GwinnettForum | Number 25.51 | June 24, 2025
TASTY PLACE: There’s a one-of-a-kind chocolate factory in Suwanee, operating with state-of-the-art machinery, and producing fine chocolates for individuals, but mostly for the corporate world. Bitzel’s Chocolates also offers gelato at its Suwanee retail store. For more details, see Elliott Brack’s perspective below.
TODAY’S FOCUS: If in the market, should you invest in index funds?
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Unique factory in Suwanee produces fine chocolates
SPOTLIGHT: Law Office of J. Michael Levengood, LLC
FEEDBACK: Hardest battle may be just saving our republic
UPCOMING: Andersonville Site offers family field guide July 1-6
NOTABLE: GGC grads pass teacher’s exam with high score
RECOMMENDED: Eat Right For Your Type by Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Older black-and-white photo is today’s mystery
MYSTERY PHOTO: British World War II pilots trained at Souther Field
CALENDAR: Taste of Peachtree Corners will be June 26
If in the market, should you invest in index funds?
By Randy Brunson
Centurion Advisory Group
SUWANEE, Ga. | Over the last 50 years, index investing has grown such that, as of the end of 2024, index products held more than $16 trillion in assets. Index investing has a number of advantages and disadvantages. Let’s review both.
The primary benefit of index investing is that it is simple and passive. Pick a fund, add money, set it aside and forget. The second primary benefit is cost-effectiveness. Since the fund manager is simply buying stocks representing an index, such as the S&P 500, Russell 2000, or Wilshire 5000, the management team can largely automate the process, thereby keeping costs quite low. A third benefit of index investing is automatic diversification.
The primary disadvantage of index investing, as far as we are concerned, is that you are buying “the market,” whatever that happens to be at a given time. Why does this matter? Experience tells us that just a handful of stocks drive the performance of any specific index. In the 1960s, it was the Nifty Fifty. Currently, it’s the Magnificent Seven. You end up owning other companies that add no value to your financial life. Other disadvantages include lack of control over the timing of capital gains, as changes to the index lineup do occur. And significant downside swings when market leaders take days or months off.
How do you decide whether to use index funds or not? An employer-sponsored retirement plan can be an ideal place to opt for index funds, especially for those employees younger than 45. The entire process lends itself to the concept of indexing.
For tax-deferred accounts, such as IRAs, taxable gain is not a consideration. These can also be ideal for index funds, again for those younger than 45. This is for smaller taxable account balances, such as balances less than $100,000 or $250,000.
Another reason to use index funds? When goals other than “investing for the long-term” have not been identified. And finally, when you prefer to do your own investing, you want to minimize the time investment, and future goals aren’t clearly identified. Again, we have found this more common among those younger than 45.
When is it better to avoid index funds? First, when you prefer to avoid the volatility inherent in “buying the market” when life goals are clear. As taxable invested assets move through six and into seven figures and the ability to control the timing and type of capital gains continues to become more important.
Actively managed funds can reduce volatility. They typically cost a bit more and do nothing for the ability to control timing of realized gains. So they can be an excellent choice for retirement plan participants who want to eschew index volatility.
For those of you who prefer an S&P 500 Index fund, when do you buy? According to Macrotrends, the S&P 500 Price Earnings ratio, one of the metrics used to determine the richness of valuations, is just over 28. Over the last 90 years, it has been higher just three other times, in November 2001, May 2009, and November 2020. If I were buying index funds at the moment, I would do so only with a dollar-cost averaging (DCA) approach.
We all have options, which is one of the things that makes our world such a joy. Give thought to your preferences, your goals, and your future, and choose options which work for you. And I welcome your feedback and input on this and any other topic.
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Unique factory in Suwanee produces fine chocolates
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JUNE 24, 2025 | There’s a new state-of-the-art glass-fronted fine chocolate factory and retail store in Suwanee, and there’s nothing else like it in the United States. It’s called Bitzel’s chocolate, which was started in January 2024. The company has outgrown its 7,000 square foot plant and is seeking as much as 50,000 square feet of space for expansion.
It all got started when Ray Bitzel, the company president, was told that his life as a top executive was too stressful, his blood pressure was off the charts, and he needed to change jobs. Since his hobby was fine chocolate, he jumped into the business whole hog.
