Editor’s Note: Frank P. Greinke, who died at the age of 64 in May, was well known in the Orange County business community and a friend of this newspaper for more than 25 years. He was an advisory board member at Solis Capital Partners, whose founder, Dan Lubeck, wrote the following:
In May, Orange County lost Frank P. Greinke. At a recent event celebrating his life attended by approximately 1,000, one of the most common things I heard attendees say—other than we lost him too young—was that he was a “great” man. But, what does this mean?
Merriam-Webster defines greatness as “the quality or state of being great (as in size, skill, achievement, or power).”
This is certainly true in Frank’s case, particularly regarding skill and achievement.
He was a skilled and highly accomplished business leader. When he became president of Southern Counties Oil Co. in 1987 at age 33, the company had approximately 35 employees and it served only the Southern California market. Over the following 28 years, Frank grew the company to more than 900 employees with operations in 14 western states. In addition, he was a skilled and successful real estate and company investor, adding significantly to his economic success.
He accomplished all this by being a calculated but decisive risk taker, and, as shared by his son Steve at the celebration, through his “secret sauce.” This was Frank’s exceptional ability to identify talent, and then provide the resources and support to do great work, the encouragement to think big, and his genuine appreciation.
His business skills and accomplishments were recognized multiple times, including the Orange County Business Journal’s Family-Owned Business Award, Ernst & Young’s Orange County Entrepreneur of the Year, and the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America’s Distinguished Marketer Award, one of three such recipients in this decade. However, while all of this is “great,” this is not what most attendees were referring to at the celebration of Frank’s life.
Urban Dictionary defines “greatness” as “the acquisition of status by the people who have contributed to an organization, group, or purpose that is greater than themselves.”
This certainly applies to Frank as well.
Frank contributed his service and talents in many capacities, including: founding director of the New Majority Committee in Orange County, counsel general to U.S. West Coast for Republic of Georgia, finance chairman of OC Republican Party, chairman to the YPO Southern California Chapter, advisory board for Chapman University’s President’s Cabinet, and Dean’s Advisory Board for California State University-Fullerton College of Business and Economics. However, while all this is great, it also isn’t what attendees were referring to.
Anne Frank said that “human greatness does not lie in wealth or power, but in character and goodness.”
Frank exemplified this form of greatness.
Frank was a quiet philanthropist. He did the vast majority of his giving anonymously with the sole objective of helping those less fortunate. This included local organizations such as Mary’s Kitchen and Boys & Girls Club of Tustin, and organizations as far away as the Republic of Georgia where Frank’s work and support changed hundreds of lives. However, as important and great as that work is, it also is not what most were referring to.
Frank defined greatness as “The stories I gather and the friends I share them with.”
That is what most people were referring to at the celebration.
In spite of Frank’s many qualities and accomplishments that most people associate with “greatness,” he was uniquely driven by his love of family and friends, and the experiences and stories he gained and shared with them. This was as true in his exuberant and open-minded exploration of the world—skillfully piloting vessels on land and sea and in the air—as it was in his business and philanthropic endeavors.
He was well read, a deep thinker, and quietly sought meaningful conversation with all that wanted to participate, including those with opposing views. Over his lifetime, Frank built and maintained friendships and relationships with many people all over the world in all walks of life, and he did this one person at a time.
While Frank is no longer with us physically, he will always be present in the experiences we shared and the stories we have to tell.
Founded in 2002, Solis Capital Partners is an investment firm specializing in the lower middle market, with an emphasis on partnering transactions. Headquartered in Newport Beach, Solis focuses on companies with revenues of $15 million to $75 million, typically in the services, niche manufacturing, and software sectors.
