cultural pressures inflicted upon them by moving on, in
search of places more sheltered from the social storms. That
search has dispersed them, through the centuries, across
Europe and into Africa, India, and South and Central
America. Nearly 300 years ago, it brought a sizable number
of them and their denominational cousins, the Quakers
and Amish, to North America. There, many—including
the Hahns’ own ancestors—put down roots in the newly-
founded colony of Pennsylvania. What they found there,
to a degree none of their kind had experienced anywhere
else, was pure religious freedom … genuine tolerance for
their beliefs and respect for their determination to live out
that very personal faith in every aspect of their lives and
communities.
“
“One of the judges said the choice
for the Hahns in this case is either
to bury their religious beliefs or
bury their business.”
Now, suddenly, after three centuries of peaceful coexis-
tence with their fellow citizens in this vast, ever-changing
country, they find themselves engulfed again by religious,
political, and cultural pressures that may, once more, deny
them the free expression of their personal faith.
The business that opened the Hahns’ lives to these intru-
sions, Conestoga Wood Specialties, first took shape in the
family garage in 1964. Samuel gave himself to the hands-on
work of creating doors, cabinets, and other furnishings
while his brother Norman focused on the books.
“I basically grew up with the company,” says Anthony,
one of four sons born to Norman, each of whom took a
turn working for the fledgling company. Anthony and his
brothers, Kevin and Lemar, were the three who stayed with
it—Kevin as a member of the board, Lemar as project engi-
neer and chairman of the board, and Anthony as president
and CEO.
“It’s all I really knew,” Anthony remembers. “We lived
across the street, so it was part of our life.” Both of his parents
worked for the company, whose offices were upstairs in the
family home. Anthony’s first job was mowing the factory
lawn. Like his brothers, he in time learned the intricacies of
saws, shapers, sanders, and other equipment. Eventually, he
assumed management and office duties. Improved technol-
ogy outpaced some of his early skills, but “I can still make a
door,” he says, smiling.
Lemar, who works in the engineering department, still
makes a little of everything, but especially enjoys tinkering
with adhesion—finding effective ways of melding wood
pieces together. He finds something particularly reward-
ing, he says, in “just knowing that wood stays together by a
substance, and our customers depend on that for safety and
a good appearance.” The substance that has held the Hahns
together, he says, is their biblical beliefs. Lemar appreciates
how faithfully his parents taught him to believe in Christ
“early on in life,” and sent him to a school that reinforced
Christian principles. “My faith is very important to me,” he
says. “It’s important for me to live every part of it wherever I
go, whatever I do. Even here at work.”
“Our faith—that’s what we’re founded on,” Anthony says.
“That’s what we were building our company on—those values,
those principles that we grew up with. It was our faith, our
religion, to do business in a fair and ethical manner, and to
treat our employees that way. ‘Treat other people the way
you want them to treat you.’ That is in the Bible, and it’s
played an important part in how we do business. And God
has blessed this company.”
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