Foul Odor Threatens Sweet Deal

It’s a sweet deal that may run afoul - a foul odor that is.

A year ago, Russell Stover announced plans to build a candy-making plant that would bring 600 jobs to this Central Texas town. A site was purchased and blueprints for the factory drawn up.

But the rich smell of chocolate may never reach Corsicana if Griffin Industries is allowed to build a grease and fat processing plant nearby. Russell Stover claims such a plant will contaminate its sweets, a charge Griffin vehemently denies.

“It’s an issue of simply our inability to locate in proximity to a potential odor source,” said Tom Ward, Russell Stover’s co-president and chief operating officer.

“The bottom line is that that plant is going to cost between $55 million and $65 million of my money, and I’m not going to spend that much when there is a potential problem,” he said.