THE TWINKIE MIRACLE

摘要

Walk in the door of Hostess Brands' flagship bakery in Empo-ria, Kans. and your first thought is: What a dump. The former front office for the bakery that pumps out classic American treats like golden Twinkies and swirl-topped CupCakes is a series of dank, near-empty rooms with scuffed, oatmeal-color linoleum floors, water-stained ceilingpanels and a jumble of mismatched office furniture that looks like it was picked up off the curb. Three minutes in this place and you're suddenly thankful for the wilted sign on the front door warning visitors that firearms are barred from the premises. This grim wing of the Hostess plant is a leftover from the old Hostess-the one that debt, pension costs and mismanagement shuttered in 2012. But throw on a hairnet and pass on to the newly rehabilitated factory floor, and it makes sense why billionaire C. Dean Metropoulos, Apollo Global senior partner Andy Jhawar and Kansas Governor Sam Brownback are standing here, breathing in the sticky sweet air on a foggy April morning.