Sign this petition to stop the sale of Hershey Foods

[Guest]

Petition to stop sale of hershey Thanks

[1937hd45]

I've been coming to Hershey for the Fall Meet since 1969, haven't missed a year yet. One thing I noticed from the first visit, whoever runs the town knows what they are doing. If HERCO wants to sell Hershey Foods it is free to do so.

[Guest]

I like many others would hate to see the Hershey Trust sell Hershey Foods. HERCO will not be sold only the Foods division. Business wise it is a excellent decision. The Hershey Trust now has almost 6 billion dollars and with this sale will have close to a total of 18 billion dollars in the bank. With interest and no longer the risk of the up and down stock market they will have enough income to last forever.

They will still own HE&R (HERCO), the Hershey Medical Center, 1200 + acres of prime real estate in Hershey, many buildings, etc that will also generate a nice annual income. It is a very smart and safe decision that many companies would jump at the chance to do. It doesn't seem right that we can dictate when and who can sell their companies. After all this is the land of the free!

On a side note the recent strike by the chocolate works got ugly with no loyalty shown to Hershey Trust. These are now the workers that everyone wants to save their jobs. Only my 2 cents (and I also belong to a union).

[Peter J.Heizmann]

Anonymous, you bring up a thought I had originally when all this pending sale hit the news...

If I were the boss, had plenty of financial reserves, saw my employees making a fool of me and other key management via inflatable charicatures, walking around with insulting signs on the picket lines, and, all on national TV...guess what I would do in a New York minute. Adios to the company and still make more money.

With this, I ask Waffle Works where are you coming from asking people to sign a petition to halt the sale. One, it is up to the owner. This is America. Two, the employees possibly pushed the bubble and caused their own heartburn.

Peter J.

[randjflo60]

NO!!!!!!

I won't sign!!!!!

Hershey Foods should have been sold years ago And Herco (Hershey Estates) should have been shut down Dec. 4th 1970!!!!

The lillylivered Hersheyites are getting what they deserve. For years and years they fought to keep it a one horse town. Now the horse is going away and they are all scared. Other towns like Hershey learned what a lack of diversification can do.

Too Bad, I am really tired of their whining about this.

[1937hd45]

Ron, What happened on December 4, 1970?

[ex98thdrill]

Interesting points being made. Signing a petition trying to stop someone from selling their factory? That would be like someone trying to stop us if we wanted to sell one of our own cars. I'd like to know what December 1970 has to do with it (I don't understand it and I'm interested), but I also would like to know if the local people and the employees have tried to buy the business themselves. After a lifetime of going to the fall meet, I'd hate to see the meet leave Hershey because I enjoy it, but if the people concerned aren't taking steps on their own to save their own jobs and their local economy, then it is nobody's fault but their own. Right now it appears that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg.

[Ron Green]

Peter, Good to here from you again. I somehow got logged in as anonymous above. I guess because my home computer did not save my password? I don't want to give anybody the imnpression that I would want to hide my name from my statements above.

ex98thdrill, I don't see a chance of the meet moving or changing as HE&R (HERCO) will not be sold and remain under the Hershey Trust. This is just a good business decision being made with maximum profits that should take care of the kids (school) that Milton Hershey set the trust up for in the first place before his death.

[Guest]

Hi Peter, thanks for your insight and opinion on the sale of Hershey Foods, I never really thought about it that way, I guess I figured the only way to protect our town. Change is hard to take sometimes..but anyway, appreciate another point of view. We see is a the people of the town will be hurt not the big guys. Waffle Works on another computer

[Guest]

With all that dough, HERCO won't need any fees from Flea Market participants....

[Guest]

someone wrote

<<<<<..If I were the boss, had plenty of financial reserves, saw my employees making a fool of me and other key management via inflatable charicatures, walking around with insulting signs on the picket lines, and, all on national TV...guess what I would do in a New York minute. Adios to the company and still make more money. ..>>>>

NOT a good business practice based on emotion. Not everyone can be loved by the masses!

[Guest]

be HERCO's FIRST customer EARLY monday morning and you'll buy the company for a song.

