Sarris Candies is a staple in the chocolate industry around Pittsburgh. Started by Frank Sarris in his basement in 1960, it has since grown to multiple locations throughout western Pennsylvania. The business is now run by Frank’s son, Bill Sarris.
With Frank’s passing in March 2010, his son, Bill, now serves as CEO of the company and has taken the experience and expertise handed down from his father to continue the legacy of Sarris Candies. From 1978 through 1996, Sarris Candies underwent nine major additions and expansions to its retail store and factory that assisted in transforming the company from a local business into a corporate empire. In addition, Bill negotiated Sarris Candies’ acquisition of Gardners Candies, a family owned chocolate company in Central Pennsylvania, in 1997, to further increase Sarris production capacity and outreach. Bill successfully reestablished Gardners Candies as an entity in Central Pennsylvania, and Sarris and Gardners now work together simultaneously in efficiently manufacturing and distributing product nationwide. Alongside his mother, Athena, and with the help of other family members, including his sister and brother-in-law, Sophia and Steve Heon, and his daughters, Athena Sarris-Simms and Candace Sarris, Bill continues to position the company to move forward. While focusing on growth in several areas, the Sarris family maintains the old fashioned values and customer service standards set by the company’s founder. As Bill expands the company into new markets and avenues of sales, he wants to continue to cultivate the image of mom and pop as the company matures, and he is one of the few that has been successful in marrying cult appeal with scale in growing the Sarris brand.
Today the company offers its fundraising programs to local schools and churches and a number of groups and athletic teams. Along with a generous profit structure, Sarris Candies donates an endless array of product and financial sponsorship to those participating organizations for numerous other fundraising events as well. With more and more of these groups losing funding sources, Sarris is pushing into the fringes of our traditional service areas, reaching out to provide fundraising opportunities to groups in Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and beyond.
As fundraising areas expand, the retail division closely follows, pushing into new territories to feature the most popular items in retail outlets throughout the area. Sarris Candies can now be found in over 1,800 locations in more than 11 states.
The Sarris mail order business that began with the publication of the first catalog in 1985, has grown in many directions over the years, currently leading faithful Sarris customers to an expanding website, making access to Sarris chocolates possible worldwide.
Corporate sales feature a sophisticated array of gifts that hundreds of companies send to their customers, associates and employees each year to impress or say “Thank You.” Personal attention to detail and customization is what makes Sarris stand out.
Join us as we talk with Bill Sarris on this episode of The Boss Juice Podcast.
Sarris Candies
https://www.sarriscandies.com
Episode 14
Boss Juice Podcast
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1 h y 14 m
Jun 14 202449 m