal Bazaar, which is now the fifth-largest show in the United States. On the personal side, Betsy recently reconnected with a classmate she dated at Hoover High School. They enjoy traveling together with annual fly fishing trips to Montana and trips to Tyree Island near Savannah.