Hard Candy, Sweet Success

Hard Candy, Sweet Success

When 24-year-old Arthur Spangler purchased the Gold Leaf Baking Powder Co. in 1906 with money saved from his paper route, he couldn’t have imagined that the company would become one of the nation’s largest producers of hard candies. But thanks to the tremendous popularity of Dum Dums lollipops, Saf-T-Pops and candy canes, the delightful aroma wafting through the Spangler Candy Co. in Bryan, Ohio (pop. 8,333), is the sweet smell of success for a third generation of the Spangler family.

During the early years, Ernest and Omar Spangler joined their brother Arthur, and the company shifted its focus from baking products to candy, particularly chocolates.

"The first generation was a true partnership of equals," says Dean Spangler, company president and the grandson of Omar Spangler. "The three brothers walked to work together every morning and ate lunch together every day. That’s really how they managed the business."

Among them, the three brothers had six sons, all of whom joined their fathers in the family business. "The second generation ran the business from around World War II until the early 1970s," Spangler says. "During that time, they acquired a number of companies, of which two were outstanding."

In 1953, Spangler Candy acquired the Dum Dums brand by buying the assets of the Akron Candy Co., and the following year, the Spanglers purchased A & Z Candy Cane Co. Those two acquisitions transformed Spangler from a regional chocolate company into a national producer of hard candies.

Today, Spangler Candy is best known as the Dum Dums company, with its 400 employees producing 9 million of America’s favorite giveaway lollipops each day. Each individually wrapped lollipop costs 2 cents, just a penny more than in 1953.

"Dum Dums are a convenient treat," Spangler says, "and the price is reasonable for a business that wants to give away a candy product or a teacher who wants to provide a small treat."

Spangler, whose individualized Ohio license plate is Dum Dums, recalls driving down the West Virginia Turnpike in 1998 handing out Dum Dums along with his ticket at each toll booth. "By the time I reached the third booth, word had spread that the Dum Dum car was heading down the turnpike," Spangler says, laughing. "When I reached out the window to hand the toll taker my ticket and money, she said, ‘Excuse me, sir, but do you have any cream soda?’ So people are definitely loyal to their favorite flavors."

Spangler employees are loyal, too, 23 percent of the employees having worked for the company more than 25 years. With 67 years of service, Ernest Spangler, who died in 1975, holds the company record, but close behind and still going strong is Saf-T-Pop wrapping machine attendant Dorothy Parks, who has been on the job for 56 years.

"This company has been such a big part of my life that the people here are like family to me," Parks says. "I get very emotional when I think about retiring and leaving here."

For now, however, Parks has no plans to retire. In fact, she hasn’t missed a day of work in the last 10 years.

In addition to Dean Spangler, several other third-generation members are involved in the family business, including Chairman C. Gregory Spangler, grandson of Ernest Spangler.

"We have a strong, underlying commitment to the business in terms of our family members," Dean Spangler says. "We’re more interested in earnings for the next generation than earnings for the next quarter, so we tend to approach decisions in terms of valuing the long-term impact."

That same commitment extends to the community as well. To honor the second generation, the company recently established the Spangler Foundation to provide scholarships and contribute to the Bryan Area Foundation for the betterment of the community.

"In a small town, a business is a part of the fabric of the community," Spangler says. "If we want Bryan to continue to be a great place to live, we have to support our people and our community."

Jo Ann Judy is a freelance writer in Columbus, Ohio.

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