He envisions Joy Cone becoming the No. 1 cone producer within three years, a dream George savors after working most of his life in the cone business. George was just 10 years old when he joined a handful of employees in his father's cone plant, founded in 1918. By the time he was 13, he was running the few remaining machines. A series of setbacks years before took a devastating toll on the once-booming company. Some kids grow up wanting to be firemen.
Some kids grow up wanting to be pro-football players.
Following his graduation from Harvard University, he went to work, intent on improving and expanding the family business. Slowly, the business grew. The plant, situated along a two-lane road in Hermitage, underwent a series of expansions. The smell of sweet batter fills the air near the plant where 300 people work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except for holidays. Inside, rows and rows of machines, designed by Joy Cone's engineers, churn out cones of every size and description.