Michigan residents bitter about closing of candy plant

About the time that the Life Savers Co. candy plant opened in Holland, Mich., in 1967, television commercials touted Life Savers as “a part of living.”

All the Life Savers sold in this country are made at the 429,000-square-foot factory.

Invented by candymaker Clarence Crane in 1912 and featuring such well-known flavors as Butter Rum, Life Savers are closely tied to Holland. For years, the factory’s highly sought, well-paying positions were considered jobs for life. But after 35 years of being a part of living for so many people, the Life Savers factory is slowly dying parent company Kraft Foods Inc. is phasing out production until the plant closes in the summer of 2003.

To save money, the manufacture of Life Savers is being transferred to Canada. The irony of exporting the production of the all-American candy isn’t lost on employees who will lose their jobs.

“It’s like, gosh, what a slap in the face!” exclaims Gina Martin, who has worked at the plant for 21 years. “I mean, Life Savers is an (American) icon. It is. It’s synonymous with baseball and apple pie.”

Survey says: Parents support teaching money skills in schools

Many consumers have a hard time juggling their finances, so it’s not surprising that a majority of parents advocate teaching children practical money skills in school.

According to a national survey conducted by Visa USA, 92 percent of parents think children should be taught about money matters including the responsible use of credit.

The survey of 1,000 people also found that when adults were asked to rate which skills were most important to a student’s future, 82 percent rated practical money skills very important. History and algebra, however, scored only 58 percent and 52 percent, respectively.

Motley Fool: Name that company

I came to life in 1899 as a Detroit five-and-dime established by Sebastian Spering Kresge and went public in 1918. During the years, I bought and sold part or all of Walden Book Co., OfficeMax, Borders, The Sports Authority and Builders Square. Penny Marshall, Jaclyn Smith, Kathy Ireland, Martha Stewart and Rosie O’Donnell have sent customers to me. My brand partners include Sesame Street, Disney and JOE BOXER. I operate about 2,100 stores, and my blue light shines online. I rake in some $37 billion per year, but filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection recently. I hope to turn myself around. Who am I?