Beard is a family-owned corporation founded in 1926 consisting of two operating companies: Beard Land Improvement Company (“BLIC”) and the Modesto & Empire Traction Company (“MET”). BLIC owns, develops and manages the Beard Industrial District, a 2,000-acre industrial park in Modesto, CA which consists of over 30 warehouses and 300 acres of open land available for development. BLIC also owns several industrial and commercial properties elsewhere in California, including properties in Galt, Palm Desert, Roseville, San Diego, and Walnut Creek. MET is a Class III short line railroad with numerous customers in the Beard Industrial District and provides rail shipping to all the continental United States, Canada, and Mexico through daily interchanges with two Class I railroads, BNSF Railway and Union Pacific. Through the years, steady growth and successful investments have made the Beard companies into a model for a responsible and profitable business.