BGR Names Fred Wehby President and CEO

Phil Schneider Becomes Executive Chair of the Advisory Board

• Fred leads strategy and operations. Phil opens doors to new partnerships and growth.

• Four more leaders step into new roles: Jeff Dickson, Todd Bonnell, Mike Neuwirth and Wade Wickus.

   

WEST CHESTER TOWNSHIP, Ohio, Oct. 6, 2026 — BGR, a family-owned national distributor of industrial packaging supplies and equipment, today announced that Fred Wehby became President and Chief Executive Officer on Oct. 1. Wehby leads BGR’s strategy and operations. Phil Schneider, CEO since 2020, became Executive Chair of the Advisory Board, where he opens doors to key partnerships, industry relationships and growth opportunities. Both report directly to BGR’s Board of Directors, owners Dean and Allen Backscheider.

BGR has grown the same way for more than 50 years: talented salespeople out on the street, competing for every account and earning business one customer at a time, backed by service customers can count on. That is still the heart of the company.

“I look at BGR’s growth as a two-lane highway,” said Wehby. “The first lane is the one that built this company: great people on the street, project-based relationship selling and reliable service for every customer, every day. The second lane is new capabilities like RFID, automation and national purchasing, which take that same promise to larger, multi-site operations across the country. You don’t win in only one lane. We’re keeping both open and moving, and we’re investing in both.”

“Our father built BGR on tradition: good people who show up for customers and keep their word,” said Allen Backscheider, Co-Chair of the Board. “Innovation is how we carry that tradition into the next 50 years. Fred understands both, and Dean and I are confident he’s the right leader to take BGR there.”

Most packaging suppliers compete on the price of a box. BGR competes on the whole packaging operation, backing its sales team with automation, service and parts; in-house printing, converting and design; RFID tracking; national purchasing across all 48 contiguous states; and its True Cost to Pack™ approach, which looks at how packaging affects the entire supply chain.

“Culture comes first here,” Wehby added. “Our people own it, innovate fearlessly, win together and have fun doing it. My job is to keep both lanes moving, through organic growth and through acquisitions that bring BGR’s buying power to more customers.”

Wehby joined BGR in September 2024 as Chief Revenue Officer. He previously served as President of North American Operations at Storopack and built a new services business to $92 million at Cintas.

Schneider, who joined BGR as CEO in November 2020, will advise the Board and open doors to new strategic relationships.

“BGR had one of the best sales and service reputations in the industry long before I got here, and I’m proud of what we built on top of it: solutions that put customers in control of their cost, inventory, throughput and service, from the plant floor to a national network,” said Schneider. “I’m excited to keep opening doors for BGR and to advise Fred and the Board as the company grows.”

The bottom line, innovation will keep changing what BGR can do for its customers. Tradition decides how it treats them. Every customer, no matter their size or location, gets reliable, consistent service and support, and every customer is respected and appreciated by the entire BGR team, from top to bottom. That was the principle of BGR’s founder, Al Backscheider, and it remains the same today.

Additional Leadership Appointments

• Jeff Dickson became Chief Growth Officer, overseeing National Sales, Marketing and IT.

• Todd Bonnell became Senior Vice President of Sales, leading BGR's sales directors, its Indianapolis team and its specialists in corrugated, automation and RFID.

• Mike Neuwirth became Vice President of National Accounts, responsible for national accounts and program sales to large accounts.

• Wade Wickus stepped into the role of Senior Vice President of Operational Excellence.

Download the press release

About BGR

BGR is a national distributor of industrial packaging supplies and equipment, family-owned since 1972 and built on tradition and innovation. Its tradition of honest dealing and relationship selling, combined with consultative sales professionals, more than 1,800 suppliers, in-house manufacturing and nationwide reach, lets BGR help manufacturers and distributors take control of their packaging with its True Cost to Pack™ approach, on the floor and across the supply chain. Program customers are experiencing savings worth at least 2X their pack spend from material and process waste.