04/11/2025
Sahara Air Products, a Division of Henderson Engineering Co., was founded in 1957 by Joe Henderson to provide engineered solutions for air system problems. Now, over 60 years later, Henderson Engineering is celebrating not only three generations of Hendersons continuing the tradition of product excellence and customer service, it’s celebrating the 80th birthday of the company President, Terry Henderson.
Management and employees at the 80th birthday celebration for Terry Henderson (front row center)
Henderson, who began working for the company at its inception, but started full time in 1966, has continued in his father’s philosophy. “Our father taught us the importance of customer service,” said Henderson. “As a family business, we understand the needs of our customers and can respond quickly with the best solution for each individual application.”
As Henderson began his career in the family business, he started in the position of gopher and systematically worked through many different aspects of the company’s operations, moving from gopher to making Mity Dry, then as a Machinist, to Draftsman and Design Engineer. When the Chief Engineer left to become a competitor, Henderson then graduated to Chief Engineer and, at his father Joe Henderson’s retirement around 1982, the CEO. After Joe Henderson’s passing in 1987, Henderson took over as President. He attributes his experience in so many positions at the company as giving him a real heart for his coworkers. “Because I worked all the different jobs, I truly appreciate the fine people doing their jobs today at HECO,” said Henderson.
Understanding how Henderson Engineering excels at finding novel solutions to its customers’ unique air system requirements led Henderson to help design an engineered solution when he spent nearly ten years helping his father to develop one of the most significant designs ever for drying compressed air. In 1974, the company patented the heat-of-compression air dryer, which is now used in thousands of installations all over the world. The patented design won two awards for outstanding achievement in energy conservation and as a major contribution toward more efficient and effective operation in specific industries.
On April 10th, the company celebrated Henderson’s 80th birthday with a luau themed luncheon. Employees filled the new expansion and were joined by some lucky customers who happened to be on a facility tour. Henderson would like to thank everyone involved at Henderson Engineering, past, present and future, as well as its many customers and partners for its continued success.
About Henderson Engineering Co.
At Sahara Air Products, its reputation for high quality, innovative products and customer loyalty has grown strong for over 65 years in the plant air system industry. The company is one of the few compressed air dryer manufacturers who can completely design and fabricate custom compressed air dryers to each and every customer’s specifications. All products are manufactured at its recently-expanded corporate headquarters in Sandwich, IL, 60 miles west of Chicago. For more information, visit https://saharahenderson.com.