Bitzel is a native of Huntington, Indiana, a 1994 graduate of the Naval Academy, and a mechanical engineer. He had lived in foreign nations, working for major corporations, such as General Motors, Norton Group, Wheelabrator, and for the last seven years as president of Hitachi Construction. “I managed the growth of companies for private equity firms, to grow and acquire and sell off to someone else.”
His family has lived in Georgia at Woodstock and Newnan before his current home in Buford. “We have moved 14 times in 21 years. We now consider Georgia home.”
Bitzel and his wife, Yolanda, have two girls, Natalie, 20, at Gwinnett Tech, and Hydyn, 15, as sophomore at Buford High.
He finds Georgia a great place for business, with a good work force. He got major help from Nick Masino and Partnership Gwinnett, especially from Andrew Hickey. He also sings the praises of Mayor Jimmy Burnette and officials in Suwanee, who helped him jump bureaucratic fences when building his factory, requiring six different permits.
Bitzel has 14 employees, but can anticipate as many as 45 in a larger plant. His sales are 98 percent to corporate clients, from amusements and hospitality firms, food service, transportation (Delta Air and Emirates), to sports and entertainment (Braves, Falcons, etc.) “Where else can you go if you need 100,000 chocolate baseballs quickly?” he asks. “We produce fast and at a lower cost with our specialized processes.”
He says: “We offer printing on chocolate, with personalized custom flavor, shape, packaging and design, all done in-house using imported highly efficient Italian machinery to hold down costs. All tell me they have never seen a place like ours, where we can move fast to serve our customers.”
First, beans are roasted in this machine.
Bitzels offers chocolates from truffles and bonbons to caramels, filled bars, and innovations like caramel tomahawks for the Braves. The retail store also produces several flavors of soft served churned gelato with intensive flavors, never hard frozen.
Bitzel empties the raw beans, from his own farms in Ecuador and Uganda, into special machinery, and starts roasting. Processing the product finer and finer in 36 hours, it becomes high-class chocolate. There is constant checking to ensure high quality. “That’s why we have no sprinkler system in our building, for just a few drops of water could destroy lots of dollars of chocolate.”
In Europe about 18 percent of chocolate is cocoa solids, and 20 percent is cocoa butter. Popular chocolates (Hershey, Reece, Mars), include added oils and other fillers, which means chocolate of lower quality, which alters the taste.
Bitzel adds: “Chocolate is fun. You have to pay constant attention. I can’t answer emails when working on a vat of chocolate. I love the technical part of chocolate-making and the science behind it. It’s like a fine Swiss watch, in that you have so many components, which are so precise and you must have them exactly right.”
Bitzel’s address is 454 Northolt Parkway in Suwanee and is open Wednesdays through Sundays.
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Hardest battle may be just saving our republic
Editor, the Forum:
In the course of every attempt to establish, develop, or keep a free government, a struggle between special privilege and equal rights is inevitable. Today, corporations exert significant influence over politics, government, and natural resources. They manage conventions, make platforms, and dictate legislation. They rule through the very men elected to represent them, but should be representing the people.
But it appears most are only concerned about staying in office. The battle is continually on in our country, but has intensified in recent years because of dark money and the rising income inequality. It will be the longest and hardest battle ever fought for democracy.
In other countries, the people have lost. Here, I believe we shall win. It is a privilege to live in this time and have a free hand in this fight for government by the people.
– George Wilson, Stone Mountain
Trump should not be allowed to even head an HOA
Editor, the Forum:
I appreciated the contributions from both men, Raleigh Perry and John Titus, in the June 20th Forum. We should all be united in opposing this administration’s dereliction of duty to the American people by the convicted felon 47’s executive orders that usurp our “written-in-stone” laws. He should be impeached, then sent to prison for the crimes he has committed. He has already had his day in court, his due process upheld, in which he was found guilty on 34 counts against him. He and his family should be barred from ever holding any kind of public office, and that includes being a dog catcher or holding office in the PTA or HOA.
– Sara Rawlins, Lawrenceville
Dear Sara: Never thought of it that way, but yes, indeed, he could disrupt a HOA—eeb.
