Description
Spangler Candy History:
1906 Spangler Candy Company begins on August 20, 1906, when Arthur G. Spangler purchases the Gold Leaf Baking Company of Defiance, Ohio for $450 and moves it to 204 W. High Street in Bryan, Ohio. The new company is named Spangler Manufacturing Company, and produces baking soda, baking powder, corn starch, laundry starch, spices, and flavorings.
1908 Arthur's brother Ernest Spangler joins the company and suggests adding candy to the line. Candy would sell quickly.
1910 By 1910, the business outgrows its first location. Larger quarters are found at 205 S. Main Street in Bryan, Ohio.
1913 The business moves to its present location on N. Portland Street in Bryan, Ohio.
1914 Third brother Omar Spangler joins the business and brings mechanical & bookkeeping knowledge. Spangler now manufactures the following: Creme Peanut Clusters, Cocoanut Balls, Bryan Drops, hand dipped chocolates, chocolate bars, ice cream cones, soda pop and cough drops.
1920 All products manufactured at the company are candy, so the name is changed from Spangler Manufacturing Company to Spangler Candy Company.
1922 Hard candy equipment is purchased and stick candy is manufactured. One of the most successful hard candies is a penny apple sucker. The sticks are placed in by hand and the pop is sold unwrapped. Chocolate equipment is also purchased, which eliminates the need to hand dip the chocolate items. A variety of 60 products are being made and shipped.
1927 A candy jobbing business and retail store is opened in Maumee,Ohio.
1945 Arthur Spangler, along with three other prominent citizens of Bryan, Ohio, drowns in Snow Lake, Indiana, while fishing.
1946 The company is reorganized from a partnership to a corporation.
1947 By 1947, the second generation of Spanglers joins the company.
1953 Dum Dum Pops from Akron Candy Co. of Bellevue, Ohio is purchased.
1954 A-Z Christmas Candy Canes of Detroit, Michigan is purchased.
1960 The first union contract with Toledo Local 20 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters is signed.
1960 The second generation Spanglers now actively manage the company. Ted Spangler is president and sales manager. Harlan (Bun) Spangler is treasurer and financial officer. Norman Spangler is secretary and production manager. Frank Spangler is in purchasing and product design. Charles Spangler is transportation manager and in sales service. Albert Spangler manages the Toledo Wholesale operation. Ernest Spangler, now 80, continues as honorary chairman.
1966 The Dum Dum Drum Man is born.
1978 C Gregory Spangler, third generation member, becomes President.
1978 Saf-T-Pops from Curtiss Candy Co. of Chicago, Illinois is purchased.
1986 The Dum Dum Drum Man mascot comes to life as he makes his first appearance at the NCWA convention in St. Louis, Missouri.
1990 Spangler sells its subsidiary distributorship, Spangler Candy & Tobacco of Toledo to concentrate on manufacturing candy.
1996 Dean L. Spangler, third generation member, becomes President.
1996 Spangler establishes an internet presence with a web site at www.spanglercandy.com
1999 Spangler Candy becomes a founding member of the Candy Alliance, which consists of American Licorice, Ferrara Pan Candy Company, Goetze's Candy Company, Necco/Stark/Haviland, and Spangler Candy Company.
2001 Jelly Belly Candy Canes®, licensed from Jelly Belly Candy Company, are introduced.
2001 The Save Wraps for Stuff Program returns along with a new kid-focused web site at www.dumdumpops.com.
2001 Spangler enters into a co-manufacturing relationship with Sunrise Confections in Juarez, Mexico, to manufacture commodity candy canes.
2001 An outside warehouse fire at Oberhaus, Enterprises, in Archbold, Ohio destroys 110,000 cases of Spangler products, mostly Dum Dums, with a value of $6.5 million dollars.
2002 Dum Dum Candy Canes® are introduced.
2004 Dum Dum Gum Pops® are introduced.
2004 Our new parent/teacher/kid web site debuts at www.saftpops.com
2005 Spangler Candy establishes the Spangler Foundation to honor the 2nd generation; provides community funds and scholarships for local area students.
2005 The Spangler Company Store/Museum opens in late December.
2006 Factory tours begin on the Dum Dum Trolley.
2006 The dumdumpops.com web site, which debuted in 2001, re-opens its new and improved web site in February.
2006 Spangler Candy kicks off its "Make Life a Little Sweeter" Contest in June, in which consumers can win cash and candy for their kind gestures.
2006 Spangler Candy celebrates its 100th year with a gala celebration on August 19th, 2006. Customers, brokers, vendors, community leaders, employees, 25-Year Club members, and shareholders participated in the event. The 100 year book, "A Sweet Century" is published.
2007 Spangler Candy sells wholesale business to Superior Wholesale Distributors of Lima, Ohio.
2007 Spangler Candy sells its remaining chocolate brands to Key III Candies of Ft. Wayne, Indiana.
2008 Kirkland B. Vashaw, fourth generation member, becomes President.