Brian D. Gold has been working in the confectionery industry for 39 years in his family’s business, Sultana Distribution Services, Inc., where he currently serves as president and CEO. He started with the company in 1975, joining Sultana Crackers, Inc., a company started by his father, Bernard, in 1947, that was predominately a specialty cracker […]
Charles L. Dodson is a 35-year industry veteran, born in Columbus, KS, on October 21, 1945, to Elizabeth and William, and is nicknamed Chuck. He grew up in Michigan, attended Frank Cody H.S. in Detroit and later Michigan State, where he earned a B.Sc. in Packaging Engineering and then an MBA from Wayne State. In […]
Dan Gray was born March 17, 1952, to Corinne and Robert, in Pittsburgh, where he grew up with siblings Darryl, Diane and Robert. He says his career in candy began with him answering phones at his father’s brokerage’s home office at the age of 10. Dan graduated from Mt. Lebanon H. S. in 1970 and […]
Daniel Peter was born in 1836, in Vevey, Switzerland. He was the son of a butcher, and is credited as the inventor of milk chocolate. Daniel started out as a candlemaker by trade, but the advent of the oil lamp in the 1860s caused a downturn in the popularity of candles, leading the entrepreneur to […]
Joseph Conti was born January 13, 1956, to Virginia and Gaetano and grew up with siblings Florence, Josephine and Patricia in Buffalo, NY. In 1973, he graduated from Canisius H. S. and then attended Canisius College, earning a B.S. in accounting. He married Lori Ann, who affectionately refers to him as “Joe Bars,” on October […]
John Holland was born in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England to Graham and Joyce on February 17, 1962. He graduated from the Stockport School in 1980 and enrolled in DeMontfort University in Leicester from 1980 to 1983, earning a B.Sc. in environmental science with honors. While in school, he worked on stage and road crews for […]
Joseph P. Donnelly III has been working in the confectionery industry for nearly 40 years, something he says has led to much joy and success for his family, which far outweighs any desire to work in another field. “There is still much to achieve, with no ceiling in sight,” he adds. Born November 8, 1960, […]
Otto Young Schnering, founder of Curtiss Candy Co., was born October 9, 1891, in Chicago, to Helen Curtiss and Julius. A visionary businessman and philanthropist, he was devoted to the values of hard work, education and family, which had been handed down from his father, Julius. A 1913 graduate of the University of Chicago with […]
Randy Hofberger was born July 11, 1953, in Fremont, WI, to Ralph and Ellen. Two sisters, Joni and Lynn, followed. He attended Hortonville H. S., and pursued a degree in food science at the University of Wisconsin, earning his B.Sc. in 1975. He joined the industry in 1979 as quality assurance manager at the Ward-Johnston […]
Robert J. Huzinec was born in Brooklyn, NY, on November 16, 1955, to John and Dorothy, and is nicknamed Hurricane Bob. A true New Yorker, he attended Bishop Ford H.S. and then St. Francis College, where he earned a B.Sc. in Chemistry before studying at Pace University, in New York, where we earned an MBA […]