Beck Suppliers becomes employee-owned

FREMONT — This past week, family-owned Beck Suppliers, Inc. announced its transition to a 100% employee-owned company through the establishment of an employee stock ownership plan. The move ensures that the future of Beck — which includes its FriendShip Kitchen stores, Beck-branded fuels, Beck Fuel Systems and Beck Car Wash Systems divisions across northwest Ohio — "will be shaped and shared by the very employees who have helped drive its success," according to a company statement. "For 75 years, Beck Suppliers has been a part of our family," said Dean Beck, the company's third-generation co-owner. "But it's always belonged to the communities we serve," Dean said. "Transitioning to employee ownership simply recognizes what's already true: Our people are this company. They've built it, grown it and live its values every day." From a small petroleum distributorship founded by Virgil Beck in 1950, Beck Suppliers has grown into one of Ohio's largest independent providers of fuel, fuel services, car wash systems and convenience store operators. It employs more than 500 employees and offers 34 FriendShip stores and car wash locations across the state. "Our father and grandfather believed in investing in people," said Brian Beck, the company's co-owner. "Turning Beck into an (employee stock ownership plan) is our way of saying, 'thank you', but it's also a way of saying, 'We believe in you.' Every team member now has a direct stake in our shared future. That's powerful." The transition comes on the heels of the company's recent Large Business of the Year Award from the Sandusky County Chamber of Commerce and its 75th anniversary celebration, including the upcoming opening of a new FriendShip Kitchen store in Fremont dedicated to the legacy and impact of the late Doug Beck. "Becoming employee-owned is a natural next chapter for a company born and raised in Ohio," said Greg Ehrlich, president of Beck Suppliers. "Our team isn't just delivering fuel and food. They're delivering care, consistency and community. This move gives them even more ownership in the experience we deliver every day." Employees across the organization welcomed the news with pride and renewed purpose. Becoming an employee stock ownership plan "company feels like a defining moment in my journey," said Carly LaBeau, who is a retail accounting administrator with Beck. "I've grown from a cashier to now overseeing our auditing department, and this milestone confirms that I'm exactly where I'm meant to be," LaBeau added. "Beck Suppliers/FriendShip has always supported my growth but now that support feels even more personal and powerful," LaBeau said. "After nearly 15 years here and knowing I have decades more ahead, I'm energized by the rare opportunity to grow alongside the business while directly shaping my own future." LaBeau's statement ended by stating, "This has always been more than a job to me, and now it's a shared legacy I'm grateful to help build every day." With this announcement, Beck becomes not only a home-grown company but a home-owned one, "empowering the friends, neighbors, and families of Ohio who represent its heart and future," according to the company statement.