May 23—When Fred Singer dropped out of middle school to support his family, he may not have imagined the business he founded a few years later would grow to become one of the largest distributors of its kind in the U.S.

At age 18, Singer surrendered his job supervising paper routes to open a small store in Reading selling china and glassware. That was in 1918.

Today, Singer Equipment Co. has grown into the fourth largest supplier of commercial foodservice equipment in the nation.

The company supplies restaurants and other establishments with china, flatware, glassware and other tabletop and janitorial supplies, and offers kitchen design and installation services.

Headquartered in Caernarvon Township, Berks County, Singer has spread across the east coast, with 19 locations from Burlington, Vt. to Miami, Fla.

And this year, the company has again climbed closer to the top of the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance's annual Business Excellence Awards.

The list is intended to recognize companies that have a positive influence on the economic growth of Greater Reading. Qualifying GRCA member companies are ranked according to revenue growth.

Singer now ranks second on this year's top 50 list, below only UGI Energy Services LLC, after rocketing from 46 out of 50 in 2021 to sixth in 2022.

The Greater Reading Chamber Alliance will honor its 2023 Business Excellence Award winners tonight at its 110th Annual Dinner at the Santander Arena in downtown Reading.

Adaptability and customer focus

The third-generation family-owned business owes its success to its ability to adapt to a changing market, as well as a customer-focused company culture and an emphasis on exceptional service, according to Fred Singer, Singer president and CEO, and grandson of the founding Fred Singer.

"We've focused on hiring and building out, at scale, large teams of highly qualified people who work with large, complicated customers ... across a broad geography," Singer said. "I think you're seeing, in industries across the country, this type of consolidation, where larger customers are looking for larger distributors. We're filling that niche."

Singer said those large customers include restaurant chains looking for consistency across multiple locations.

"They want to know they're getting the same price for the same item for every facility ... they might want online ordering systems that can integrate with their systems," Singer said. "You have to have some scale to do that."

Singer Equipment's upscaling included several major acquisitions, which began with the purchase of New York City-based foodservice distributor M. Tucker.

"(The acquisition) was a big bet at the time. It really propelled us into the next level," Singer said. "It taught us that we were capable of selling and competing in the most competitive market in the U.S."

Singer said being a complete solution has allowed the company to differentiate itself from competitors.

"We might compete with someone that only sells equipment, or they might do construction but not the resupply, or they might service Philly but not New York" Singer said. "We're a more complete solution, and we bring really good people to (customers)."

Singer said the company's main goal is to build long term relationships with customers, and the company has a clear vision for accomplishing that.

"We use the phrase, 'we stand behind what we sell,'" Singer said. "If someone buys something from us, we own it, we own the whole experience."

That means always being honest, and behaving in other ways that facilitate strong relationships, Singer said.

He says his company encourages a common set of behaviors among employees — known as the Singer SPARK: service driven, professional, accountable, responsive, and knowledgeable.

"I think of our people are doing the SPARK and we're living our values, that's what works for us," Singer said.

He said other companies may have a different specific strategy, but all companies can benefit from following the same basic framework.

"If I was going to generalize to another company, I would say get close to your customer, stay close and understand what matters to them, develop a value proposition that's meaningful and differentiates you, and build a culture that going to support high grade people, and communicate relentlessly," Singer said.

Singer noted that he was grateful for the base the company had cultivated in Reading and Berks County.

"I was born in Reading, I went to 13th and Union elementary school," Singer said. "For many years, almost all our employees came from Reading. This is the ground our company was planted in ... we still benefit from the values and the tremendous work ethic of the people in this community."

About the GRCA Business Excellence Awards

Started in 2006, the awards recognize for-profit companies headquartered in Berks County or generating 50% of their revenue from Berks.

Businesses in two categories are recognized: The top 50 business category applies to companies with over $1 million in annual revenue for the past three years, while the second category highlights the top 10 businesses with annual revenue over $250,000 over the last three years.

GRCA members can submit nominations to be considered for the list based on their annual revenue, which is considered as a total value and more heavily as a percentage of growth over the past three years.

Previously called the Greater Reading Top 50 Businesses and the Top 10 in Entrepreneurial Excellence, the name was changed in 2022 to the Business Excellence Awards.

This year's awards ceremony will also include the presentation of the Albert Boscov Economic Development Award, presented every other year to a person or company that demonstrates a significant investment in job creation and economic growth for Berks County.

That award will go to Dan Langdon, retired CEO of East Penn Manufacturing.

"Dan Langdon was an obvious choice as he not only helped East Penn achieve significant growth, but also was invaluable to our organization when GRCA was formed in 2017," said Leah Fassnacht, GRCA director of communications and marketing.

2023 Business Excellence Awards

Category 1 ($1M+ revenue in previous 3 years)

1. UGI Energy Services LLC

2. Singer Equipment Co. Inc.

3. Omega Systems LLC

4. DoubleTree by Hilton Reading

5. Sealstrip Corp.

6. Berks Homes

7. Fromm Electric Supply

8. Dolan Construction Inc.

9. Reading Royals

10. Ethosource LLC

11. Stoney Creek Rentals

12. Grant Manufacturing and Alloying Inc.

13. Mail Shark

14. Smith Bukowski LLC

15. Translogistics Inc.

16. Ronnie C. Folk Paving Inc.

17. RKL LLP

18. New Castle Lawn and Landscape

19. Herbein + Company Inc.

20. Keller Williams Platinum Realty

21. Wyatt Seating

22. Champion Personnel Inc.

23. Spotts Insurance Group

24. Fraser Advanced Information Systems

25. Chester Perfetto Agency Inc.

26. Solve IT Solutions LLC

27. East Penn Manufacturing Company

28. Entech Engineering Inc.

29. UECU

30. Levan Machine & Truck Equipment

31. D&S Elite Construction Inc

32. McCarthy Engineering Associates Inc.

33. Muhlenberg Greene Architects Ltd.

34. Diamond Credit Union

35. Irish Creek Enterprises Inc.

36. Berkshire Systems Group Inc.

37. Unique Pretzel Bakery Inc.

38. Kozloff Stoudt Attorneys

39. Anewalt's Landscape Contracting

40. Bogia Engineering Inc.

41. Body Zone Sports and Wellness Complex

42. Suburban Testing Labs

43. Weidenhammer

44. Weaver's Hardware Co.

45. Berks —Fire —Water Restorations Inc.

46. Van Scoy Jewelers

47. Rothenberger Insurance Services LLC

48. Cornerstone Law Firm LLC

49. Strunk Media Group

50. Shuman Development Group

Category 2 ($250K+ revenue in previous 3 years)

1. Pennsylvania Anesthesia Coalition LLC

2. American Barber and Beauty Academy

3. Catering by John Lowe

4. Junkluggers of Berks, Chester, & Lancaster, PA

5. D&S Portable Toilets LLC

6. SNAPO Toys LLC

7. ATA Martial Arts — Wyomissing

8. Moyer-Drabick & Associates Ltd.

9. VA Productions Inc.

10. Financial Planning Advisors Inc.