[Ron Green]

Herco is the poorest of all the Hershey Trust divisions. Like all divisions you either sink or swim. Not to many years ago they had to sell the pro golf course to keep afloat and a few hotels here and there. By law no money can come from the Trust for the Foods or HERCO except a small operating budget, however all the profits go into the Trust. The Trust is for the school and its kids, period!

HERCO could not afford to build the new Giant Stadium alone so the state kicked in 25 million, Giant Foods another 12 to 15 million. They do not have the money everyone thinks they have. If a vote were taken by HERCO, Hershey and the surrounding towns they would probably do away with the fall meet. From living close by there is more complaining about this week then you would believe. We need HERCO more then they need us.

[1937hd45]

Why is it that when someone wants to build a Jock Arena they take a bunch of taxpayers money to do it? All NASCAR tracks are built using the owners hard earned money.

[Guest]

[color:\\"red\\"] Nestle makes the veerry best chooooclate!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ron Green]

PA like many other states is generous as they just gave Philly and Pittsburg hundreds of millions of dollars each for their new stadiums and most of the remaining money needed was given at low interest loans. The stadiums that were torn down still had a good 20 years left in them. Maybe that is part of the reason the state is having money problems all of a sudden? Why do teams need a seperate football stadium that plays 8 home games a year from the baseball stadium? Doesn't make sense to me when they have to build 2 new stadiums along side each other?

Many of the Nascar tracks are funded though sponsors like Lowes, etc. I would not feel to sorry for the track owners as I would bet they don't spend as much of their own (hard earned?) money as they would like all of us to believe.

[Guest]

What is the nature of the complaints? Are they legitimate? Anything that the Hershey Region and the guest vendors can do to address them?

[Guest]

The complaints are mostly from your local people whose life changes for 4 days a year. The people in Hershey either have to walk to work, leave at the crack of dawn or make arrangements somehow due to all the traffic. Their lifes are changed because they can't go shopping, out to eat, movies, wait in traffic, etc due to all the people. They are taken out of their element for a few days and most do not like it except the local business. This carries over to the towns located close by. The Derry Township police hate this event if you haven't notice by there attitude.

I deal with HERCO occasionally as my current and former employer are involved in their construction projects. When the fall meet draws closer I put a plug in for it at every meeting I can as most of HERCO's people are very nice and down to earth. I really haven't heard a positive word since dealing with them since 1989. Its more like they roll their eyes when they know the show is approaching. Its a pain in the a## for them as there is alot of hard work like setting up the electric, pa system, all the paperwork, shuffling things around, etc. Don't shoot the messenger, I love this show as it is 9 miles from home!

Just my observation though the years.

Ron Green (Can't get login to stay?)

[Guest]

Thanks, RG. Looks like we can't do much about it. As a vendor I pretty much stay on the fields for the 4 days so I don't get the poop from the townspeople. As for the cops, they've always been mucho courteous to me personally (I don't break down the fence looking for a shortcut) and last year one of them even offered me a garage item from the 20s for sale, which I took him up on.

[ex98thdrill]

Ron,

If the show were to go away, the locals would change their mind in a hurry. I look forward to the Hershey meet every year. After working the Nascar event at Watkins Glen International, the locals at Hershey would be glad to have the AACA folks. Of course individual personalities clash from time to time, but you still don't have the problems or the rowdiness at Hershey like you would at a rock concert, ball game or car race.

Most people are older sensible people who are there on legitimate business and not a bunch of hell raisers. I know as much as I like going to the races myself, Watkins Glen turns into a zoo, but on the flip side, a majority of the income generated during that one race weekend is what keeps most of the local businesses going all year long. If the show were to leave Hershey, I'm sure it would hurt the local economy.

I guess in a nutshell, the locals shouldn't be dreading the AACA show, they should be thankfull for it. There are a lot of communities that would love to have that kind of activity to generate the lower economy and assist in lowering their tax base.

[Ron Green]

ex98, I agree with you on most of your points but a few things need pointed out. Hershey is a major tourist town and not having this event would not really hurt them all that much. Couple this show with fall Carlisle the week before and the locals start getting edgy as the town fills up Monday after Carlisle. From Carlisle to Hershey and most points in between and around it is busy and sometimes crazy for 2 weeks. I love it but many people that live here are not car people and don't own a business so they could care less. Thats why no matter where the shows are it always pays to treat the locals not just the businesses nice so they don't get a bad attitude.

