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The A. I. Root Company Celebrates 150th Anniversary

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Medina, Ohio, August 23, 2019 –Fifth generation family-owned Medina business The A. I. Root Company (Root Candles), renowned for its rich history and superior quality products, will celebrate its 150th anniversary on August 23, 2019 on-site at 623 W. Liberty St. The festivities will begin at 10 a.m., featuring local, county, and state politicians and special guest speakers, including a proclamation from Ohio governor Mike DeWine’s office. At 10:30 a.m. there will be a ribbon-cutting, followed by a celebratory reception for all the company team members.

Root Candles celebrates an illustrious history, starting with its founder Amos Ives (or A.I.) Root, whose emphasis on honesty, integrity, and diligent craftsmanship continues to drive the company today. When a swarm of bees darkened the window of his jewelry shop in 1865, A.I.’s inquisitive nature sparked his lifelong interest in bees.

The A.I. Root Company, founded in 1869, revolutionized beekeeping worldwide through inventions that allowed for the mass production of honey, making Medina famous as the founding place of the bee industries. Root wrote a beekeeping encyclopedia, The ABC’s of Bee Culture, now commonly referred to as “The Beekeeper’s Bible.” He also started a trade magazine, Gleanings in Bee Culture in 1873 that is still published today. Root used the magazine to promote innovation and excellence in and outside of the beekeeping industry. In January of 1905, the magazine contained the first account of the Wright Brothers first full-circle flight in Dayton.

In the 1920s, Ernest and Huber Root inherited the company, creating innovations in candle-making by hand rolling strips of beeswax to prevent melting or sagging. Made of 100% beeswax, their candles were known for purity and quality and respected particularly by churches around the nation. The company created special safety-wicks and draft proofing to reduce the dripping of hot wax, setting new quality standards for liturgical candles used around the world. In the late 1960s, Root Candles was among the first to add color and fragrance to votive candles, now among the company’s best-sellers.

In 2019, Root Candles produces approximately 20 million candles a year. Each candle is hand-crafted in America by artisans using processes mastered through five generations of craftsmanship combined with the latest in manufacturing technologies. Wicks are custom-woven on-site and many of the candles are made with domestically harvested pure beeswax. Today, Root Candles can confidently lay claim to making "The Best Candles in America.”

The company is currently led by the fifth generation of the Root family, Brad Root, President and Chairman of the Board. Achieving fifth generation family ownership is an amazing accomplishment, as recent research shows that only 3% of all-American family-owned businesses operate at the fourth-generation level and beyond, but those that do, thrive on the family members’ sense of identity and connection with the business. According to Brad Root, “…for Root Candles, this fifth generation, family-owned business is about more than the bottom line, it’s about heritage, tradition, legacy, and community. A.I. Root’s tradition of excellence, along with a genuine commitment to customer satisfaction and service, defines and fuels Root’s strong brand loyalty today and will do so in the future.”

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