I guess what I'm looking for is something like the htc "sense home" widget, but not location based, same concept, list apps in different tabs, name the tabs the way i want, but has nothing to do with my location.
Welcome to Android Central! I take it you'd rather not use folders?
You may find a 3rd party launcher could offer that.
Smart Launcher 2? Although I don't know how much you can customize the app categories.
Close but no cigar: SmartWidget
If it's a widget on an HTC, see if you can back it up as an apk file (you should be able to if the widget is the UI of an app). Then you can install it on any Android phone.