Derry Township Archives - Central Penn Business Journal

The Hershey Co. looks to expand manufacturing in Hershey

The Hershey Co.’s iconic stacks – Amy Spangler

The Hershey Co. is looking to grow on land it owns in Derry Township.

Allison Kleinfelter, senior director of corporate communications, The Hershey Co., said while plans are in the conceptual stage, a building concept is being proposed to Derry Township for a manufacturing facility on land that surrounds the old Friendly’s restaurant and is adjacent to both the West Hershey plant and the Reese’s plants as well as the Technical Center.

“Hershey continues to grow at a strong pace, and we continue to invest in our supply chain to scale our capacity to meet growing consumer demand for our products,” she said. “Our growth has included significant investments the past few years in facilities and equipment across the United States, including investments here in our home area with the completion of the new Annville Fulfilment Center.”

The fulfillment center, she said, shows the company’s commitment to its hometown and the desire to continue to make chocolate in Hershey.

“As we contemplate the need for future manufacturing capacity, one option is to utilize the land we own,” she said. “We are exploring the possibility of using this site for a new manufacturing facility to support our continued growth and have begun discussions with Derry Township about this possibility.

The company expects to know more about construction of a nearly 250,000-square-foot plant by early this fall.

Derry Township apartment complex sells for $2.5 million

A 20-unit apartment complex in Derry Township, Dauphin County was purchased this week for $2.5 million. PHOTO/PROVIDED

Palmyra, Lebanon County-based Dalane Management purchased a 20-unit apartment complex in Derry Township, Dauphin County this week for $2.5 million.

The property, at 1310-1360 Columbia Drive, Hershey, was sold by Landmark Commercial Realty in Harrisburg. It is made up of five four-unit brick buildings first built in 1986.

The apartment units are 850-square-foot two-bedroom and one-bath units, each offering a private front entrance and rear deck area, Landmark wrote in a press release.

“This is the first time the property was offered for sale since the late 1990s,” said Chuck Heller, executive vice president of Landmark. “It is also located in one of the region’s most desirable school districts. I anticipate it being a legacy property in the new owner’s portfolio.”

Landmark sold the property to Dalane at $125,000 per apartment unit.

Derry Township psychology practice to launch telepsychiatry service

A Dauphin County-based psychology practice plans to add an online segment to its services to reach more patients.

The Institute for Learning & Behavioral Sciences in Derry Township is set to begin offering psychiatry services through videoconferencing by December.

The institute will be offering the new service with the help through InSight Telepsychiatry, a New Jersey-based service provider that connects a practice’s patients with InSight’s own psychiatry providers.

Psychologists in Pennsylvania can have waiting times as long as six months due to the state’s significantly smaller number of providers compared to the national average.

The state average for providers in Pennsylvania is 179 providers per 100,000 people compared to the national average of 214 providers for every 100,000 people, according to a study by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.

With InSight, the practice will be able to offer both psychology and psychiatry services.

Dr. Clint Stankiewicz, the Institute for Learning & Behavioral Sciences’ owner and executive director, said that he has seen the lack of mental health care in the Hershey area first hand and is looking to ease the pressure with the partnership with InSight.

“As a mental health provider working in an outpatient setting, I saw an unmet need for psychiatry services in the Hershey area,” Stankiewicz said. “Implementing a telepsychiatry program will give more people access to psychiatric services and will allow individuals that I see to continue receiving services at this location.”

Through InSight’s videoconferencing, patients will have more access to psychiatry services but will be able to stay as patients through Stankiewicz. The partnership will also allow the institute to keep its current staffing size but increase its services.

The institute offers psychoeducational, learning, cognitive and psychological evaluations to both adult and pediatric patients.

Correction: The story previously stated that the Institute for Learning & Behavioral Sciences was a psychiatry practice.

Buck named as chairman of Hershey

Michele Buck (Photo: Submitted)

The Hershey Co. has elected current president and CEO Michele Buck as chairman of the board of directors, according to the company.

Buck will continue to serve in her current leadership roles she has held since March 2017 while running the Derry Township-based candy and snack company. She succeeds Chuck Davis, who served as the chairman since May 2018, and who will re-assume his role of lead independent director he held from May 2017 until his appointment as chairman of the board.

Company officials said the combination of Buck’s offices of CEO and chairman of the board underscored their confidence in her leadership and strategic vision for growth of Hershey.

“These changes to our board reflect Michele’s vision and leadership and we look forward to supporting The Hershey Co. on its journey to becoming an innovative snacking powerhouse,” said Davis. “Hershey has a rich legacy of creating shareholder value in a manner that reflects our principles of excellence, togetherness, integrity and making a difference.”

