No Pie to the Face

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney liked Kenny, liked his key lime pie and made a likeable impression on local officials and business leaders Thursday afternoon.

He took a few not so softball questions from the press, but for the most part, the former Massachusetts governor was at ease and dictating the show during his visit to Kenny’s Great Pies. 

Kenny Burts, the president and CEO of the pie-making company that he founded 22 years ago, gave Romney and a trailing pack of invitees and media a tour of the 33,000 square-foot food processing facility on Highlands Parkway.

Burts founded the business in a Marietta basement and it now employs 28 workers and can produce 4,000 to 5.000 pies a day. Attorney General Sam Olens and Cobb CEO David Connell both highly complimented Burts' achievements to Romney, who then asked the key lime pie-making businessman how it was going lately.

“The good news is that we’re in the right business; people have to eat,’’ Burts said. “But it has been a challenge. We’ve never seen in our history it be this challenging, but it’s been that way for everybody.’’

Romney spoke of job creation and it being priority No. 1 in America.

“What people just don’t understand is that when government layers on all sorts of piles of new regulations, it does kill jobs,” he said. “It does. Regulations put burdens on small businesses that make it harder for businesses to do well and banks to make loans. And then you grind to a halt the whole engine of economic vitality that puts people to work. It’s very frustrating.”

Following the tour, a round table session was held with Ransom Burts, KGP co-founder, Gary Muter, vice president of operations at KGP, Smyrna Mayor Max Bacon and Smyrna Councilman Wade Lnenicka among those commenting on the current economic climate.

“Kenny’s challenge has been survival,” Lnenicka said. “He ought to be growing. He ought to be adding employees. He ought to be adding another shift to the plant. He ought to be doing all the things we want small businesses to do, but banking regulations and federal regulations are holding him back.’’

Bacon has seen the effect these regulations have had first hand.

“As far as the banking, I’m on a small bank board, a local bank...the FDIC is killing us,” he said.

On a less serious note, Bacon also told Romney that he tries to eat as many pies as possible to help out Burts. And the apparent Republican presidential frontrunner didn’t disappoint as he gobbled down a key lime pie in speedy fashion.

“I’m a little embarrassed to sit here and have eaten this in front of you,’’ said Romney, adding, “but I’m glad I did.’’