Hersheypark has just now all but shutdown for the season. The 22nd and final rock concert of the summer has just ended and I think there were 30 arrests for various things at the last concert alone. The cycle starts again shortly when the park reopens for Halloween and Christmas special events. Just my opinion and observations from living close by for all my life and having a working realionship with HERCO.

[ex98thdrill]

I'd forgotten about the park. I was only thinking with the money being spent, how it would affect their economy without the show. I spent most of my time in the flea market searching for parts to where I never paid much attention to the park. If my memory serves me correctly, once upon a time, what is now the oulet mall was one flea market field (red or blue) and the other flea market field has now been taken up by Hershey Park (red or blue?)

Aside from traffic, you don't have the hassles like you would other events. I was a Sheriff's deputy (up until I got sent into war by my army reserve unit), and every year I got called down to assist Schuyler County Sheriff's Dept. with the Winston Cup race at Watkins Glen, so I know what it is like to deal with the traffic (200,000 people) and have to fight with the drunks. I still have yet to see Darby PD have to contend with the headaches that I have contended with at the Glen. Usually I take my vacation from work, to go down and work the Glen race, and then take another vacation to go to Hershey to spend the money that I made working at the race.

If the factory gets sold and moves the operation someplace else, what else is left other than the park for jobs and revenue brought in? I realize that you still have Harrisburg, but then when you take the smaller towns where there is nothing, the show and the factory are what also support these other coomunities.

[Guest]

Waffle Works here...it is that small town fealing that we do not want to lose. I have lived in Hershey my whole life and I see it growing and in a lot of ways getting better and i would like that to continue..there are a lot of neat small businesses too...we all feel that Hershey would suffer economically if they would sell.

By the way, I looked forward to having AA in Herhsey, because we are a tourist town and everyone is WELCOME. Most of us would simply travel straight through the town (rt422)as an alternate to HP Drive and avoid the traffic...but other than than everyone knows that the hotels/motels/restaurants...etc benefited from the huge crowds in town. As for the police..a lot of the crabby police have been replaced with new yonger, more positive type people, I know what they mean about the attitude..but they seem to be more professional these datys. Just my opinion. Thats all, see you on the white field! Kathy Waffle Works

[Guest]

Interestingly, Reeses (also owned by Hershey) just voted NOT to unionize.....

[Guest]

At the risk of admitting my age - The outlets sit on what used to be the Red field and the park little by little expanded into the blue field (where the wooden roller coasters now stand). Red field migrated to chocolate when the outlets were built in the early 80s followed by blue field migrating to green field. Gee ... Kinda like a flock of geese trying to find a pond to live in! Now green is gone, and red and blue are back - although on very different real estate. Won't even mention the yellow swamp! Change is our friend ... right? As long as we all can fit and have a good time in October!!!!

[ex98thdrill]

Admitting your age? I'm 34 but even though my father was spending the money, who do you think was carrying the fenders? That was also back in the day where you could park along HP Drive, as well as what is now the white field (they used the rest of white field to offer airplane rides for those who had the time money left). I thought the outlet mall was red and the park was blue, but I wasn't sure. This goes back a few years doesn't it? I thought the flea market was too huge back then, but it still seems to grow every year. It used to be where we only went down on Saturdays, then we added Fridays, then Thursdays, Wednesdays and now we go down on a Tuesday. Despite the changes, it STILL doesn't seem like we're able to see and do everything. That also goes back to the days when the cars were in the stadium.

[Guest]

My Father-in-law remembers the "Stadium days" in the 60s - my first year was 1982 (my 20th anniversary). Your story tickled me because my kids go to every show with me EXCEPT Hershey because it is Daddy's time away from the mayhem that three boys cause on a regular basis. I tell them and my wife - I don't hunt or fish - just pick through rust piles for enjoyment!

