Executive Leadership
Richard Becktel
CEO and President
A native of Southern California, Richard Becktel joined Southern Counties Lubricants in the late 1970s as operations manager. Back then, his job included everything from managing employees to repairing equipment. In 1998, along with then-owner Frank Greinke Jr., Richard worked to develop a new strategic business model focusing on the Southern California wholesale lubricant market. Since that time, he has overseen tremendous growth in terms of both the SCL team, and the number of product and service offerings the company provides. Under Richard’s leadership, SCL has grown to become the market’s leading distribution and logistics company in the state.
Steve Jackson
Chief Financial Officer
Travis Becktel
General Manager
As general manager, Travis Becktel focuses on strategic planning and technological integrations associated with operations, sales and marketing. He has also championed the introduction of environmental initiatives within SCL facilities aimed at adopting more green practices in all departments. His unique ability to work within all aspects of the business – from operations to marketing – provides a much-needed perspective for creating and solving end-to-end processes. Prior to joining SCL, Travis attended San Jose State University on a baseball scholarship and spent five years playing professionally with the Colorado Rockies. He is also an Infantry Officer in the California National Guard.
Dan Dziwanowski
Vice President, Sales & Marketing
As vice president of sales and marketing, Dan Dziwanowski is the resident expert on the needs of a large majority of SCL customers. He has been vital to continuing a longstanding tradition of customer loyalty, and executing sales policies and practices that increase satisfaction. Dan has also been an advocate for expanding product lines to accommodate customers in all industry sectors, most notably the SCL brand Olympus. Prior to joining the team over a decade ago, Dan worked in the oil industry as a territory sales representative for an independent lubricant manufacturer.
Brett Leggitt
Regional Manager, Northern California
For the past 20 years, Brett Leggitt has served in various roles in the petroleum industry. As a regional manager for SCL, he is responsible for operations and sales throughout northern California, putting him directly involved with numerous aspects of the business, from implementing delivery processes to developing SCL compliance to state regulations. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Brett attended Southwest Texas State University.
Adam Mills
Northern California Sales Manager
Adam Mills is a dedicated and experienced Sales Manager at Southern Counties Lubricants (SCL). With an impressive tenure of 18 years at SCL, Adam has spent 14 years excelling as an outside salesperson before stepping into his current role on the executive team four years ago. Under his leadership, SCL’s Northern California team has expanded from a single location to four locations in 2020. Adam’s motivation stems from the mutual success of SCL and its business partners, driving him to foster strong, collaborative relationships and deliver exceptional results. His commitment to excellence and strategic vision continue to propel SCL’s growth and innovation in the industry.
Benjamin Hewitt
Director of Operations
While new to the oil and gas industry, Benjamin Hewitt built his operational acumen in a wide variety of industries including nonprofits, restaurants, education, real estate, finance, and military. His focus here at SCL is on creating standardizations and efficiencies with an overall focus of increasing our capacity to better serve each client, as well as growing our influence within the industry. Benjamin has a unique ability to engender organizational buy-in and unification of cross-functional efforts, by simplifying the complex. Benjamin holds a Masters in Organizational Leadership, a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and a Series 7“Stockbroker's”License.
Senior Leadership
Scott Parry
Regional Manager, San Diego
Scott Parry has been working in the petroleum business for the last 23 years. He began his career working at his family’s petroleum distribution business in the mid-1990s and worked his way through several positions eventually becoming President and CEO. In 2014, Scott joined SCL, where he currently manages the Vista and San Marcos facilities. Scott attended the University of Southern California and is an avid Trojans fan. His unique ability to analyze the complexities of the fueling industry makes him a tremendous asset to the SCL team.
Maribel Mendez
Controller
With nearly 20 years of accounting experience, Maribel Mendez offers expertise in a broad range of accounting functions. In her role at SCL, she oversees all accounting-related matters including banking, accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger, payroll, inventory and billing. She also assists customers, vendors, internal staff and auditors with all accounting inquiries. Prior to coming to SCL in 2005, Maribel served as a collections specialist at Jet Apparel Inc., and previously as an accounts receivable and collections specialist at Custom Building Products.
Fernando Aguayo
Director of Transportation, Orange
In his role as director of transportation for the SCL facility in Orange, California, Fernando manages dispatch and driver relationships and helps to optimize deliveries and routes. He also manages equipment installations and repairs for the Orange facility. In addition to 25 years of experience in the petroleum industry, Fernando also brings nine years of valuable insight into managing preventative maintenance programs for commercial fleets. He holds a surveyor of engineering degree from the Universidad de Guadalajara.
Christina Montes
Human Resources Generalist
Christina Montes has served as a valuable member of the oil industry for the past decade. Due to her extensive experience, she is familiar with several aspects of the business, including customer service, accounting, billing, purchasing and inventory management and dispatching. Formerly SCL's San Diego Facility Manager, her inherit problem solving skillset and customer-centric approach elevated her to become the organization's foremost expert on creating value for customer's through SCL's efficiency planning and team implementation. Christina brings not only her expertise in the industry but also her heart for teamwork.
Jeff Lee
Director of Safety & Compliance
Jeff is responsible for safety procedures and policies for the benefit of SCL employees and customers. After 28 years of U.S.Department of Defense operations Management and Logistics experience in the United States Marine Corps, Jeff brought his leadership and ability to manage complex operations to the private sector overseeing production and logistics for several defense and retail companies. Steeped in operational safety management and crisis management, Jeff leans on Six Sigma processes to increase performance and decrease process variation to create a stable environment for employee and customer safety, regulation adherence, and assurance of product integrity through the chain of custody. Beyond his immense training within the United States Marine Corps, Jeff holds OSHA 10,OSHA 20 Construction Safety and Health, and OSHA 30 General Industry Safety and Health program certifications.
Daniel Doan
Senior Director of Project Management
Accounting for over 20+ years in the oil lubricant industry, Daniel Doan has gathered a wide range of related responsibilities from a production supervisor to plant manager transferring over as a director of supply chain and eventually VP of Procurement. Daniel's experience heralds from the largest west coast ILMA then eventually the largest ILMA in the US. His background led to revamping many operational SOP's and integrating new SOP's providing a wider spectrum of capabilities and efficiencies. As a leader in process management, he's maintained leadership roles in related safety & ISO procedures. At SCL, he's focused on streamlining processes, further integrating technology, and inventory management across various facilities & platforms.
Bryan Vaughn
Director of Business Systems and Technology
Bryan Vaughn brings a wealth of knowledge to SCL thanks to years of assisting automotive suppliers with their IT support and marketing efforts. After spending much of his childhood helping his father as an auto mechanic and working for a year in automotive manufacturing, Bryan pursued a degree in business and marketing from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. At SCL, he is responsible for building, integrating and maintaining information systems, as well as providing guidance with regard to the company’s marketing strategy.
As chief financial officer, Steve Jackson is responsible for all of the company's financial functions, including accounting, audit, treasury, and corporate finance. He also oversees and manages all human resources and IT activities. His career spans more than35 years of varied experience in financial management,business leadership, and corporate strategy.
Prior to joining SCL in 2021, Steve served as Interim CEO and CFO for an Avionic manufacturing company. Before that, from2008 to 2016, he served as CFO for a Bio industrial and Micro-Cap clean energy company.
Earlier in his career, Steve was certified as a public accountant at Price Waterhouse, and was a VP at Fortune 500 Defense Contractor.
Steve holds an Active California CPA license, and earned his Master of Science in Accountancy from SDSU, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from University of Texas, Austin.