CHICAGO — At the annual conference of The Long Co., David A. Gardner was elected chairman of the group’s board of directors. The meeting was held Sept. 11 at the Peninsula hotel in Chicago.

Mr. Gardner is president and chief executive officer of Alfred Nickles Bakery, Inc., Navarre, Ohio. Elected vice-chairman was Howard R. (Robin) Alton III, president and chief executive officer of Pan-O-Gold Baking Co., St. Cloud, Minn. Elected secretary was Wayne Davidson, vice-president and general manager of Holsum of Fort Wayne (Lewis Bros. Bakeries Inc.). Raul Buso, vice-president of finance for Holsum de Puerto Rico in Toa Baja, P.R., was elected treasurer.

Ken Waltos, vice-president of purchasing for United States Bakery in Portland, Ore., was elected to the Long Co. board of directors.

A day earlier, Gold Medal Bakery, Fall River, Mass., was awarded the Holsum Silver Cup annual trophy for excellence in bread production. All Holsum bakers have the opportunity to send in bread production monthly for scoring. In winning the competition, Gold Medal will receive the silver cup and will be able to incorporate a burst on their packaging declaring them the winner.

Doug Windeler, president of the Long Co., presented the award at the licensee meeting to Justin LeComte, Joe Walsh and Javad Girami of Gold Medal.

It was the first time Gold Medal won the competition. With a score of 95.83 out of 100, Gold Medal edged out Holsum Bakery of Phoenix, with a score of 95.69, and Butter Crust Baking Co. of Sunbury, Pa., with a score of 95.22.

W.E. Long obtained the exclusive right to the Holsum brand name in 1908.

In its Best Premium Bun Gold Cup annual competition, Schwebel Baking Co. emerged as the winner. Mike Elenz, vice-president of manufacturing, accepted the trophy from Al Bachman, director of quality, research and development at the Long Co.

Schwebel’s plant in Hebron, Ohio, came in first, with a score of 95.89. The company’s Youngstown, Ohio, plant came in third at 95.05.

All told, more than 70 baking companies sent samples to the Long Co. for scoring. The cooperative’s technical staff rates samples for qualities such as crust thickness and color, interior grain and uniformity of cell structure, flavor, aroma and general eating qualities.