Mister Bee potato chip factory abuzz with activity

Now that the Mister Bee Potato Chip Co. factory is buzzing again, the new owners and their young management team are focused on growing market share and standardizing the company's products.

Mister Bee, established in 1951, shut down in November and filed for bankruptcy protection. James Richard "Rick"Barton and Randall Holden bought the company's assets earlier this year. Barton and Holden are veterans of manufacturing. They are among the founding partners of Wincore, a Parkersburg-based manufacturer of windows and doors.

Locally produced potato chips began appearing again on area store shelves in late April. The owners have brought in Randall's son, Dwight Holden, 23, as director of operations and Jonathan Betancourt, 26, as director of sales and marketing.

Mister Bee has long been the only potato chip maker in West Virginia - a fact the company previously trumpeted with the slogan, "200 miles fresher"- meaning 200 miles closer to Mountain State customers than its Ohio rivals.

The new owners and managers are shifting the marketing to emphasize the fact Mister Bee is a West Virginia business. Bags of chips will soon bear an outline of the state.