BRYAN, Ohio — Nestled in the near 9,000-person population of Bryan, Ohio, Spangler Candy Company is celebrating one of its most iconic product's 100th birthday: the Dum-Dum Pop.
"Dum-Dums is just such a popular candy and part of the reason I think it's lasted for 100 years is that we haven't changed it," said Spangler CEO Kirk Vashaw.
The company has six primary candy brands, including the famous suckers: Circus Peanuts, Bit-O-Honey, Sweethearts, Necco and Spangler Candy Canes.
But the Dum-Dum has been the company's staple as a product it has owned since 1953 after the company purchased it from the Bellevue-headquartered Akron Candy Company, which created the sucker in 1924.
Upon purchasing it, Spangler started selling it in seven flavors. 100 years later, that number is over 30.
According to Vashaw, 575 employees make 12 million suckers daily.
"The product's the same, but it takes a lot of smart people and hardworking people to make that many per day," he said.
One of the employees with the best look into the manufacturing of the simple suckers is Wendy Staniski, a plant superintendent who has worked at Spangler since she was 18 years old.
She says working for a company that has supported her hometown of Bryan since its founding in 1906 is rewarding.
"I had no plans of going anywhere else. I knew that I was going to live in Bryan my entire life. I've just worked my way up through the ranks," Staniski, now 54, said. "Spangler Candy has paid for me to go to college, I've gotten my degree and I've just enjoyed every single minute of it."
Other families in Bryan also recognize the impact the company and its Dum-Dums have had on the local economy and the town's marketability.
"It brings jobs to our community," said Spangler employee Charlie Dell. "I've worked there for 19 years. It's provided for our family."
"It's a great place to work and brings lots of smiles to all the children's faces in the whole city," added Rebekah Dell, Charlie's wife.
One-hundred years' worth of smiles, all from a simple sucker, have helped put Bryan on the map.
"We wouldn't be here without the city of Bryan and the residents of Bryan," said Vashaw.