Fred Jaindl

Born in 1927, as a young boy Fred Jaindl began his business career in 1933 at age six by raising 5 turkeys with his father, John, on their farm just outside of Allentown, Pennsylvania. After graduating from High School in 1945, Fred served in World War II with the United States Army Aircorp following which he returned home to the farm and began working full-time with his father. At that time, they were farming 60 acres and raising 2,000 turkeys annually. Fred and John became partners and, for the next 20 years, continued to grow the business as Fred became a champion turkey breeder known throughout the country for his turkey breeding expertise. Fred was very aggressive in wanting to expand the business, and, in 1965 his father decided it was time for Fred to buy out his interest in the partnership so that Fred could continue to innovate and expand the business at a faster pace. John continued as the General Manager until his passing in 1980. In 1965 Jaindl Farms was raising 200,000 turkeys per year and by 1973 Fred had grown the farm to the point it was producing nearly a million turkeys per year and farming more than 6,000 acres of prime farmland across Lehigh, Northampton and Berks counties.

While leading the company, Fred continued to purchase farmland throughout the Lehigh Valley which he would ‘land bank’ in his agricultural operation until the real estate market justified development of property in the path of growth. Fred realized there would always be an emerging market to justify development of the farmland in support of growth in the Lehigh Valley and continued to replenish his farmland inventory with the purchase of more farms to devote to the raising of crops for feeding the turkeys.

Fred’s first residential development was Kay Brook Manor/Green Hills located in Upper Macungie Township and South Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, and his first commercial development was in 1986 on his original home turkey farm bordering Walbert Avenue in South Whitehall Township. In 1991, Fred Jaindl negotiated to bring a 1,000,000 square foot Nestle̍ Foods facility to the Lehigh Valley, which would become the food company’s largest distribution center in the country as well as one of the first major industrial transactions in the Lehigh Valley. This led to the start of Fred’s development of the 1,100-acre Lehigh Valley West Industrial Campuses. In support of the rapid growth occurring in the region, Fred donated 110 prime acres which were essential to the planning and eventual construction of the Rte. 222 Bypass – now appropriately named the Fred J. Jaindl Highway. These major involvements of planning new highways, extension of critical infrastructure and advocacy for updated zoning and land use legislation all happened – with Fred’s full support – under the leadership of Fred’s son David and Atty. Robert Johnson. This collaboration of Fred, David and Bob continued for decades and resulted in the thriving residential and business communities we see today.

At the time of Fred’s death in 2004, Fred had overseen Jaindl Land Company’s development of over 23 residential developments and 12 commercial and industrial projects which have provided more than 3,800 jobs and $25 million annually in local taxes.

Philanthropy was a priority for Fred, and he created the Fred J. Jaindl Foundation which, over the years, has awarded more than $12 million in grants to local charities. His generosity made the Jaindl Family Pavilion possible at Lehigh Valley Health Network’s Cedar Crest Campus where the Jaindl wing houses start-of-the-art intensive care units for burn, trauma, pediatric and neonatal patients, as well as adult medical and surgical intensive care units.

In the best decision of his life, Fred Jaindl married Anne Louise Fix in 1950 and together they had eight children, Maryellen, Ricky, John, Alice, David, Patty, Mark and Cathy, all involved in the success of the business and fourteen grandchildren. Fred enjoyed working every day of the week where he was joined by many of his children on the farm and in the land development business until his passing in March 2004. Today, Fred’s son David continues the family legacy of honesty, integrity and loyalty at the Jaindl companies. David and his wife Jackie have devoted their energies and focus to the success of the Jaindl businesses as are their children Adam, Luke, Jake, Josh and Joanna, along with David’s sister Cathy, his nephew John and son-in-law Ethan Keichel. Jaind Land Company currently has 65 projects underway in eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey.