April 30, 2010
Robert Wolfgang, II Retires After Lifetime Working in the Family Candy Business
Wolfgang Candy Company, Inc.
Press Contact: Mike Schmid
Managing Partner - Marketing
Phone: 717.324.6296
E-mail: [email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Robert Wolfgang, II Retires After Lifetime Working in the Family Candy Business
York, PA (May 7, 2010) - Robert (Bob) Wolfgang II, 67, retired April 30 from his family�s business, Wolfgang Candy Company, Inc., where he spent his entire career, starting at the age of 15 as a part-timer while he was in high school.
Bob led Wolfgang Candy Company as president for 11 years until 2003, after holding a variety of jobs in production and maintenance. For the last six years, Bob directed the company�s successful Direct Store Delivery (DSD) program, a growing regional retail initiative that has resulted in product placement in more than 130 grocery and specialty stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Northern Virginia.
Active in the industry, he attended the Pennsylvania Manufacturers and Confectioners Association (PMCA) conferences religiously for 40 years. He�s completed his two-year term as chairman of the board of the York County Convention and Visitors Bureau (YCCVB), where he was a board member for six years.
Bob�s grandfather, Delphi Wolfgang, founded the Wolfgang Candy Company in 1921, in partnership with his eldest son, Bob�s uncle, Paul. The company is now in the hands of the family�s fourth generation.
You might say Bob was a part of the candy business from infancy, when his father would take him along on the weekends to the area�s regional farmers� markets and country stands where the Wolfgang chocolates were first sold. As a young boy, he�d accompany his grandparents to the fairs and festivals and farm shows where they�d set up a booth to sell candy.
He loved the experience in direct sales. �It�s amazing how good people make you feel about your product,� Bob explains. �People would come up and say, �This is the best candy in the world,� and that would make you feel great.�
Bob recalls, �Up until the 70s and early 80s, we�d make candy during the first part of the week and go to the markets on the weekends to sell.� Those early years taught Bob the importance of personal relationships, a variety of sales techniques and insight into the politics of negotiating with retailers as Wolfgang Candy Company expanded distribution.
The family was his guide. �They were always there,� Bob says. �My two uncles and my father, they gave hard advice. My aunts gave motherly advice.�
His best business advice came from his father: �Know the people you hire and know that they can do the job you hired them to do.�
His favorite candy? Hands down, chocolate-covered peanut butter and dark chocolate covered almonds.
To the outside world, it may seem as if Bob�s retiring later in life than the standard retirement age of 65, but in the Wolfgang Candy family, he�s taking �early� retirement. �My father worked until he was 85,� Bob says. �My cousin Paul Jr., worked into his 80s and only stopped when he couldn�t come into the office anymore. My Aunt Louise, she was a hand coater, and she was forced to stop working in her 80s when she lost her sight.�
So why is he retiring now? After spending the last few years focusing on succession planning and transitioning the business to the next generation, he says he�s comfortable that those who remain will be able to carry on the family tradition.
He�s looking forward to golfing, fishing, and visiting his eight grandchildren. But don�t think he won�t be working. �I�ll just have a new employer,� he says with a chuckle. �I�ll be working for a new boss, my wife, Joyce.�
Benjamin McGlaughlin, Wolfgang President & CEO says, �I respect Bob�s life-long dedication to Wolfgang Candy Company. During his involvement in the business we grew geographically in the fundraising sector and regionally in DSD, a business segment Bob managed until his retirement. Our recent success nationally in branded and private label retail is in a large part due to the tender management and extreme dedication of the prior generations of Wolfgang family members.�
About Wolfgang
Founded in 1921, Wolfgang is one of the oldest family-owned and managed confectionery manufacturers in the United States. From peanut brittle to hollow chocolates, Wolfgang offers one of the most extensive arrays of high-quality chocolates and non-chocolate confections available in the marketplace. In addition to the all-natural dark chocolate dipped Raspberries, Blueberries and Cranberries, some of the company�s most popular products include the new Wolfgang EVES� brand of chocolate topped truffle cookies, a wide assortment of solid and hollow molded chocolates � bunnies at Easter and Santa at Christmas, and fine boxed chocolates � chocolate-covered pretzels and animal crackers, chocolate-covered peanut butter marshmallow treats (marshmallow and peanut butter covered in milk or dark chocolate), hand-dipped raisin and peanut clusters, and other assorted milk and dark chocolates.
Wolfgang markets and distributes its products through retail, wholesale (private labeling and contract manufacturing), and fundraising sectors. The company is a market leader in the fundraising industry and a trusted name enabling organizations of any size to achieve their financial goals. With a sole focus on and commitment to its customers, Wolfgang demands unparalleled quality in its products, providing its customers with a truly enchanting experience in taste.
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