FriendShip Kitchen owner Beck Suppliers has announced the hiring of Korri Shaheen as its chief operating officer. Shaheen joins the company as it celebrates its one-year anniversary as an employee owned company.
Prior to her new role, Shaheen spent the past 12 years with Starbucks, serving in multiple operations and corporate roles in the U.S. and Canada, most recently as a regional director of operations.
“We are thrilled to have Korri join our company as we continue our journey to elevate the food service experience at our FriendShip Kitchen locations,” said company president Greg Ehrlich. “When we launched FriendShip Kitchen and FriendShip Famous Chicken in 2018, we were committed to delivering restaurant quality food and guest service. Korri’s addition represents the next stage in our company’s evolution. She brings an exceptional track record from an iconic food and beverage brand and is also a people first leader who fully aligns with our top priorities of culture and brand.”
After 75 years and four generations of family ownership, Beck Suppliers became the first Ohio-based fuel and convenience marketer to transition to employee ownership.
“As a newly formed ESOP, we are very focused on the continuity of leadership and succession planning,” said Julie Claypool, VP of human resources. “We were very intentional in identifying the qualities and experiences needed to be successful in this role. Korri’s servant leadership approach, coupled with her experience in maintaining high brand standards and operational excellence, while building capabilities and leading through others made her the perfect fit”.
In the coming years, Beck Suppliers and FriendShip Kitchen expect to announce new additions to its leadership team to support its continued growth.
“I am honored and excited leading this great organization into our next phase of brand maturation as we strengthen our ties with our communities and employee owners,” said Shaheen, “The culture of Beck Suppliers is what first attracted me to the organization, and the more I learned about its history and got to know the leadership team and the Beck family, the more I knew this was an incredible opportunity to build something truly special.”
Shaheen will work closely with Ehrlich to learn the fuel and convenience industry while applying her knowledge and expertise in refining FriendShip Kitchen’s strategy and brand experience.
“We recognized that to become a true leader in foodservice, we needed someone with deep foodservice roots who sees the convenience industry through a lens of what’s possible,” explained Ehrlich. “Our plan is to have Korri succeed me as president in about three years once she has developed a mastery of our business and has helped develop a clear strategy for our next generation of leaders.”
Founded in 1950 in Fremont, Ohio, Beck Suppliers is a fourth-generation company operating FriendShip Kitchen convenience stores and car washes, supplying branded fuels to independent retailers, and providing fueling system services across the state.
