Page 19 - CFESA Magazine July / August 2018

In 1968 Spark purchased the PP&L Service In 2009 Carol approached me to see if I
Company giving K&D presence in Lancaster,
Allentown and Scranton, PA. This was
a considerable expansion and allowed
K&D to cover all of eastern PA (except
Philadelphia). By 1971 K&D had over 170
commercial lines and became incorporated
as K&D Factory Service, Inc. It was this year
that two essential individuals came into the
fold. My uncle, Ron Ross, and Henry Lane
were hired as technicians.
A decade later and K&D was still growing.
Ron was appointed General Manager,
and Henry was placed in charge of the
Scranton branch. Along with prosperity,
the early 80’s also brought tragedy. Elsie
Dixon, who had been an integral part of the
business from the very beginning, suffered
a major stroke. She survived but never fully
recovered, so Spark asked my mother, Carol
Dibeler to come in and help with managing
the office and the books. Two years later
Spark passed away, and Elsie became
the owner. Ron and Carol actively ran the
company on her behalf until 1996 when she
succumbed to cancer after a long battle.
With Elsie’s passing, Carol Dibeler and Ron
Ross inherited the company.
Under new ownership with a mission to
honor Spark and Elsie’s legacy, Henry Lane
was promoted to General Manager and
VP of Service where he would become
the face of K&D to our industry as he
attended all CFESA and NSC functions.
K&D also expanded yet again by opening
a Williamsport location. From there K&D
continued its growth year after year.
CFESA Magazine | JULY / AUGUST 2018 | www.cfesa.com 19
had any interest in running the company.
Ron was considering retirement, and she
would rather keep the business in the family
than sell it. At the time I was working in the
financial sector where I had been for ten
years. I had helped at K&D over the years
when I was needed but was never an official
employee. Just before New Year’s 2010, I
made my decision. I left the finance world
and officially joined K&D.
Ron Ross retired in June of 2010 and I
took the title of CFO. With the help and
tutelage of Carol and Henry, I began to take
on more and more responsibilities at the
company including overseeing the opening
of our seventh branch in Altoona, PA during
January of 2015. The following year I was
elected to the boards of CFESA and the
NSC where I had been active since my
arrival at K&D. The NSC board also elected
me Treasurer at that time.
On July 2, 2018, Carol Dibeler retired from
K&D, and I became President and majority
owner. I too strive to honor the legacy
of Spark and Elsie by moving K&D to the
forefront of the commercial foodservice
equipment repair industry. K&D currently
has over 60 technicians working out of 7
brick and mortar branches across the State
of Pennsylvania. I like to say we cover all
of PA from Johnstown to Jersey. We have
just under 100 total employees in our K&D
family. K&D also serves as ASA for over 200
commercial lines of equipment. I believe
K&D has a very bright future and look
forward to being at its helm for many years.