GROEBNER Honored with 2025 Minnesota Family Business Award

Recognized by Twin Cities Business for nearly 50 years of family leadership, service, and impact

GROEBNER has been named a 2025 honoree of the Minnesota Family Business Awards by Twin Cities Business. This award celebrates the contributions of family-owned businesses that help shape Minnesota’s economy and community, and for GROEBNER, this recognition is a meaningful reflection of the values the company was built on.

In 1976, after two decades in the energy and manufacturing industries, Chuck Groebner founded GROEBNER with a simple goal: to provide the natural gas industry with a reliable, service-focused source for high-quality distribution products. He started small, operating out of the trunk of his car and earning commissions as a ­manufacturers’ representative. But as the needs of the industry grew, so did Groebner’s vision. He was soon asked to begin stocking inventory — a pivotal shift that marked the beginning of GROEBNER as a distributor.

This change brought Groebner’s son, Joe Groebner, into the business in 1980. Together, they shipped products out of an apartment and eventually opened the company’s first warehouse in Minnesota. Their combined leadership shaped GROEBNER’s philosophy of treating customers like family, solving problems with empathy, and delivering solutions built on trust. Those early years laid the foundation for the company’s continued growth and deep relationships across the natural gas industry.

Over the decades, GROEBNER has expanded from a single location to four warehouse facilities in Minnesota, Illinois, Kansas, and Texas, supported by a sales and service team that spans the country. In 2018, the third generation of family leadership joined the company when Carissa Skorczewski and Curt Groebner came on board. In 2021, Skorczewski was named president. One year later, she and Curt Groebner became owners of the company, continuing the legacy of family leadership and long-term vision.

“This recognition is meaningful because it honors not just our history, but how we’ve grown by staying true to who we are,” said Skorczewski. “Our success has always been rooted in strong relationships, a deep understanding of our customers, and a commitment to doing what’s right, not just what’s easy.”
GROEBNER is honored by this recognition and looks forward to continuing to serve the natural gas industry with the same dedication and care that has guided it for nearly 50 years.