The staying power remains with Trump policies
Editor, the Forum:
The real staying power remains with Trump’s policies. The no kings and other forms of resistance, which are created just to resist Trump for the sake of providing resistance, will pass. Until the resistance is based upon better policies for the American people nothing will last. Americans are smarter than that and see right through this.
– Ron May, Suwanee
Last Saturday was great to celebrate the U.S. Army
Editor, the Forum:
Well, the U.S. hasn’t ever had a king and still has no king. As one of many millions who were not able to attend, it was an amazing history lesson and celebration of the very first U.S. Army and up until this day it is still amazing.
I can only hope that many of the people who have children in failing schools had their children watch why so many of U.S. are proud of the U.S. Army.
As usual the drama queens in the socialist/democratic parties decided to participate in their TDS. It explains why the U.S. has neatly fallin in line with the Cloward/Pliven map for destruction of the U.S. (The Cloward–Piven Theory is a strategy devised in the 1960s to successfully provide welfare and attempt to solve political problems.-eeb)
I happen to think it was a great recruitment tool for the Army, who spent over $6 billion over the last three years.
– Bobby Cromlich, Stone Mountain
Maintains that No Kings Protests were not impromptu
Editor, the Forum:
Sidenote re: the ‘No Kings’ protests: Anyone who has, or can, do a little digging can easily discern that these ‘impromptu’ gatherings are neither impromptu nor spontaneous. These are well-funded astro-turfed meetings with pre-fab signs, etc. In fact, some of the “protesters” are actually getting paid. And what of the various groups? LQBT, pro-Palestine, BLM? What’s the intersection here vis-a-vis No Kings? Curious.
Truly, a cursory review of the funding would prove this. It’s odd, though, that no one in the media will question these protests. So while some people are probably sincere, these broadly stink of NGO-backed funding in an effort to appear genuine.
– Jeff Gorke, Suwanee
Patrick Henry would have been a No Kings protester
Editor, the Forum:
At present I am reading a biography of Patrick Henry who is best known for his “Give me liberty, or give me death” speech in support of our revolution.
What is perhaps less known is that he opposed our Constitution when it was proposed. He was concerned principally about it diminishing the power of the states and protection of personal liberties.
As he examined the powers of the presidency, Henry stated that the proposed Constitution “squints toward monarchy” and that the president might easily become a king. In my opinion, if he were alive today, Patrick Henry would be right in the middle of the No Kings demonstrations.
– John Titus, Peachtree Corners
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Andersonville site offers family field guide July 1-6
Andersonville National Historic Site will launch Attention to Orders: A Family Field Guide Activity taking place on July 1–6, 2025, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily.
This self-guided experience invites visitors of all ages to use a compass and activity book to navigate key points around the historic prison site. Along the way, families will complete engaging, hands-on activities that highlight the stories of Andersonville.
Participants who complete the activity will receive a special prize bag that includes a small folded American flag, two custom Andersonville patches, an Andersonville coin, and a drawstring keepsake bag.
GGC grads pass teacher’s exam with high score
When students at Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) graduate with their bachelor’s degree in education, they’ve taken the first step to becoming teachers. To earn their license to teach, they must take and pass the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE) exam.
In the past year, the percentage of GGC graduates that took the exam and passed was an impressive 94 percent. In all, 217 students took the GACE exam in the areas of special education, elementary education, and in middle grades math, science, social science, history and English.
Last year, the pass rate was 93 percent.
Dr. Angie Jasper, dean of GGC’s School of Education, says: “The quality education our students receive is a reflection of the success rate we have for the GACE exam. This also speaks to the dedication of our faculty and staff, along with the determination and passion our students have during their journey to becoming a teacher.”
The GACE exam, said Jasper, is challenging. Georgia educators developed it to help ensure that teachers are competent on the materials taught in P-12 classrooms across the state. “It is a tough exam, and it should be to help ensure that teachers earning their license are qualified to help shape the minds of students across Georgia,” she said. “Teaching is a highly respected profession.”
