Daily Dose of The Executive Almanac Part 2
January 09, 2007
Today's dose of The Executive Almanac: "Candy maker Frank Mars of Minneapolis, Minnesota introduced the Milky Way candy bar in 1923, followed by Snickers in 1930 and 3 Musketeers in 1937. Now the Mars company is a giant corporate, headquartered in McLean, Virginia, near the CIA, another secretive outfit. Descendants Frank Mars own the company entirely, have nothing to do with the stock market, and don't entertain inquiries from the press.
Today's dose of The Executive Almanac:
"Candy maker Frank Mars of Minneapolis, Minnesota introduced the Milky Way candy bar in 1923, followed by Snickers in 1930 and 3 Musketeers in 1937. Now the Mars company is a giant corporate, headquartered in McLean, Virginia, near the CIA, another secretive outfit. Descendants Frank Mars own the company entirely, have nothing to do with the stock market, and don't entertain inquiries from the press. Their annual sales are estimated at $20 billion, making them the third largest private company in the United States. They also have a formidable presence in Britain. They make the world's bestselling candy, M&Ms. And they also make a bunch of other products, including Uncle Ben's rice, and the pet foods Kal Kan, Pedigree, Sheba, and Waltham's.On a personal note, one of my favorite books about business is a book about Mars and Hershey called The Emperors of Chocolate. The book is almost ten years old and I still remember some of the stories about the two companies.