According to newspaper records, Buck grew up in Carlisle and went on to develop a reputation as an innovator, amassing two decades of executive experience in the consumer packaged foods sector. She worked with Kraft/Nabisco in numerous senior positions and at the Frito-Lay division of PepsiCo before returning to the region in 2005 to work at Hershey, one of Pennsylvania’s most iconic brands.

She graduated from Shippensburg University in 1982 and went on to earn her MBA from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Buck thanked Davis for his leadership as chairman in helping to spearhead efforts in the company currently celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. According to company records, Hershey employs 16,500 workers around the world and had more than $7.8 billion in annual revenues last year.

“For the past couple of years, I’ve had the honor to work closely with Chuck Davis in his role as chairman and it has been an incredible opportunity to learn from one of the best,” said Buck. “I am privileged to succeed him as he re-assumes the role of lead independent director.”

Hershey in talks to acquire NC nutrition bar maker

The Hershey Co. expects to close on a $395 million deal by the end of the year with a Charlotte, North Carolina, nutrition bar manufacturer.
One Brands LLC, a nutrition bar company with an emphasis on low-sugar and high-protein snacks has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by the Derry Township-based Hershey Co.
The merger would be Hershey’s latest push into the health snacking market. Last year, Hershey acquired Amplify Snack Brands, the maker of SkinnyPop popcorn and Oatmega protein bars and announced in August that it would be making a minority investment in the Dublin, Ireland-based nutrition bar maker, FULFIL Holdings Limited.
Hershey said in a press release that it plans to expand One’s products past its current offerings of protein bards and stevia sweetened protein bars.
“One’s portfolio of great-tasting nutrition bars, with indulgent flavors such as Birthday Cake, Maple Glazed Doughnut and Peanut Butter Pie, will be a strong strategic fit within our overall innovative snacking powerhouse vision,” said Mary Beth West, Hershey’s Chief Growth Officer. “Our beloved confection brands will continue to be the engine that drives our business while we broaden our better-for-you portfolio, offering more snacking choices for more consumers.”
One was founded in 1999 and founder Ron McAfee said that the company is proud of the brand it built as an independent company but is looking forward to the momentum that Hershey can provide.
“Our consumer proposition, brand equity and team provide us with confidence, especially when combined with an industry leader like Hershey, said Peter Burns, CEO of One Brands.

Hershey names new CFO

Steve Voskuil will be the new CFO for The Hershey Co. in May. (Photo: Submitted)

The Hershey Co. will have a new top financial officer in mid-May.

The Derry Township-based manufacturer of candy and snacks announced Thursday that Steve Voskuil has been hired to join the company. He will assume the role of senior vice president and CFO, replacing Patricia Little, who is retiring in May.

Little announced her retirement plans last year. She joined the company in early 2015.

Voskuil comes to Hershey from Avanos Medical, a publicly traded medical device company, where he has served as CFO since 2014.

Hershey shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol HSY.

14 area school districts earn the 2018 Best Communities for Music Education designation

Fourteen area school districts have been awarded the Best Communities for Music Education designation for 2018 from The NAMM Foundation for their outstanding commitment to music education.

The Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to school districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students. To qualify for the Best Communities designation, districts were required to answer detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program, and community music-making programs. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.

The school districts from Central Pennsylvania that earned the 2018 designation are: Bermudian Springs, Big Spring, Central York, Cornwall-Lebanon, Cumberland Valley, Derry Township, Dover Area School District, Ephrata Area, Lancaster, North Eastern York, Red Lion Area, Spring Grove Area, Warwick, and West Shore. The Milton Hershey School also earned the Best Communities for Music Education designation.

Additionally, Susquenita High School in Duncannon was one of 135 schools nationwide to receive the SupportMusic Merit Award (SMMA). This award enables an individual school (public, private, parochial or charter) to be acknowledged for its commitment to music education.

The Best Communities for Music Education designation recognizes that a school district is leading the way with learning opportunities as outlined in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The legislation recommends music and the arts as important elements of a well-rounded education for all children.

Research into music education continues to demonstrate educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music. In a series of landmark studies by scientists and researchers at Northwestern University, a link was found between students in community music programs and life-long academic success, including higher high school graduation rates and college attendance. In another study from the University, it was discovered that the benefits of early exposure to music education improves how the brain processes and assimilates sounds, a trait that lasts well into adulthood.

The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit organization supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its approximately 10,300 members. The foundation advances active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving, and public service programs.

To see the complete list of school districts across the country that received the Best Communities for Music Education designation for 2018, click here.

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