Eat Right For Your Type, by Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo
By Susan J. Harris, Stone Mountain: 4 Blood Types, 4 Diets, Eat Right for Your Type by Dr. Peter D’Adamo is a groundbreaking study. It tells how understanding blood type and eating according to your specific needs can provide a roadmap that will maximize the health of the body and support longevity. Each blood type has a specific chemical make-up. Blood types, or O, A, B, or AB have different requirements that allow the body to operate in an optimal fashion. The book provides food suggestions for each type, including teas, spices and condiments that can help maintain a healthy weight. It also discusses which vitamins and supplements to emphasize or avoid, what exercise is appropriate for each type and how to recognize the impact stress has on the body. Dr. D’Adamo is a well-known naturopathic doctor, researcher and lecturer. The correct diet according to blood type can maximize health, reduce cravings and ward off disease.
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British World War II pilots trained at Souther Field
(From previous edition)
Following the end of World War I in November 1918, the Army deactivated Souther Field near Americus, and the last of the base’s military personnel departed in April 1923. John Alden Wyche of Macon, owner of the S and W Airplane Company, purchased the surplus stock of crated JN-4’s, engines, and instruments and sold them at public auctions at the field. “Barnstormers,” many of them former World War I pilots, who earned a living performing stunts as part of an aerial circus, trekked from the Midwest and around the South to Americus to purchase the Jenny biplanes, which sold on average for about $1,000.
In April 1923 Charles Lindbergh arrived at Souther Field and purchased his first plane for $500, although he was not yet a pilot. (He had performed as a “wing walker” and parachutist in an aerial circus.) After his plane was assembled, he completed his first solo flight and developed his piloting skills, living at the field for about three weeks. Four years later, in 1927, he became the first person to make a nonstop transatlantic crossing in an airplane.
In 1928 Sumter County purchased Souther Field and removed the buildings. The expansive grass field still offered a genial landing site, however. In 1929 film actor Gary Cooper’s entourage touched down there. In 1937 Ruby Wilson became the first female aviator to fly solo at Souther Field, as it was still called.
When World War II broke out in Europe in September 1939, Great Britain entered into an agreement with the U.S. Army to provide flight training for the RAF in the United States. The U.S. government contracted with Graham Aviation, a civilian company, to rebuild Souther Field as a primary training facility for U.S. Army Air Force and RAF cadets. The first class began in February 1941. Because of U.S. neutrality, the British wore civilian clothes until America entered the war in December. The last RAF cadet class completed its training in 1943. In 1944 Souther Field became a site for German prisoners of war, who worked on the farm.
The army deactivated Souther Field at the end of World War II and deeded the land to Americus. In 1948 a portion of Souther Field was chartered for the South Georgia Trade and Vocational School (later South Georgia Technical College). Two of the three World War II hangars built by Graham Aviation are still standing, one on the college’s campus.
In 1978 Griffin Bell, an Americus native, presented a memorial plaque to Souther Field Airport to commemorate Lindbergh’s solo flight. Americus celebrated “Lindbergh Days” in 1985 with a public festival and the installation of a state historical marker. In 1992 a seven-foot bronze statue of Lindbergh, made by University of Georgia art professor and sculptor William J. Thompson, was dedicated. The statue, commissioned by the Sumter County Historic Preservation Society, stands at Souther Field as part of the airport’s Lindbergh Monument. Lindbergh’s original Jenny biplane, purchased and built at Souther Field, is on display at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Nassau County, New York.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Older black-and-white photo is today’s mystery
Today’s Mystery is another older view when most photos were in black and white. There are several clues staring you in the face. See if you can identify today’s mystery. Send your idea to ebrack2@gmail.com, and tell us your hometown.
Susie Duke, Norcross, was dead-on with her identification: “I believe this is a picture of the ruins of the Old Sheldon Church outside of Beaufort, S.C. We stopped there many times en route to Fripp Island. I could just tell by looking at it. We went to Fripp Island for 45+ years. We stopped there many times to walk among the ruins. It was destroyed twice, as I recall – in the Revolutionary War and, after it was rebuilt, it was burned during the Civil War.”
Ross Lenhart of Stone Mountain added: “I am a born and raised lowcountry boy. This is Sheldon Church, also known as Prince William’s Parish in Beaufort County, S.C.
“I remember first seeing Sheldon Church when I was a boy traveling the lowcountry in the summers with my forester Dad. I also had the opportunity to visit Hilton Head Island by boat before the bridge, and it was beautiful, just inhabited by Gullah folks and large moss-hanging live oaks.”
Jay Altman of Columbia, S.C. wrote: “This is Old Sheldon Church Ruins, a historic site located in northern Beaufort County, S.C. near Yemassee and Beaufort. I have actually visited this site twice…awesome destination..”
