“Clayco officials said Beck was struck by a car while running near his home on Wednesday. He died early this morning from his injuries.”
This
news spread quickly on Thursday morning, July 16, 2009. Once again,
I was reminded of how short and precious life can be. I knew Greg at HBE. I was
even with him as he was considering the offer to join Clayco. We talked about
the two companies (HBE and Clayco). I had worked at both places.
Having done two tours at HBE,
(the “big house on Olive Boulevard
When I first met Greg Beck, HBE needed to move quickly to shore up the Financial Facilities team, and CEO Fred Kummer tapped Greg, his Chief Financial Officer to serve double-duty and take on the added responsibility. He knew he had a good man in Greg Beck. He also must have known he’d do an excellent job in that position. He did. It was an interim assignment, but Greg took to it like a fish to water. He quickly rallied the team and created a very real sense of spirit at HBE Financial Facilities. He even had a bulletin board installed outside his office, designed to celebrate and communicate project wins. He was a lightning rod and a cheerleader for that group. He earned the respect of everyone in that division almost instantly. It’s no surprise that Clayco offered Greg the job as CFO when Mike Murphy announced his intention to retire.
By the time Greg Beck accepted the offer to join Clayco in 2006, I had already worked with him on a variety of marketing communications projects. Greg was always fair and honest. He had energy and enthusiasm about things. He was a man with a gift for numbers, but never at the expense of the intangibles. He could motivate a team and take on tasks against long odds. He was a natural leader. After Greg joined Clayco and my career took me to Thermadyne in 2006 I continued to have nothing but the highest regard for Greg Beck. I remember thinking Bob Clark (Clayco’s Chief Executive) was lucky to have him on board.
When my son, Ben, who will complete his MBA at theUniversity of Miami in December with a degree in Finance, decided
to do his Summer internship in St.
Louis
Greg, you will be missed. The world needs more people like you. To Greg’s wife Marianne and three children David, Emily and Steven – celebrate his life. He was one of the good guys!
When I first met Greg Beck, HBE needed to move quickly to shore up the Financial Facilities team, and CEO Fred Kummer tapped Greg, his Chief Financial Officer to serve double-duty and take on the added responsibility. He knew he had a good man in Greg Beck. He also must have known he’d do an excellent job in that position. He did. It was an interim assignment, but Greg took to it like a fish to water. He quickly rallied the team and created a very real sense of spirit at HBE Financial Facilities. He even had a bulletin board installed outside his office, designed to celebrate and communicate project wins. He was a lightning rod and a cheerleader for that group. He earned the respect of everyone in that division almost instantly. It’s no surprise that Clayco offered Greg the job as CFO when Mike Murphy announced his intention to retire.
By the time Greg Beck accepted the offer to join Clayco in 2006, I had already worked with him on a variety of marketing communications projects. Greg was always fair and honest. He had energy and enthusiasm about things. He was a man with a gift for numbers, but never at the expense of the intangibles. He could motivate a team and take on tasks against long odds. He was a natural leader. After Greg joined Clayco and my career took me to Thermadyne in 2006 I continued to have nothing but the highest regard for Greg Beck. I remember thinking Bob Clark (Clayco’s Chief Executive) was lucky to have him on board.
When my son, Ben, who will complete his MBA at the
Greg, you will be missed. The world needs more people like you. To Greg’s wife Marianne and three children David, Emily and Steven – celebrate his life. He was one of the good guys!
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