On an unseasonably warm day in October 1990—Halloween, to be exact—Marv Fertel began a new job as a vice president at a nuclear industry trade association in the heart of Washington, D.C. No one recalls whether his coffee-table candy dish owes its origin to his Halloween start date, but 26 years later, staff members still take advantage of the mid-afternoon sugar pick-me-up while having a few words with the boss.