After building and selling a successful business with her husband, Janelle Benjamin shifted to mentoring and providing angel investments. Founders of color look to her for advice, and she's become an investing member of Portfolia Rising America Fund, which backs ventures overlooked by traditional venture capitalists.

Wonder Women of Wine founder Rania Zayyat, who was forced to postpone the group's annual event due to the coronavirus pandemic, offers up two vintages from women winemakers that reflect WWOW's mission to support women in wine. The 2016 Sybille Kuntz Trocken Riesling, Mosel, Germany, named for its winemaker and the 2018 Calcarius Hellen Rosso Nero Di Troia, Puglia, Italy, from winemaker Valentina Passalacqua are both unique and delicious, advises Zayyat.

SmashMallow, founded by Jon Sebastiani who also founded the now Hershey-owned Krave Jerky, debuted its new SmashCrispy lineup of crisp rice products at the 2017 Sweets & Snacks Expo with three flavors on display. Meanwhile, Sebastiani hinted at a potential future marriage between SmashMallow and Hershey during the show.

Spangler Candy Co. has named Kirkland Vashaw as its new president, effective Jan. 1. Vashaw, who is the great grandnephew of the company's founder, Arthur G. Spangler, will be the company's CEO when Dean Spangler retires.

Kevin P. Walgreen, the great-grandson of company founder Charles R. Walgreen Sr., will be promoted to a senior vice president of drugstore operations position, after working at Walgreen Co. for 27 years. He currently is a vice president of store operations.