Snack World - May 2012 - 11

75th Anniversary

Building an Association
In early 1940s, institute focuses on recruiting members.
BY BILL LEVY

n a cold day in January 1940, trustees of the National Potato Chip Institute (NPCI) gathered in Pittsburgh, PA, to discuss new strategies for accelerating growth of the 3-year-old association. NPCI leaders agreed it needed a more aggressive recruitment program and would be to hire a full-time secretary to hold organizational meetings across the country. NPCI’s $307-a-month income fell far short of the amount needed, yet it hired Ralph Wheeler. His one assignment for the next three months involved expanding the membership roll, which at the end of the 1930s included 12 business and nine associate members. By spring, Mr. Wheeler had logged nearly 15,000 miles, held 15 regional meetings and sent 1,200 personal letters (with the help of a part-time stenographic service). His efforts paid off, and at the its summer meeting, he reported that enrollment had increased to 34 business and 18 associate members. At the January 1941 board meeting, the trustees decided NCPI would once again try to run without a salaried executive. In accepting the presidency for 1941, William Snyder of Snyder’s Bakery, Hanover, PA, said he did so “with the assurance that every member would cooperate to make this year a good one and put the association on a sound footing.” As 1941 drew to a close, the association got some unexpected

and unwelcome assistance in its recruitment effort. America, which had been supporting its allies in Europe against the onslaught of the German forces during 1939, 1940 and much of 1941, was plunged directly into World War II when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7. By early 1942, NCPI again hired a paid staffer to manage its affairs. Paul Worcester was named NPCI executive director and editor of Potato Chipper, the association’s monthly magazine, and he set up shop in Hanover, PA. WAR’S IMPACT. The first major war-related problem to hit NPCI members was the General Maximum Price Regulation, which prohibited manufacturers from raising a product’s price above what it sold for in March 1942. Potato chip manufacturers were caught between the new ruling and rising raw material and labor costs. NPCI went to work to explain the chippers’ dilemma to officials in Washington. Later that year, Mr. Worcester also received some news from Uncle Sam: his draft notice. Harvey Noss, who had been serving as an NPCI vice-president, immediately filled Mr. Worcester’s position. Mr. Noss moved the association’s headquarters back to Cleveland and settled into a leadership role that ultimately would span three decades. As the government restrictions increased, there was great fear that the potato

chip industry might be forced to cease operations for the duration of the war because its product was not categorized as an “essential” food. A special NPCI committee set out to gather information regarding the food value and merits of potato chips. The extensive research project produced a stunning document that listed “32 Reasons Why Potato Chips Are An Essential Food.” NPCI’S high profile during the early war years convinced dozens of companies to join the association. Utz Potato Chip Co., Hanover, PA; H.W. Lay Co., Atlanta, GA; and Seyfert Food, Fort Wayne, IN; added their names to the growing membership list. By the end of the decade, Mr. Noss presided over an association with 200 business members and 11 regional organizations. sw

Harvey Noss Sr. (seated), who led the snack food organization for three decades, poses with others shortly before his death in 1974.
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