[ex98thdrill]

I do too. But in my case, my dad and I go from dusk to dawn everyday and do it again everyday until the show is over. I know what you mean because this is time for just me and my dad. My wife stays home, my mom stays home, and we're going through the rust piles too..... father and son!! As a kid, I carried the stuff while he spent the money. Now we both spend the money and carry the stuff. Up until we realized that we could stay at Fort Indiantown Gap, we spent many of years sleeping in the back of the truck under a tarp. I'm sure this year will be very hard for him with me not being in the picture, but at least there will be next year. I'd give anything to be able to go, but this year I'm forced to sit this show out.

[Guest]

Dusk to dawn???? Sounds suspicious to me.....

Hershey Security Patrol

[Guest]

Well.... the Sale is off. The Trustees voted yesterday (Sept 17) to take Hershey Foods off of the Auction block. Guess we will still be going to "Hershey" in October and not "Nestle". Press release attached below if you care to read it! [color:\\"blue\\"]

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. (AP) -- Hershey Foods Corp. has been removed from the auction block by the charitable trust that controls the company, ending weeks of heated political opposition and legal wrangling over the fate of the nation's largest candy maker.

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Hershey had been expected to receive bids as high as $15 billion from food giants such as Kraft Foods and Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. Experts said the board's decision was likely influenced by local leaders who argued a sale would have devastated the economy of Hershey, Pa., where the company was founded more than a century ago.

"They ran into so much turmoil," said Samuel Weaver, professor of finance at Lehigh University and former director of financial planning and analysis at Hershey Foods.

All 17 trustees met behind closed doors in a suburban Philadelphia hotel Tuesday to conduct regular board business and discuss the secretive process of seeking bids on its controlling stake in the company.

Late Tuesday, the trust issued a statement saying the sale plans were called off.

"The trust board has rejected all the bids that it received," Hershey Trust Co. spokesman Rick Kelly said, reading a statement from board members. "It is asking the company to end the process of exploring the sale."

The $5.9 billion trust, which controls 77 percent of the company's shareholder votes and 31 percent of its common stock, made the surprising announcement July 25 that it had ordered Hershey Foods executives to seek bids on its stake.

The trust, whose sole beneficiary is the Milton Hershey School for disadvantaged children, said selling the company would protect its investments because more than half the trust's assets are invested in the company's stock. Board members say the trust could be hurt if the company's finances falter during these rough economic times.

But the potential sale sparked protests from the public and politicians, who said the interests of the community would be pushed aside in any sale. Critics said a sale would trigger plant closings and layoffs.

In Hershey, residents have circulated petitions, staged rallies, and posted signs on front lawns to dissuade the trustees, most of whom do not live locally, from selling the company.

"We dreaded the dismantlement of Hershey Foods. This would have been a devastating blow for central Pennsylvania," said Robert Feaser, the business manager of chocolate workers local 464. "I guess we finally wore them out and brought them down."

News of the possible sale had surprised some analysts, who thought Hershey's profitability and close relationship with the town, the trust and the school made it untouchable.

Indeed, a state judge granted an injunction on a sale, pending a Hershey Trust appeal. State Attorney General Mike Fisher had petitioned the judge to require the trust to seek court approval before it could sell the candy maker.

Even so, the board had been close to selling the company for $12.5 billion to Wrigley before changing its mind, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the situation.

Kelly confirmed that Wrigley was a bidder for Hershey, but he would not provide more details on the matter.

Chocolate magnate Milton S. Hershey created the Hershey Chocolate Co. in 1894 as a subsidiary of his Lancaster Caramel Co. He later sold the caramel operation and began making chocolate in 1905 in what is now known as Hershey in the Chocolate Avenue plant that still stands today.

Many retirees and current employees live in the central Pennsylvania town of about 13,000, which is dominated by the buildings Hershey put up, including a hotel, an amusement park, botanic gardens and a theater.

The company is the maker of popular products such as the Hershey Chocolate bar, various Reese's products, Jolly Rancher candy and Twizzler licorice. The company had revenue of $4.6 billion last year.

[ex98thdrill]

I had my words backwards... dawn to dusk. (The heat in the dessert is getting to me)

[Guest]

The conception of my son, now 19, was planned around Hershey, delivery was to occur shortly thereafter. A slight miscalculation and a 6 week premature birth resulted in his being a vendor at the ripe old age of 7 1/2 weeks. This will be his 20th Hershey...noone has a better percentage than he !