The company that Kansas-born Louis L. Ward took over in 1960 was pretty much of a hand-to-mouth businessa predicament even for a candymaker. It was doubly embarrassing because Russell Stover Candies, Inc., happened to be one of the U.S.'s biggest manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers of quality chocolates. As president and chairman, however, Ward, 46, has worked wonders. Profits have increased by over 500%, and last week Ward announced record six-month earnings of $3,600,000 on sales of $26.7 million.
Ward intends to double those figures within five years. "We can do it," he...