By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Marion Newman looked around at what was previously his and his son Scott’s North Main Street Marathon gasoline station and mechanics business for 56 years and smiled. The transformation from the service bays to a convenient market exceeded Newman’s expectations.
“For 50 years, I stood there,” Newman said, pointing to a spot on the floor where he used to run the gas/service station and propane business.
“I didn’t know they would put this much investment into the building, but it looks great,” he said.
As he helped cut the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce’s ribbon on Monday to welcome the next generation, Newman gave his nod of approval, acknowledging that his longtime dream job as a Bowling Green business owner was now a dream fulfilled for new owner Akash Singh.
Singh, whose family is the largest Marathon supplier with 30 gas stations in northwest Ohio, was born in India and moved to Ohio with his family in 2004. He went to junior high and high school in Perrysburg and started learning the family business by stocking shelves when he was 15 years old, becoming an integral part of the business as he learned more and more over time.
He had planned to attend Ohio State University until his father suggested he stay in the area to help with the family business. When he enrolled at Bowling Green State University in 2014 as an economics major in the business college, he fell in love with the community. Owning a Gas & Express Mart in Bowling Green became his dream. Throughout his time in college, he envisioned what “his” business would look like.
“I wanted to offer a gas station with the best service. I tried to find places that maybe I could transform. This one caught my eye. It was the perfect spot, and it was privately owned,” he said.
The initial discussion to buy the Bowling Green Marathon with Scott Newman didn’t pan out, but Singh started again in 2021, outlining his ideas and promising to make the business something the Newmans would be proud of. The effort paid off and in December 2022, the business became his.
He spent the next almost 10 months deciding how to transform the service bays into a convenience store that was customer-centric. He made sure to put his BGSU pride on display by including a Falcon Beer Cave and Falcon Soda Center.
To accommodate the changing trends in gas stations with convenient marts, Singh added a food component. The current specialty is fried chicken which has customers raving on social media. “After one customer posted on social media about how good the chicken was, we sold out that same day,” Singh said.
Currently, he employs five people, but is accepting applications as he would like to increase the number of staff.
During the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting, Mary Hinkelman, executive director, noted that Singh is invested in the community. “He is a great addition to the neighborhood.”
“I hope the building speaks for itself,” Singh said. “We will keep it maintained and make sure it says well maintained,” he said. “We are just getting started. You will see me around. I have more dreams to keep it going.”
