The oldest just turned 90. Mr. Bell launched this seniors-only production department here four years ago, not as a grand social experiment but as a practical business move. The company needed workers. Seniors were available. Shipment goals are set and met.
Turnover is almost nil.
Mr. Bell's own father, Jesse Grover Bell, was 80 when he quit working and only then, says his son, because he died. It became the trusted companion of successive generations of blemish-anxious teens. Its popularity launched and anchored the company named after his eldest daughter. Bonne Bell grew steadily and surged with the introduction of flavored lip gloss. That strawberry Lip Smacker was followed by 33 other flavors and inspired a full line of products.