SeltzersSmokehouseMeats.com  |  209 N Railroad St, Palmyra, PA 17078  |  717-798-9155

What an amazing local story!

I was volunteering at the Caring Cupboard one day and happened to walk by Seltzers. I guess I’ve seen their products in Karns and such, but I never paid much attention to them; I’m not a huge bologna eater...until now.

I ventured into Seltzer’s outlet center on Railroad Street in Palmyra and tried several tasty samples. The staff members mentioned I could tour the smokehouses. What?! So of course I wanted to film that!

I made an appointment with Mike Ruppert, marketing director, for a special VIP tour!

This is what I learned:

One hundred and twenty years ago, a local butcher, Harvey Seltzer, mastered the art of smoking and seasoning beef to create the world of Lebanon Bologna. The recipe is a secret but I do know the stuff smokes for 3 days and has no fillers or fake smoke taste. And I do know that it’s delicious.

Harvey passed the business down to his son, who passed it to his son, who passed it to his nephew, the current owner, Austin Wagoner.

I haven’t met Austin yet, but this is from his LinkedIn profile:

I am currently the CEO & owner of Seltzer's Smokehouse Meats. I am responsible for setting the vision for the company and then building the best team possible to chase that vision.

Although I am the fourth generation of my family to run Seltzer's, my path to get here has been winding and my experience varied. I began my career in 2002 building a landscaping company that catered to private island owners on the St. Lawrence River. In 2014 I merged it with a boutique marina and marine construction firm to provide one stop, white glove, marine service to our clientele. In 2014 I began my tour of duty through the finance industry starting as a financial analyst for JP Morgan's Corporate & Investment Bank and moved on in 2016 to J.P. Morgan's Private Bank. In the Private Bank, I leveraged the same fundamental strategic planning skills that I had acquired building my own businesses, to deliver holistic advice and guidance, helping endowments and foundations build, preserve and manage their wealth. In 2019 I left the finance world and began the process of buying my family's business, Seltzer's Smokehouse Meats.

The cornerstone of my approach throughout my career has always been building trusting relationships with my customers and employees. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of your customers. This philosophy is how Seltzer’s has built a brand that has lasted for over a century.

Before joining J.P. Morgan & Seltzer’s, I attended the Pennsylvania State University, earning my B.A. in Business Management with a focus on Entrepreneurship and Real Estate from the Smeal College of Business. While at PSU I participated in Men’s DII ACHA Ice Hockey.