Keith McDaniel

Class of 2013

On July 26, 1958, in Tonawanda, NY, Keith W. McDaniel was born to Louise and Harold, and grew up with sisters Mary and Kelli.

He graduated in 1976 from Tonawanda High School and married his high school sweetheart, Janet Dalton, two years later. They are the parents of Brian, Lisa and Michele, and the grandparents of Maria and Derek.

Mac began working in the warehouse of the Cardinal Health Pharmaceutical Co. in 1977, and eventually became Director of Purchasing. When Cardinal announced plans to move operations out of state, one of his suppliers, Tzetzo Bros., Inc., offered Mac the position of Vice-President of Sales. He joined the distributor in 1991 and was appointed Vice-President of Purchasing the following year. Mac was eventually named President of Tzetzo Bros./Mayfair Sales in 2009.

In 2011, Tzetzo was acquired by Slate Capital, which had earlier acquired Wythe Will Distributing, forming Wythe Will Tzetzo, LLC with Mac as President. The company then purchased Garvey Nut & Candy in 2013.

Mac describes his biggest business challenge as “convincing potential customers not to select a supplier based solely on a financial spread sheet. Quality, consistency and service are more important than price.”

He credits 1999 Candy Hall of Famer Roger McEldowney, the former Tzetzo Bros. President who recruited him, with being the biggest influence on his career. Of his own legacy, Mac says he wants to be remembered as a person who”never asked someone to do something I was not willing to do myself, and someone who was passionate about the industry and loyal to my colleagues and those who have treated us well.”

Mac has served on the NCA Board of Trustees and, in his spare time, he plays with his grandchildren, works on candy puzzles, roots for the Buffalo Bills and jet skis with his wife Janet on the Niagara River.