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At 36 years old, Sam Beiler is running a multimillion-dollar, multinational company. His qualifications aren't that he has the same last name as founder Anne Beiler. Rather, he has worked for Auntie Anne's Inc. for more than a dozen years.
Beiler doesn't have a college degree. He was born in Strasburg Township, Lancaster County, and took business courses at Millersville University. He worked for his father, Emanuel Beiler, at his business, Beiler Structures, building gazebos and storage barns.
He joined as a franchisee in 1989, operating an Auntie Anne's HandRolled Soft Pretzels concession trailer in Maryland. In 1992, he came to work for Auntie Anne's to help other franchisees operate their businesses.
"At that time," he says, "there were only 75 stores in the chain, mostly in Pennsylvania, with a few in Massachusetts, Indiana and Tennessee."
Beiler has been chief operating officer of the privately held company for two years. He took over the president's role earlier this year from his second cousin, Anne Beiler.
In the beginning
Today, Auntie Anne's has about 710 shops in 38 states and Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Corporate revenues have risen from $20.3 million in 1998 to $28.9 million in 1999 to $19.4 million in 2000. Corporate and franchise revenues combined...