The entrepreneurial spirit is not dead, but rather alive and well in Clarkston. Former and future Clarkston resident Erich Becker purchased his third Sunoco gas station, at 7650 Ortonville Road in June, and opened it to the public in August.
Becker, 35, is the president of Business Development and Relations for Corrigan Oil Company of Brighton. He purchased the building and the six acres of surrounding property.
Since the takeover, Becker has come up with a game plan for expansion and innovation.
‘It’s an older gas station, it’s got a lot of miles on it,? Becker said of the location, which by his estimate is nearly 40 years old. Becker said he remembers visiting the station in his youth, growing up near the station, near Oakhill Road.
Northbound traffic on the M-15 thoroughfare past the I-75 interchange lacks an all-in-one spot, like the one Becker is planning.
‘A lot of people, when they get off the expressway and go M-15 north, there’s nothing really until you get to Ortonville. So if you want to grab pizza and subs, we want to accommodate that,? he said.
‘We want to be known as a unique, family-oriented business that can accommodate customers? needs from fuel to the Twinkies.?
Becker is hoping to establish a sort of local business ‘circular trade? by using local establishments for services, rather than conglomerates.
‘We would love to have more local businesses buy their gas from us and in turn we are going to use the local businesses for our needs,? Becker said.
‘Anytime I can use a local company, for tree clearing or anything really, we think that’s important.?
The station utilized local ties by arranging to sell Cooks? Dairy milk at the location.
The expansion Becker is planning would mean more products available to his customers, Becker said.
The M-15 location is the third for Becker, who purchased other Sunoco stations in the Rochester area, where he currently resides. Together, the three comprise the ‘Becker Sunocos? as they are called.
He hopes to build the business up to the point where if he wanted to retire, his children would be able to step in some day.
‘Hopefully, Becker Sunocos will be a strong business my boys will want to take over,? he said.
Becker plans to move with his wife, Angela, back to the Clarkston area where he plans to build a home on a large plot of property he has purchased on the east side of the township.
Becker, a 1990 Clarkston High School graduate, enjoys being back in the area. He is looking forward to his children Evan, 8, Jakson, 6, and Calvin, 3, as well as the couple’s fourth child, due in the new year, going to the same schools he went to and attending classes with his friends? children.
‘It’s still a small-town feel, but there is a lot more here to offer,? Becker said.
‘I can come back here and walk across the street and probably see someone that I know,? he added.
‘It’s cool, it’s almost like you never left.?
For the Beckers? children, there are programs they just can’t get in other areas.
‘I want my kids to be able to go to a McGrath League or play for the Chiefs,? he said.
‘You love to have your kids go to school with your best friend’s kids.?
Growing up on a 15-acre farm, Becker has seen the area develop over time and its reputation spread.
‘Independence Township is growing. If there is any township on a steady growth pattern, it’s here,? Becker said.
‘When I grew up, Clarkston was a farm town. When people asked where we were from and we told them we were from Clarkston, they said, ‘Oh, you’re a bunch of farm boys.?
‘As I went away to college and came home, the Dixie Highway and Sashabaw corridors were being developed.?
He went to college at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, where he got his bachelor’s degree in business in 1994. Just two years earlier, he met Angela. The couple married in 1996 and moved to Rochester.
Post CMU, Becker went to work in sales in the steel industry before moving to Oakland Fuels. He took his current position and has been with Corrigan, an oil supplier to gas stations, municipalities, and trucking companies, for 12 years now.
As many complain about the cost of gas, Becker explains that the price he charges at his stations will always be fair to customers.
‘I try to keep it a fair amount’anyone who comes here will notice I’m fair. I’m never real high, I’m never giving it away. It’s always a fair price where you know you’re going to pull in and not have to worry, ‘What’s Becker at today??
‘Really, what I want to do is create a gas station where they have the best coffee and the best prices,? he added.
‘We want to have everything that customers want or need.?