Born and raised in the Amish-Mennonite community of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Jonas and Anne Beiler grew up surrounded by faith and family. During these years, important life lessons were permanently weaved into the fabric of their lives.
Jonas and Anne both attended traditional Amish schools until the 8th grade. They met as teens and were married by the age of 21 and 19, respectively. Jonas and Anne’s peaceful life as newlyweds and young parents went into a tailspin after the death of their 19-month-old daughter, Angela Joy, who died tragically in a farming accident in 1975. Despite being a faithful churchgoer, Anne didn’t feel she could share her pain with friends or family members.
Jonas and Anne drifted apart. They didn’t know how to talk about the deep pain they were both experiencing. Instead, they remained silent partners who simply lived together and went through the motions of family life.
The Beilers reconciled as God restored their marriage. Through the repair of their own marriage, God revealed that many people around them were suffering from the same despair and hopelessness.
To support Jonas’ vision to help others, Anne bought a concession stand at a busy farmers’ market in Downington, Pennsylvania. She sold everything from pizza to ice cream, but it was the hand-rolled soft pretzels that customers couldn’t get enough of. Because of the demand, Anne dropped the rest of the products and concentrated on perfecting the pretzel. Auntie Anne’s Soft Pretzels was born.
Auntie Anne’s grew from a single outlet to more than 950 locations worldwide, with a workforce of more than 10,000. Auntie Anne’s, with its international headquarters in Lancaster, PA., and has found a niche among snack-seeking mall shoppers. Today, Auntie Anne’s has over 300 franchisees in 19 countries and continues to be recognized for its superior product and service standards. In order to pursue their passion to strengthen families and build community, Auntie Anne’s was sold to a private owner in April of 2005.
From their modest beginnings to the notable success of Auntie Anne’s, Inc., the Beilers have become one of the nation’s leading entrepreneurs. Jonas’ counseling center, the Family Resource and Counseling Center, has grown tremendously and now employs 24 people, providing more than 5500 appointments annually. In 2002, Jonas Beiler left his full time role with the FRCC to pursue other projects to enhance community and bring families together.
The Beilers also celebrated the grand opening of The Family Center of Gap in September, 2008. This 55,000 square foot facility houses numerous partners which provide much needed services to the community. Some of those partners include the Salisbury Township Branch Library, Angela’s Café, Cornerstone Pregnancy Care Center, Tree of Life Health Ministries, House on the Rock Family Ministry, Hildebrandt Learning Centers, Gap Community Church and the Family Resource and Counseling Centers.
The Beilers have always believed in leading by example, doing business with integrity, and giving back to the community. While at Auntie Anne’s, they demonstrated their business principles with the acronym, LIGHT: Lead by example; Invest in employees; Give freely; Honor God; and Treat all business contacts with integrity. These principles continue to LIGHT their way as they follow their passion to serve people, strengthen families, and build community.
