PEI Journal - 3rd Quarter 2019

Beneficial Systems District 2 Distributor

Melissa D. S. Rogers and Ron Sledd Jr., co-presidents, Bene;cial Systems

N A M E : Bene;cial Systems

U R L : www.benesyst.com

F O C U S : A nationwide distributor that provides products and services for the commercial fueling market, including design, construction and maintenance of commercial ;eet fueling facilities.

HEADQUARTERS: Jetersville,

Virginia

E M P L O Y E E S : 19 full-time and two part-timers

FA C T : Out of more than 20 employees, only one had previous fueling industry experience. Hiring cultural ;ts works best for the company. Skills can be learned, but a driven work ethic and positive attitude are musts.

Bene;cial
Systems

FOR THIS QUARTER’S “Member Pro;le,” Editor in Chief Kristen Wright interviewed Melissa D.S. Rogers and

Ron Sledd Jr., the sibling co-presidents of Bene;cial Systems in Jetersville, Virginia.

KW: You bought the company from
your parents. Did you always see
yourself taking over their company?

MR: I did not see myself continuing
the company. I had told Dad many
times through the years, “If you aren’t
here, I don’t want to be here.”
But then Ron, my brother, came
back to work with us. That changed
everything. It felt so good to work
together with him to reach goals. And
then we needed to make sure that
Mom and Dad were taken care of —
that’s a lot of motivation, too.

It seemed like a natural evolution — the way it should be. So in 2013, the four of us sat down and talked it out. At the end of the year, they would retire, and we would of;cially take over. It was a win-win for us all.

RS: I did see it. For the most part, Melissa and I ran the company for about nine to 10 years prior to purchasing it. I don’t remember realizing until later that she and I would buy it together. It’s played out very well. It feels good to continue in dad’s footsteps.

KW: How does your business func-
tion with two co-presidents?

MR: Ron and I have always been close. He taught me how to play football, and I used to wash his Mustang when we were kids. Our personalities are very similar. I love working with him. But being 50/50 can be a challenge. It works so well for us because we each have our own strengths. I handle admin and accounting, and he takes care of our client ful;llment.

There is no way I could deal with all the service and construction issues that he manages every day. Usually we have close to the same opinion on things. If we do disagree, we go with the decision of the person whose area it is. Our partnership works well because we are siblings, but anybody, if they try hard enough, can have a great partnership.