As you drive into St. Jacobs, it becomes apparent that life here moves a little slower than in the big cities.  The Mennonite heritage of the area quietly welcomes visitors and business people alike.

Beingessner Home Exteriors Ltd. matches the rhythm perfectly.  Built on honest hard work and personal service, the company thrives on the values and attitudes of the area.

The risky adventure started in the 1950’s by the late Harry Beingessner, a man with a big family and few resources.  Long hours and persistent determination slowly paid off.  Harry’s son, Doug, remembers quite clearly his father’s decision to embark on a career in the window business.  That was way back in 1956.  With a good knowledge of the construction business, an old Dodge station wagon and lots of enthusiasm, H. Beingessner Products Ltd. was started.  By today’s standards it was indeed a small business, but one that grew steadily.

Back then, a large part of the business involved the supply and installation of aluminum storm windows and doors with self-storing screens.  Awnings, railings and patio doors soon became readily available and their popularity grew in leaps and bounds.  New sliding windows soon became available for homes.  They were quite classy and gave homeowners another option over the older style wooden double hung units.  Energy efficiency wasn’t very important in those days as most windows were made with narrow aluminum frames and almost no weather stripping.

About the same time, aluminum siding with a painted finish was introduced to the industry.  Along with other related sidings and accessories, homeowners could now have a maintenance-free exterior on their homes.  Harry was quick to recognize this opportunity and was soon installing this new product on existing homes as well as new ones.

With a sound reputation for excellent service and quality products, business flourished.  Tradesmen were hired to complete the installation on a wide variety of different types of buildings.  New homes under construction, existing older homes, commercial structures, agricultural buildings, as well as churches, cottages, nursing homes and even tool sheds were refurbished with new siding and windows.

Just as everything seemed to be going great, Harry died in 1972 at the young age of 52.  It was shortly after that Doug Beingessner moved the business to St. Jacobs where it is located today at 9 Henry Street.  Doug’s mother, Anne, helped out in the office until her retirement.

Being a family business means long hours, hard work and dedication by all.  Doug’s wife Lynne, their daughter Jennifer, and son Chris, all played a role.  Over the years, the focus was shifted to an even more personalized direction.  Most of our work now involves dealing with private homeowners and custom home renovators.  Dealing with the individual homeowner enables us to offer a wide range of options as each job is customized to best suit the customer’s needs and budget at the same time.  Special attention is now given to such things as energy efficiency and environmental friendliness.  We’re proud that recycling and re-using materials have become a routine.

Doug and Lynne Beingessner are now retired, and Beingessner Home Exteriors is run by their daughter Jennifer, and long-time employee Barry Jantzi.