{"398551":{"#nid":"398551","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Macon candy maker finds success in sweets, giving back to community","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAt Crown Candy Corp. it\u2019s easy to see \u2014 and smell \u2014 what goes into the yummy treats of coconut bon bons, toasted macaroons, and pecan logs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut to Jamie Weatherford, the plant manager and third-generation member of the family business, other ingredients \u2014 commitment to community, a belief in second chances, and love of nostalgia \u2014 are just as important to Macon-based Crown Candy\u2019s success.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThose core beliefs, which Weatherford says he learned from his grandfather, E.L. Brooking, are also important to him personally. \u201cHe was a large inspiration in my life and a great man,\u201d Weatherford says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThirteen years ago, those values also drew him back to Crown Candy \u2014 and Macon \u2014 when his dad called to seek Weatherford\u2019s help in running the 98-year-old company.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt was an honor for me to not only come back and help my father with the day-to-day operations,\u201d he says, \u201cbut it was also an honor to be able to come back and continue the legacy of my grandfather.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWeatherford is the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership\u2019s (GaMEP) April Face of Manufacturing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia\u2019s manufacturing sector employs 365,000 and remains a critical component of the state economy. The Faces of Manufacturing initiative is designed to show how companies sustain the communities in which they operate and serve both economically and through the lives of the people they touch.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt Crown Candy, the company\u2019s impact on Macon is demonstrated in a number of ways. There is the candy itself and commitment to keep true to his grandfather\u2019s traditional recipes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere also is the belief in second chances, something Weatherford is extremely proud of as he touts a work-release program the company has with the Georgia Department of Corrections. It allows incarcerated men and women to find seasonal employment at the company, and Weatherford says 70 percent of those individuals end up becoming permanent staff.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cEveryone has made mistakes in their lives. It\u2019s not important to me what they did in the past, but instead what they are doing today,\u201d he says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA proud citizen of Macon, Weatherford gives back to the city by promoting Made in Macon, the local maker movement, and Georgia Grown, which supports purchasing products sourced in the state.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of his special passions, one that he shares with his wife, Jessica Walden, is a love of music and the special place that Macon holds in music history. Together, they\u2019ve worked on the annual Bragg Jam Music Festival, a fundraiser for the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail, and they founded Rock Candy Tours, a music history tour company that showcases Macon\u2019s contributions to American music.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor Weatherford, all of his efforts are about making a difference to build a strong Macon for the greater community\u2019s next generation, which includes his young son.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI\u2019m proud to be a third-generation candy manufacturer, I\u2019m proud to be a Maconite, I\u2019m proud that we\u2019re able to give back to the community in which we live, and I\u2019m proud that we can provide jobs for people who need it,\u201d Weatherford says. \u201cI\u2019m also proud that we create a product that reminds people of a simpler time.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy P\u00e9ralte C. Paul\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Each month the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership profiles Georgians who are involved in manufacturing"}],"field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"For Jamie Weatherford, making a difference in people\u0027s lives and giving them a second chance to give back to the community is part of the legacy of the family-run Crown Candy Corp."}],"uid":"28137","created_gmt":"2015-04-22 15:32:39","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:18:03","author":"P\u00e9ralte Paul","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-04-22T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2015-04-22T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"398571":{"id":"398571","type":"image","title":"Jamie Weatherford, April 2015 Face of Manufacturing-Photo","body":null,"created":"1449246371","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:26:11","changed":"1475895115","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:51:55","alt":"Jamie Weatherford, April 2015 Face of Manufacturing-Photo","file":{"fid":"75738","name":"dsc_0380.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dsc_0380.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dsc_0380.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3222124,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/dsc_0380.jpg?itok=VLPF8A4b"}}},"media_ids":["398571"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/facesofmanufacturing.com\/portfolio\/jamie-weatherford\/","title":"Jamie Weatherford"},{"url":"http:\/\/gamep.org\/","title":"Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"139","name":"Business"}],"keywords":[{"id":"124601","name":"Crown Candy Corp."},{"id":"121581","name":"Faces of Manufacturing"},{"id":"16331","name":"GaMEP"},{"id":"124591","name":"Jamie Weatherford"},{"id":"124611","name":"Macon"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"106361","name":"Business and Economic Development"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFor media inquiries contact:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELaura Diamond\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech Media Relations\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:laura.diamond@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Elaura.diamond@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor more information about GaMEP contact:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKatie Takacs\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGaMEP Marketing Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:katie.takacs@innovate.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ekatie.takacs@innovate.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["peralte.paul@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}