Wyandot Inc. - When you want it Done Right!

Wyandot recently received an award from the Marion Safety Council and Chamber of Commerce in recognition of their success in reducing work-related accidents/injuries. From 2009 to 2010, Wyandot reduced lost-time accidents 275% and lost work days almost 700%. In 2011, we are on pace to meet or exceed the 2010 safety record.

Wyandot, Inc., a family owned snack food producer in Marion, OH, is celebrating its 75th anniversary in business. cid:image003.jpg@01CBBDFC.FF97AE50

The Company, which still belongs to the founding family, was started by W. Hoover and Ava Brown in 1936 as a grain popcorn company. The business was founded in a one room school house that Mr. Brown had attended as a child.

The Browns grew and bought popcorn on the cob, dried it, cleaned it, packaged it and sold it locally and expanded it broadly throughout North America and overseas. Over time, they sold popcorn in all forms, grain, popped and caramel coated.

The couple had three sons, George, David and Warren, all of whom participated in the Company in various capacities throughout the years. Today, three sons of the third generation are involved in guiding the Company, including Board Chairman Douglas Brown, National Sales Manager Brooks Brown and Director Tom Brown.

Chairman Doug Brown said, “The Company has prospered all these years because it has never lost sight of its commitment to customers, employees, community and shareholders. Even though the Company refocused its business numerous times over the years to stay competitive, these values were always observed.”

Brown explained that the changes in focus over the years included moving from just grain popcorn to ready-to-eat, caramel coated popcorn, sales through the grocery trade under various brands and sales to movie houses. At one time, Wyandot was the largest exporter of popcorn in the country.

In the early 1960s, the Company began to manufacture snacks such as tortilla chips, corn chips, cheese puffs and cheese crunchies primarily for regional potato chip manufacturers and distributors across the eastern half of the country. This became the primary focus by the mid 1980s and the original popcorn business was sold.

“The Company has been successful in its snack business without marketing its own brands,” said Nick R. Chilton, Chief Executive Officer. “Our business is other companies’ brands. We are now suppliers of snack products through various channels including store label for grocery, food service products for restaurants and in making products for large branded companies that choose not to make the product themselves.”

Rex A. Parrott, Wyandot President and Chief Operating Officer said, “Wyandot is recognized as a top notch supplier to the snack industry, supplying not only excellent products and service but current technologies, research and the ability to help marketing companies commercialize their ideas quickly and efficiently.”

Parrott added, “This Company is unique because as it has changed and adopted modern methods to meet new challenges, it has always retained its family feel, reflecting basic values held by the Browns.

MARION - Jim Augur and Greg Harville have been promoted at Wyandot Inc., a leading snack food manufacturer located at 135 Wyandot Ave.

According to a news release, the company promoted Augur from operations manager to plant manager. He will have responsibility for Wyandot's plant operations in production, sanitation, maintenance and warehouse.

Augur has been employed with Wyandot for about 11 years in operations management. His career also has included operations management positions with Quaker Oats, Safeway and T. Marzetti. He has more than 25 years of experience and received a bachelor's of science in food industry from the University of Illinois.

Harville has been promoted from assistant operations manager to production manager. He will have responsibility for all processing and packaging activities for all product lines.

Harville has been employed with Wyandot for about 13 years in operations management. Prior to joining Wyandot, he was employed with Columbus Coated Fabrics for seven years. He has a bachelor's degree in production and operations management from The Ohio State University.

MARION - Wyandot Inc. on Monday announced the promotion of Rex Parrott from executive vice president, operations, to president and chief operating officer of the company.

Nick R. Chilton, formerly president and chief executive officer, will continue as CEO.

Wyandot Inc. is a privately owned food processing company in Marion, specializing in snacks made with corn and other grains. The company, which has 420 employees, focuses on contract manufacturing for large food marketers and retailers.

Chilton said the promotion is "part of our long-term plan. Rex over time has picked up more and more (of the) day-to-day operations (responsibility). We feel there's a need for me to concentrate more on strategic issues and longer-term planning, and then on some specific projects that are hard to do unless you've got a lot of day-to-day time to pay attention to them. So, we've been operating for some time moving toward this."

Parrott joined Wyandot in 1984 in human resources after working for Tecumseh Products Co., Stratoflex and Borden. He is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio and has a master's in business administration from the University of Dayton. He is a native of the Marion area and a graduate of Harding High School.

"I guess I feel both honored and grateful not only for this opportunity but all of the opportunities Wyandot has given me," Parrott said. He said one of the reasons he joined Wyandot because he'd been told he'd have "more opportunities at a smaller company than where I worked at the time. That has certainly been true beyond my expectations."

The promotion puts all of Wyandot's business functions under Parrott, Chilton said. He praised Parrott's direction of the operations of the business as exemplary.

"With Nick we changed from an entrepreneurial, family organization to a professionally managed organization," he said, referring to Chilton who joined Wyandot in 1995. "The nice thing is there aren't any huge changes that are needed. I get the luxury to implement the same strategies we've employed over the last 15 years."

Douglas Brown, chairman of the board, described Parrott as a key member of Wyandot for more than 25 years whose leadership has been an important part of its success.