Confectioners, you might expect, would be blessed with a sweet disposition. Working with candy all day long, how could someone be short-tempered?Blame this one on a sugar buzz.
Chicago's landmark candy maker Ferrara Pan was the scene of a domestic dispute recently. The founder's grandson, Sal Ferrara, called the cops to the factory. He was escorted off the premises.
Hot-tempered, those Italians. Quick to blow a fuse. Maybe Mr. Ferrara's mood was sour last Thursday after consuming too many Lemonheads.
Rumor has it, Mr. Ferrara was voted out as President of the family's firm. They made him an offer he apparently refused. How could he take them seriously? They're his relatives. They fight over games of briscola all the time. No different.
There's also talk that money is at the heart of the dispute, and isn't it always money that drives families apart? Someone wants more, someone thinks the cugino is getting more than his fair share, and then the shouting escalates.
It's that much more difficult in a business, where tough decisions have to be made. Telling an employee he's been an idiot is one thing. Telling your first cousin he's made a mess of his department is quite another. Normal corporate dynamics are skewed when a group of relatives have to come together and make hard choices about a third-generation business that defines their existence.
Mr. Ferrara has pointed out that he could have fired all of them, rather than them firing him. Imagine holiday dinners after that scenario. The police would be out again to quell the disturbance, which would further poison the already bad blood.
Shareholders have been advised that Sal Ferrara is on the job, that the Board reconsidered their rash act and the candy is being panned as it always has been.
In the end, that's all the shareholders really care about. They want to know that their investment is safe.
Mr. Ferrara says it is. Time will tell.
In the meantime, enjoy an Atomic Fireball. They say that capsicum is good for you, and so tasty.
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