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Sam Phillips loves people, and he loves candy.

"I love working with people; that is the reason I enjoy the candy business," said Phillips, 59, president of Gardners Candies, Tyrone. "I enjoy making people smile. The first thing people do when I tell them I am in the candy business is they smile."

Phillips came to Gardners in 1992 as CEO and was named president when the business was sold to Sarris Candies of Canonsburg in 1997.

The candy business was in the blood of the Rutherford, N.J., native. His paternal grandfather, Sam Phillips, was a candy and ice cream maker and his father, Edward Phillips, and uncle Nick Phillips started their own business - Critchley Candy Co. - in the 1950s.

"I remember when I was 6 years old, I was wrapping candy," Phillips said.

After graduating from Rutgers University in 1972 with a degree in political science, Phillips, who said he always loved politics and once served as a town councilman in Cresskill, N.J., decided to go out on his own and worked as a news director for two radio stations in Binghamton, N.Y.

"I was going to be the next Walter Cronkite, but it didn't work out," Phillips said.

"It was fun; we were always fighting the newspapers for stories. It was real journalism, and it was fun."

However, Phillips became disenchanted with the radio business.

"I wasn't in the mood to move from market to market, which you needed to do to get anywhere in the radio business," Phillips said.

He returned to the family business in New Jersey in 1976 at the urging of his Uncle Nick and served as company president. When his uncle died in 1990, Phillips decided he would like to move from the area.

In April 1992, Tony Black, Gardners president, died suddenly at the age of 42. David Black, Tony's father, who had retired in 1985, came back to run the company. Phillips said everyone in the chocolate business knows each other, so after a referral from a chocolate salesman, David Black called Phillips and asked if he would come to Tyrone to run the business.

Phillips hesitated at first but found he loved the area and came aboard.

At Dave Black's encouragement, Phillips became involved with the Tyrone Area Chamber of Commerce.

"I wanted to do what I could do to help this town," he said. "It is important that businesses be a part of the community they are in."

Phillips served as chamber president in 2001 and is currently on the board of directors.

"I am chairman of a chamber subcommittee in charge of developing a Tyrone Riverwalk; that is keeping me busy right now," he said.

Phillips, who lives in State College, is a key player with the chamber, executive director Rose Black said.

"Sam has a lot of energy. He is a leader ... a go-getter. He has good ideas and is willing to extend himself," Rose Black said. "He is always willing to reach out and help others."

Phillips, who said volunteerism is an important part of his life, was named State College Citizen of the Year by Town and Gown Magazine in 2003.

He said his father, 86, who today lives in Naples, Fla., was his role model.

"He is a great guy. He was very active in the community," he said. "He was my main role model. My sports hero was Mickey Mantle, and he was a bum."

Growing up a half hour from Yankee Stadium, Phillips is a lifelong Yankees fan. He said he played baseball, football and basketball while growing up and played lacrosse at Rutgers.

"We played in the national quarterfinals my senior year," Phillips said. "I was not the greatest athlete in the world, but I enjoyed it."

Phillips has stayed involved in sports, serving as a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association lacrosse referee for 35 years. He also has been a Little League baseball umpire for more than 30 years, served as president of the State College Little League for 12 years and referees youth basketball.

He said the key to his success has been keeping a positive attitude.

"I get along with people and look at the good side of people. I accentuate the positive and not the negative," Phillips said.

In his spare time, Phillips likes to travel and is looking forward to a trip to Greece in 2013 with his wife, Laurene, an editor in the publications department at Penn State, to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary.

He said retirement is not in his immediate future.

"I love what I am doing. I enjoy going to work every day," Phillips said. "I enjoy the business."

Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 946-7467.