Century of Chew

摘要

The ubiquitous gumball machine. So common, so cherished, so twentieth century? Although most Baby Boomers can recall bothering parents for pennies and nickels so they could turn the knob on the classic stand-alone fixture found throughout businesses and shops, that experience isn't as common today as it once was. George Stege, president of Akron, N.Y.-based Ford Gum & Machine Co., the lone U.S. manufacturer of gumballs, can attest to the changes that have affected the gumball machine segment, and to a larger extent, the chewing gum category. Having joined the company in 1980 as its marketing director, the chief executive and majority owner of Ford Gum, has personally experienced the shifts in the retail landscape.