CANDY COMPADRES.

• Author: Beers, Heather
• Position: Brief Article

He likes licorice. She loves Hershey chocolate bars. Though this father-daughter duo may differ on favorite snacks, they agree that mixing family and business has been surprisingly sweet.

Where many family businesses struggle to survive even the second generation, CEO Norman Chesler and President Lezlie Chesler, of Salt Lake City-based Theatre Candy Distributing Company Inc., are effectively leading this third-generation, multimillion dollar company into the future.

The company had its indirect start when great-grandfather Theodore Chesler, a South African who immigrated to Bingham, Utah, had an idea for an open-air movie theater -- screening silent movies against a slab of rock.

Joined by his son, Harold, the family eventually owned three theaters in Bingham. A wartime stint in California exposed Harold to a new concept in theater operations -- concession sales. Upon his return, he sold the idea to a few investors and Theatre Candy was born.

"Back then, concessions were an all-new concept. We'd have to construct our own concessions stand, pre-pop the popcorn, and convince theater owners to let us have a little of their already-limited lobby space," says Norman.

When television cut into demand -- and profits -- for movie theaters, concession sales became a higher priority, with theater owners building more lobby space for permanent stands.

Since both Harold and Norman worked in the movie-distributing industry with big-name studios like Warner Bros., Universal Studios and Disney, their tight relationships throughout the region positioned Theatre Candy as the leading distributor.

That market position hasn't changed in the company's half-century history, though Theatre Candy has expanded...