Others recognizing this church include George Graf, Palmyra, Va.; Kathy Mudd, Norcross; Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill; Elizabeth Truluck Neace, Dacula. The photo came from Stewart Woodard of Lawrenceville.
Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas, contributed: “Although the mystery photo is dated, the ruins have always been a popular spot for photographers, especially when the sunlight filters through the Spanish moss hanging from the ancient oak trees that scatter about the property.
“But this leads us to another ‘mystery’ that many folks may not be aware of about these historic ruins. What was the real cause of its second destruction?
“For the longest time, it was believed to have been the result of General Sherman’s troops ‘March to the Sea’ campaign, where he is reported to have destroyed the church on January 14, 1865, just months before the end of the Civil War. However, many archival research and archaeological studies between the 1970s–1990s ultimately cast doubt on this version of events. The studies could find no definitive military records or documented eyewitness accounts confirming that the Union troops burned the church in 1865.
“Furthermore, materials from the church appear to have been salvaged or repurposed, suggesting intentional dismantling rather than violent destruction. Finally, the site showed signs of gradual ruin, more consistent with post-war scavenging than a single conflagration. As a result, most historians now believe that the church was likely stripped for building materials during the Reconstruction era, when local families were rebuilding their homes and plantations and lacked resources. The Civil War fire or destruction story, while dramatic, is now seen as a romanticized myth rather than a documented fact.”
- SHARE A MYSTERY PHOTO: If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Click here to send an email and please mark it as a photo submission. Thanks.
Taste of Peachtree Corners will be June 26
Author talk: Join Katherine Scott Crawford at the Duluth Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library at 6 p.m. on June 24. She will discuss her historical fiction novel, The Miniaturist’s Assistant. Books will be available for purchase and signing.
Norcross PDC (People Drinking Coffee) meets Wednesdays from 8:15 a.m. to 9 a.m. at 45 South Cafe to discuss current events that are political, educational and community-focused. Speaking on June 25 will be Andrew Hickey, director of economic development, Partnership Gwinnett. No dues or membership fees; anyone can attend.
Taste of Peachtree Corners will be June 26 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Atlanta Marriott at Peachtree Corners, sponsored by the Peachtree Corners Business Association. Enjoy an evening of delicious bites and drinks as you get to sample foods from local restaurants and businesses. Upon check-in, you will receive a Passport highlighting participating restaurants and businesses and their offerings. Advanced registration appreciated.
Jazz in the Alley in Norcross. This weekend’s got that jazzy spark you’ve been craving! Join us this Saturday, June 28 as Jazz In The Alley turns up the groove at Betty Mauldin Park from 7:30–9:30 p.m. Get ready for the trumpet-slaying, genre-mixing maestro who’s stirring jazz with a twist of hip-hop, funk and soul. It’s smooth, it’s bold—it’s a full-on sound explosion. Bring your blanket, grab some local eats and let’s vibe under the stars. Because this isn’t just a concert—it’s a whole mood.
Author Talk: Join author Omar Tyree as he celebrates the 30th anniversary of his iconic bestselling novel Flyy Girl. This will be on July 1 at 7 p.m. at the Snellville Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. Books will be available for purchase and signing.
Sparkle in the Park: The City of Lilburn will hold its 16th annual Sparkle in the Park this year on Thursday, July 3, starting at 6 p.m. Join the community for this celebration of independence at Lilburn City Park for a night full of live entertainment, food vendors and a fireworks display.
Join art professor Dr. Janet Stephens to explore the history of color in art and the Impressionists’ impact in transforming painting and bringing the arts into the modern world. The talk is entitled Color and the Rise of Modern Art: Impressionism and Beyond. It will be presented July 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Duluth Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library.
The Park Place Master Plan Recommendations workshop will be July 10 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The workshop will be at 1790 East Park Place Boulevard. Come to share your thoughts on the recommended design framework for Gwinnett’s southwestern gateway! Your feedback will help ensure that the master plan reflects the needs and collective vision to make this community thrive. The Park Place district generally surrounds the intersection of Park Place Boulevard and Stone Mountain Highway. This is an important southern gateway to Gwinnett. To learn more about the Park Place Master Plan, click here!
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