Retirement has been a sweet ride for Toby Maloney.
The Harrison native, who worked much of his career in pharmaceutical sales for GlaxoSmithKline, said he and his wife, Melanie, were looking for adventure rather than settling for rest and relaxation.
Spurred by a childhood fondness for candy — and a desire to help shelter dogs — the Maloneys launched the toby bar, a miniature, crunchy peanut butter treat covered in chocolate. (They do not capitalize toby bar.)
“We love the mental stimulation,” Toby Maloney, 77, said. “It was something I wanted to do for a long time. I loved growing up with Clark bars and we just thought, why not?”
A portion of every sale is donated to Airedale Terrier Rescue & Adoption, a nod to the couple’s longtime love of the breed that’s been part of their family for more than two decades. For Toby, the affinity for Airedales stretches back to his youth, when his family had terriers named Rex and Junior.
“We’ve had Airedales bringing us joy on a daily basis,” Melanie said. “Casey, our current furry friend, is the love of our lives. We selected the nonprofit to receive a portion of the revenue from toby bar sales because that organization has done such a great job for us.”
Maloney said the inspiration for the chocolate bar was a natural extension of his childhood. He grew up in the township’s Natrona Heights section and his family owned several Isaly’s franchises, including one in Heights Plaza and one along Corbet Street in Tarentum.
“Because I had access to a boatload of ice cream and sweets at my dad’s stores, I developed an early and lifelong fondness for Pittsburgh staple, the Clark bar,” he said. “The idea of crafting my own bite-sized candy bar stayed with me for many years as I toiled in corporate vineyards in Philly, London and Cleveland.”
The Maloneys, who now live near Cleveland, said they were drawn to the challenge of starting something from nothing. Developing the candy bar, creating jobs and giving back to the community was a trifecta, they said.
They toiled in development for six years.
With no delusions that a single-product company is easy, the pair leaned on their entrepreneurial backgrounds for the startup. For practicality, they connected with the owner of the Sweet Designs Chocolatier in Lakewood, Ohio.
“It’s such an education,” Melanie said. “We have a lot of business experience, but she was instrumental in helping us bring the product to market.”
The toby bar was intentionally designed to be pint-sized, Maloney said, as a treat after a hard day at the office or for people who are health-conscious or packing snacks for a busy schedule. In addition to the website, tobybar.com, the candy is sold so far in 17 retail stores.
“We are genuinely surprised at how much people seem to enjoy it,” Toby said. “We’re having fun.”
Toby Maloney credits his upbringing in the small Harrison neighborhood for much of his later success.
“It was a great place to grow up,” said Maloney, who recalls his first job as a paperboy for the then-Valley Daily News. Later, with his siblings, he worked at his father’s stores — Maloney calling himself the worst employee.
“When you got to work in the kitchen or wiping tables, I was all right,” he said. “But making the Skyscraper” — the inches-high, pointed ice cream cone — “stand up straight or wrapping the chipped ham was never my strong suit.”
While they don’t visit as frequently as they might like, Maloney remains close with several classmates from his high school alma mater, St. Joe’s, which was located in Natrona before it moved to Natrona Heights.
“We still do video calls,” he said.
Last year, the Maloneys were selected to receive the Spirit of Saint Joseph Award, which recognizes alumni and friends whose everyday lives exemplify the school’s patron: “Living the ordinary in extraordinary ways,” as noted on the school’s website. “These are the people who quietly bring forth the mission of preparing students for life … through humble and selfless service and support.”
Maloney earned his bachelor’s degree at John Carroll University before earning two master’s degrees, one at Case Western Reserve and one at Miami University of Ohio. He taught English briefly in Delaware before joining the corporate world.
The couple also were investors for Mental Floss, an online media company, and worked as mentors to startups for more than two decades. It’s something they continue today, noting they have a meeting this month with a Ukrainian woman hoping to learn about small business ownership.
“We’ve been lucky in so many ways,” Toby said. “Growing up in Natrona Heights was so good for me; having parents that believed in education enabled me to do other things.
“We’re just trying to give back. To me, it’s straightforward. That’s behind it all.”