Hostess’ new owners set for comeback

By A. Lee Graham Ding Dong, Twinkies and Ho Ho’s are set for a comeback.  Hostess Brands LLC, based in Dallas and Kansas City, Mo., plans to re-launch its bakery in Columbus, Ga. The company initially will add 200 jobs to the local economy and plans to create more than 300 jobs in the community within the next several years. The baking facility will resume operations this summer and produce several Hostess snack products, including Twinkies, Cup Cakes and Ding Dongs. Funding the investment in the Columbus baking facility are affiliates of Apollo Global Management LLC and Metropoulos & Co., which purchased selected Hostess assets out of bankruptcy in April 2013. “We are focused on re-introducing the Hostess brands and bringing the company’s high quality and beloved snack products back to American consumers,” said Hostess chairman and CEO Dean Metropoulos, commenting in a news release. “We want to thank the state of Georgia and city of Columbus for their long-standing partnership and support of Hostess, and their commitment to helping us re-open this facility as quickly as possible,” Metropoulos said. Georgia Quick Start plans to provide Hostess with workforce training assistance to facilitate the bakery’s re-launch. “This bakery has been a vital part of the Columbus business community for more than 40 years, and we look forward to working with the new owners and management team as they continue to invest in the Hostess brands and in our community,” said Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson.   lgraham@bizpress.net