在經(jīng)營糖果公司Tootsie Roll的53年中,首席執(zhí)行官艾倫?戈登見過了太多的大風(fēng)大浪。但在上周之前,她還沒有見識(shí)過的是,當(dāng)日內(nèi)交易員們針對(duì)對(duì)沖基金掀起“逼空大戰(zhàn)”時(shí),她公司的股價(jià)會(huì)被瘋狂的大盤一路推高。
當(dāng)GameStop和AMC娛樂公司競相成為頭條新聞時(shí),Tootsie Roll很快吸引了散戶的目光:他們?cè)赗eddit論壇和散戶大本營社區(qū)r/WallStreetBets上交流經(jīng)驗(yàn)。上周,Tootsie Roll原本還一直專注于自家業(yè)務(wù),公司股票的交易價(jià)格也穩(wěn)定在30美元左右,然后就在接下來的幾天里突然暴漲,1月27日幾乎翻了一番,達(dá)到58.98美元,創(chuàng)下歷史新高,但此后又有所回落。而且這一系列操作完全沒有風(fēng)聲(人們?cè)缇椭溃捎谛鹿谝咔椋琓ootsie Roll的銷量有所下滑)。
上周,股市的風(fēng)起云涌使Tootsie Roll的市值一度超過40億美元,也讓現(xiàn)任首席執(zhí)行官艾倫?戈登的身價(jià)漲到了22億美元。戈登在2015年、83歲時(shí)成為公司的首席執(zhí)行官,當(dāng)時(shí),她從已故的億萬富翁丈夫手中接過55%的股份——對(duì)一家年銷售額約為5億美元的公司來說,這是相當(dāng)可觀的一筆資金。
戈登一直不太愿意在媒體上露面,并且謝絕了華爾街分析師通常會(huì)與上市公司進(jìn)行的季度電話會(huì)議,也尚未回應(yīng)《財(cái)富》雜志的采訪請(qǐng)求。
Tootsie Roll這家糖果制造商的同名產(chǎn)品深深植根于美國文化中,于1896年在紐約由奧地利移民利奧?赫希菲爾德(Leo Hirschfield)研制的配方發(fā)明,并以其女兒的昵稱命名。(Tootsie棒棒糖于1931年問世。)
在上周之前,許多人甚至沒有意識(shí)到,原來Tootsie Rolls也是在一家獨(dú)立的上市公司。事實(shí)的確如此——Tootsie Roll于1922年就在紐約證券交易所(New York Stock Exchange)首次亮相了。
艾倫?戈登生于1932年,原姓魯賓,對(duì)她來說,成為首席執(zhí)行官不僅是妻子從丈夫那里繼承公司的問題。相反,早在認(rèn)識(shí)丈夫以前,艾倫和家人就已經(jīng)在與Tootsie Roll打交道了:魯賓一家在上市那年就購買了該公司的股票,在艾倫還是一個(gè)孩子時(shí),他們家就已經(jīng)成為該公司的大股東,她的父親后來還成為當(dāng)時(shí)聞名的美國糖果公司(Sweets Co of America)的總裁。
艾倫于1950年嫁給梅爾文,后來,她從丈夫手中繼承了該公司,并開始像初入公司時(shí)那樣經(jīng)營。艾倫大學(xué)畢業(yè)后——包括從哈佛大學(xué)(Harvard University)研究生畢業(yè),于1968年起在Tootsie Roll工作,從事退休金計(jì)劃和產(chǎn)品開發(fā),并在后一個(gè)領(lǐng)域展示出過人的才智。到1978年,她擔(dān)任總裁兼首席運(yùn)營官,而比她大12歲的丈夫擔(dān)任首席執(zhí)行官。(在他2015年去世、享年95歲時(shí),是在紐約證券交易所或納斯達(dá)克上市的公司中,年齡最大的首席執(zhí)行官。)
在大多數(shù)公司中,“總裁”頭銜都表明,她是公司的二把手。但是,這對(duì)夫婦在經(jīng)營公司方面是平等的。并且,她無疑是一個(gè)先驅(qū):她是在紐約證券交易所上市的公司中的第二位女總裁。
他們一起渡過了糖果業(yè)并購激烈、不收購別人就會(huì)被別人收購的時(shí)期,見證了諸如瑪氏(Mars)收購箭牌(William Wrigley)、卡夫(Kraft Foods)收購吉百利(Cadbury)等巨額交易。相反,盡管Tootsie Roll體量不大,也被其他人覬覦并開出誘人的價(jià)碼,該公司依然決心保持獨(dú)立,多年來,它也一直是收購方,收購了包括薄荷糖Junior Mints和橡皮糖DOTS等品牌。
丈夫去世后,艾倫開始擔(dān)任首席執(zhí)行官,根據(jù)芝加哥媒體的報(bào)道,她仍然在繼續(xù)負(fù)責(zé)該公司的運(yùn)營,致力于發(fā)揚(yáng)Tootsie Rolls的許多備受消費(fèi)者喜愛的賣點(diǎn)。
她在1996年告訴《芝加哥論壇報(bào)》(Chicago Tribune):“這些年來,Tootsie Roll基本保持著原來的樣子,沒有什么太大的變化。人們喜歡把它送給自己的孩子,將這些糖果和與之有關(guān)的記憶一起,一代又一代地傳承下去。”(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
編譯:陳聰聰
在經(jīng)營糖果公司Tootsie Roll的53年中,首席執(zhí)行官艾倫?戈登見過了太多的大風(fēng)大浪。但在上周之前,她還沒有見識(shí)過的是,當(dāng)日內(nèi)交易員們針對(duì)對(duì)沖基金掀起“逼空大戰(zhàn)”時(shí),她公司的股價(jià)會(huì)被瘋狂的大盤一路推高。
當(dāng)GameStop和AMC娛樂公司競相成為頭條新聞時(shí),Tootsie Roll很快吸引了散戶的目光:他們?cè)赗eddit論壇和散戶大本營社區(qū)r/WallStreetBets上交流經(jīng)驗(yàn)。上周,Tootsie Roll原本還一直專注于自家業(yè)務(wù),公司股票的交易價(jià)格也穩(wěn)定在30美元左右,然后就在接下來的幾天里突然暴漲,1月27日幾乎翻了一番,達(dá)到58.98美元,創(chuàng)下歷史新高,但此后又有所回落。而且這一系列操作完全沒有風(fēng)聲(人們?cè)缇椭溃捎谛鹿谝咔椋琓ootsie Roll的銷量有所下滑)。
