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Contact Source:
Charles White
Vice President, Brands & Marketing
(717) 964-3642
DAS Companies, Inc. Launches Original Bill’s Beef Snacks in Lancaster County, PA
February 3, 2015; Palmyra, PA – DAS Companies, Inc., a full-service marketing and global supply chain portfolio company based in Palmyra, PA, has teamed up with New Holland businessman Bill Sprecher to launch Original Bill’s Premium, Thick-Cut, Tender Steak Strips. Bill is a long-time veteran in the jerky business.
“My life’s been jerky,” Bill says. Ever since he and his wife, Brenda, discovered an especially tasty batch while honeymooning out West in 1979, he’s been crafting his own smoked meat. He’s been involved in jerky companies as a partner in the past and, in February, DAS decided to launch Original Bill’s, at 121 Jaylan Drive, New Holland. The company employs more than a dozen workers.
Original Bill’s offers a healthy snacking alternative for those on-the-go, yet remains bold, adventurous and irresistibly delicious.
Bill – aka Original Bill – is a Lancaster County native and grew up on the 87-acre farm in Denver, PA, that his parents eventually transformed into Camp Conquest, a Christian retreat; His brother is the late New Holland Police Chief Ed Sprecher.
Before re-entering the jerky industry, Bill worked in construction for a few years. But he continued smoking meats in his backyard. When a friend of his requested that his homemade jerky be one of the donated items for a cancer-research fundraiser, he decided to offer up a jerky he made using apple wood as the smoking agent.
“I was never really satisfied with the old recipe everyone uses,” Bill says. “I knew it could be better. I kept fooling with it.”
The apple wood was the answer. It was a huge hit.
Soon after, while sharing some of this new homemade jerky with friends at a popular bar and grill in Lancaster, Bill started getting requests from patrons and “word started gett’n around,” he says. “I never realized the phenomenon of this recipe.”
Bill also changed the cut of the meat to an eye-round, and added other ingredients that remain part of the secret recipe.
He couldn’t make enough to satisfy demand, even when bringing in 15 pounds of it each visit. One fan in particular kept requesting more of the beef snack. So much so, he says, that “I was going out of my mind making jerky for this guy.” That fan, Michael Abel, President and CEO of DAS Companies, Inc., approached Bill with the idea of going back into the jerky-making business.
Along with Bill, his wife and sons and additional staff work at Original Bill’s and they also built the interior of the building. Not long after the legal work and funding for Original Bill’s was off and running, Bill was in a serious motorcycle accident. His sons kept the business going while Bill recuperated – which required nine weeks of rehab – bringing their laptops in for business meetings during his sessions.
Bill says it was that kind of support and what he says was help from the Lord and friends’ prayers that resulted in his finding the perfect building and funding for his Original Bill’s plant in New Holland.
“This is where I grew up at,” Bills says. “God’s hand is in it.”
Original Bill’s hand-hung smoked beef snacks use only the leanest eye-round beef, which is secretly seasoned and naturally smoked with a combination of hickory and apple wood. Each beef snack is cured to perfection before it’s vacuum-sealed for freshness. Original Bill’s Steak Strips are available Original, Teriyaki and Hot, in the following sizes: 1 oz. Single Steak Strip, 3.25 oz. Take Home Package and a 1 Pound Bulk Package.
Original Bill’s products can be found nationwide in Rutter’s and other convenience stores, Pilot Flying J travel centers, Top Star locations, Kent Kwik, Liberty Oil and online 24-hours a day at www.amazon.com and www.originalbills.com.
Stewardship is part of the DAS heritage and one of its core values. DAS is a founding sponsor of Brittany’s Hope, a non-profit foundation dedicated to facilitating adoptions of special needs children from around the world. Inspired by a young woman whose life on earth was cut short, Brittany’s Hope honors her dream to pursue "a world where all children know the peace and love only a family can provide."
DAS also supports Aaron’s Acres, providing children and young adults with special needs the opportunities for social engagement and recreational programs.
“Aaron’s Acres has been most fortunate in being a recipient of financial and volunteer support from DAS for many years. As a result of donations from DAS, Aaron’s Acres was able to purchase a CRM database system for our administrative team, allowing us to manage our donors as well as our families and staff who are involved with our organization,” says Risa Paskoff, Executive Director of Aaron’s Acres. “In addition, Aaron’s Acres purchased a storage shed for the Lancaster programs allowing us to have a safe storage area for all of our supplies and equipment. Lastly, the support of DAS enabled Aaron’s Acres to move into its first office, allowing our administrative team to all work in the same place (rather than each of us working in our own homes).”
Employees of DAS volunteer at the camp programs held in Lancaster, providing lunch to staff and campers, playing kickball and socializing. “Learning about one another and creating connections with people of all abilities occurs as a result of our relationship with DAS,” Risa adds.
In addition to Brittany’s Hope and Aaron’s Acres, DAS supports many organizations, including Cornerstone Community Ministries, Mom’s House, Habitat for Humanity, and Beyond Borders.
Original Bill’s products can be found nationwide in convenience stores, travel centers and online 24-hours a day at www.originalbills.com. Join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OriginalBills.
About Original Bill’s Beef Snacks
Based in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Original Bill’s Premium, Thick-Cut, Tender Steak Strips are crafted using lean beef and are hand-hung, secretly seasoned, naturally, slow-smoked and perfectly cured to create an irresistibly bold taste. Contact Charles White for more information or visit www.originalbills.com to order online.
Original Bill’s Beef Snacks is a subsidiary of DAS Companies, Inc., www.dasinc.com.
About DAS Companies, Inc.
DAS Companies, Inc., is a full-service marketing and global supply chain portfolio company based in Palmyra, PA. Privately-held, DAS Companies, Inc., designs, imports, and distributes automotive accessories, travel merchandise, and mobile electronics that add safety, convenience, comfort and leisure to on-the-go consumers, through a series of channel partnerships including Travel Centers, Heavy Duty Trucking Centers, and Electronics & Specialty Retailers.
For further information, please contact DAS at 717-964-3642 or online at www.dasinc.com.
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