Auto-dealer Fred Beans wants to take his wholesale parts business online

Fred Beans, the Doylestown auto mogul, built a Yardley gas station into a new-car chain that peaked at 22 dealerships in the industry's glory days. Now he runs 17, plus a second business that his retail buyers might not suspect: Beans' 250-worker Doylestown warehouse is now the largest U.S. wholesaler of Ford and Chevy parts, among other brands.