上周,股市的風(fēng)起云涌使Tootsie Roll的市值一度超過40億美元,也讓現(xiàn)任首席執(zhí)行官艾倫?戈登的身價(jià)漲到了22億美元。戈登在2015年、83歲時(shí)成為公司的首席執(zhí)行官,當(dāng)時(shí),她從已故的億萬富翁丈夫手中接過55%的股份——對(duì)一家年銷售額約為5億美元的公司來說,這是相當(dāng)可觀的一筆資金。
戈登一直不太愿意在媒體上露面,并且謝絕了華爾街分析師通常會(huì)與上市公司進(jìn)行的季度電話會(huì)議,也尚未回應(yīng)《財(cái)富》雜志的采訪請(qǐng)求。
Tootsie Roll這家糖果制造商的同名產(chǎn)品深深植根于美國文化中,于1896年在紐約由奧地利移民利奧?赫希菲爾德(Leo Hirschfield)研制的配方發(fā)明,并以其女兒的昵稱命名。(Tootsie棒棒糖于1931年問世。)
在上周之前,許多人甚至沒有意識(shí)到,原來Tootsie Rolls也是在一家獨(dú)立的上市公司。事實(shí)的確如此——Tootsie Roll于1922年就在紐約證券交易所(New York Stock Exchange)首次亮相了。
艾倫?戈登生于1932年,原姓魯賓,對(duì)她來說,成為首席執(zhí)行官不僅是妻子從丈夫那里繼承公司的問題。相反,早在認(rèn)識(shí)丈夫以前,艾倫和家人就已經(jīng)在與Tootsie Roll打交道了:魯賓一家在上市那年就購買了該公司的股票,在艾倫還是一個(gè)孩子時(shí),他們家就已經(jīng)成為該公司的大股東,她的父親后來還成為當(dāng)時(shí)聞名的美國糖果公司(Sweets Co of America)的總裁。
艾倫于1950年嫁給梅爾文,后來,她從丈夫手中繼承了該公司,并開始像初入公司時(shí)那樣經(jīng)營。艾倫大學(xué)畢業(yè)后——包括從哈佛大學(xué)(Harvard University)研究生畢業(yè),于1968年起在Tootsie Roll工作,從事退休金計(jì)劃和產(chǎn)品開發(fā),并在后一個(gè)領(lǐng)域展示出過人的才智。到1978年,她擔(dān)任總裁兼首席運(yùn)營官,而比她大12歲的丈夫擔(dān)任首席執(zhí)行官。(在他2015年去世、享年95歲時(shí),是在紐約證券交易所或納斯達(dá)克上市的公司中,年齡最大的首席執(zhí)行官。)
在大多數(shù)公司中,“總裁”頭銜都表明,她是公司的二把手。但是,這對(duì)夫婦在經(jīng)營公司方面是平等的。并且,她無疑是一個(gè)先驅(qū):她是在紐約證券交易所上市的公司中的第二位女總裁。
他們一起渡過了糖果業(yè)并購激烈、不收購別人就會(huì)被別人收購的時(shí)期,見證了諸如瑪氏(Mars)收購箭牌(William Wrigley)、卡夫(Kraft Foods)收購吉百利(Cadbury)等巨額交易。相反,盡管Tootsie Roll體量不大,也被其他人覬覦并開出誘人的價(jià)碼,該公司依然決心保持獨(dú)立,多年來,它也一直是收購方,收購了包括薄荷糖Junior Mints和橡皮糖DOTS等品牌。
丈夫去世后,艾倫開始擔(dān)任首席執(zhí)行官,根據(jù)芝加哥媒體的報(bào)道,她仍然在繼續(xù)負(fù)責(zé)該公司的運(yùn)營,致力于發(fā)揚(yáng)Tootsie Rolls的許多備受消費(fèi)者喜愛的賣點(diǎn)。
她在1996年告訴《芝加哥論壇報(bào)》(Chicago Tribune):“這些年來,Tootsie Roll基本保持著原來的樣子,沒有什么太大的變化。人們喜歡把它送給自己的孩子,將這些糖果和與之有關(guān)的記憶一起,一代又一代地傳承下去。”(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
編譯:陳聰聰
In her 53 years running sweets maker Tootsie Roll Industries, CEO Ellen Gordon has seen a lot of things. But one thing she hadn't before this week was her company's stock getting swept up in stock market madness as day traders feuded with hedge funds.
While GameStop and AMC Entertainment were the headline grabbers, Tootsie Roll was briefly pulled along by retail traders swapping tips on a Reddit board, r/WallStreetBets. Tootsie Roll's stock had been minding its own business last week, trading steadily around the $30 mark, and then the stock exploded in the following days, almost doubling to an all-time high of $58.98 on January 27 before giving some of that gain back. And all that on no news at all (Tootsie Roll's sales declines caused by the pandemic had long been known).
At one point last week, the stock moves made Tootsie Roll worth more than $4 billion. And in turn, it made Gordon, who became CEO in 2015 at the age of 83 when she replaced her deceased husband, a multibillionaire with her 55% stake, according to Bloomberg Data, worth $2.2 billion. Not bad for a company taking in about $500 million a year in sales.
