www.ThomasCapone.com: Can I have a kiss?

The last time I was in Hershey, PA the kids were little and we went to Hershey Park. This upcoming Thursday (10/23) will be my first time back to Hershey in 20, maybe 25 years.

I thought about taking the train, but that was not really going to work. First I would have to go into NYC, then around 4 and 1/2 hours with two changes. So, it's going to be a road trip. 150 miles out, 150 miles back. Now, I could stay over at the Hershey Lodge. They have a special rate of $209 for the event. Or I could stay at NYDLA.org/RedRoof (2.4 miles from the Lodge) for around $63.

But I'll probably just drive and listen to books on Audible, each way.

During this 'search' I went down the Rabbit Hole all about Hershey Park, and Milton Hershey. There is this book on Audible: Discover the man behind the chocolate bar! Milton Hershey’s life was filled with invention and innovation. As a young man, he was not afraid to dream big and work hard. Eventually, he learned the secret to mass-producing milk chocolate and the recipe that gave it a longer, more stable shelf life. He founded a school for those who didn’t have access to a good education and an entire town for his employees. Both his chocolate empire and his great personal legacy live on today.

And another book: The name Hershey evokes many things: chocolate bars, the company town in Pennsylvania, one of America's most recognizable brands. But who was the man behind the name? In this compelling biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael D'Antonio gives us the real-life rags-to-riches story of Milton S. Hershey, a largely uneducated businessman whose idealistic sense of purpose created an immense financial empire, a town, and a legacy that lasts to this day.

Hershey, the son of a minister's daughter and an irresponsible father who deserted the family, began his career inauspiciously when the two candy shops he opened both went bankrupt. Undeterred, he started the Lancaster Caramel Company, which brought him success at last. Eventually, he sold his caramel operation and went on to perfect the production process of chocolate to create a stable, consistent bar with a long shelf life...and an American icon was born.

Hershey was more than a successful businessman - he was a progressive thinker who believed in capitalism as a means to higher goals. He built the world's largest chocolate factory and a utopian village for his workers on a large tract of land in rural Pennsylvania and used his own fortune to keep his workers employed during the Great Depression. In addition, he secretly willed his fortune to a boys' school and orphanage, both of which now control a vast endowment.

OK, so I'll download these two books from Audible for the trip. Cool.

Ah, WHY am I (TomCapone.com) going to Hershey Lodge on 10/23 for the day?

One of our main distributors for Telecom & Technology D&H has their annual event on 10/23 at Hershey Lodge. And we (NYDLA | NADLA) service our 174K+ K-20 schools across North America. And we (also) service THE ALUMNI of those 174K+ schools. We expect around 40 key telecom and technology vendors / suppliers to be on display at Hershey Lodge. Our community needs and uses what they are selling.

AND SO.... we are getting ready to email (zero spam, 100% opt-in, 50% open rate) our 174K+ K-20 schools (and our 17K+ trucking companies, and 16K+ municipalities, and 8K+ car dealerships, and 6K+ hospitals) all things in the D&H line card. Ah, but all via our $1B+ buying power. So, I have to go. I can't not go. It is my 'job' to go - to create SWEET DEALS for the NYDLA | NADLA community.

Thomas A. Capone - the Milton Hershey of Technology. "He has all the sweet deals."

Oh Tom..... really? { insert facepalm here }