The media-shy Gordon who eschews the quarterly conference calls with Wall Street analysts customary for public companies, has not yet responded to a request for an interview from Fortune.
Deeply ingrained in American culture, the candy maker's namesake product was invented in New York in 1896 from a recipe concocted by Austrian immigrant Leo Hirschfield and named after his daughter's nickname. (The Tootsie Pop came in 1931.)
Before this week, many hasn't realized Tootsie Rolls was even a standalone company listed on the stock market. Yet indeed it is. Tootsie Roll made its New York Stock Exchange debut in 1922.
For Gordon, née Rubin in 1932, becoming CEO was not simply a matter of a wife inheriting a company from her husband. On the contrary, Ellen and her family were involved with Tootsie Roll long before she ever met him: The Rubins bought shares in the company the year it went public and by the time Ellen was a tot, they were majority shareholders, with her father eventually becoming president of Sweets Co of America, as the company was known at the time.
Ellen and Melvin, who married in 1950, later inherited the company and eventually started running it as equals from the get-go. After her studies, which included a graduate degree from Harvard University, she began working at Tootsie Roll in 1968 in pension planning and product development, showing a knack for the latter. By 1978, she was president and chief operating officer, while her husband, 12 years her senior, was CEO. (When he died 2015 at 95, he was the oldest CEO of any company listed on either the NYSE or Nasdaq.)
At most companies, her president title would have suggested she was the company's No. 2. But the couple were equals in running the company. And she was certainly a trailblazer: she was only the second woman president of a NYSE-listed company ever.
Together, they navigated the eat-or-be-eaten world of confectionary M&A that saw mega deals like Mars buy William Wrigley and Kraft Foods buy Cadbury in the late aughts. Instead, Tootsie Roll, despite its small size and allure as a potential target and determined to stay independent, was an acquirer over the years, buying brands like Junior Mints and DOTS.
Upon her husband's death, Ellen Gordon became CEO and, according to Chicago newspapers, has continued to run the company, focused on safeguarding what has made Tootsie Rolls dear to many consumers.
"It's basically the same Tootsie Roll all these years," she told the Chicago Tribune in 1996. "People like to give it to their children, pass on the candy, and the memories that go with it, from one generation to the next."