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Dueling Perspectives: Keeping your business going for 100 years

Published July 12, 2017 by April Hall  | Departments

There are a lot of Is to dot and Ts to cross if you're transporting goods across the border between the U.S. and Canada. Willson International has helped importers and exporters...

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Assessing a failed family enterprise: Organizational structure is essential

Published July 11, 2017 by Gerald Sherman  | Advisers

In late 2015, I sat in a conference room with my relatively new clients, the second- and third-generation executives of a 61-year-old manufacturing company, when they decided to sell. Fortunately...

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Who will inherit the family business? A strategy for succession planning

Published July 11, 2017 by Meg Muldoon  | Advisers

A poorly planned succession has the potential to derail a closely held family business. The lack of a well-drafted plan can cause financial hardship on both the business and the family. Letting...

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Ga. ice cream shop guards its recipe

Published July 11, 2017 by April Hall  | Departments

Right after Stratton and Mary Leopold got married in 1995, they flew to Savannah, Ga., and headed to the Citizens & Southern National Bank.

There, Stratton unlocked a safe deposit box...

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Celebration Corner: Hepler's Hardware -- 75th anniversary

Published July 11, 2017 by Barbara Spector  | Departments

The Business: Founder Albert K. Hepler moved to Youngwood, Pa., from New Alexandria, Pa., in 1942, after his New Alexandria property and flourmill were acquired by the federal...

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At the Helm: Bill Rau

Published July 11, 2017 by Patricia Olsen  | Departments

Generation of family ownership: Third.

Revenue: Approximately $65 million.

Number of employees: Approximately 53.

...

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Smart growth

Published July 11, 2017 by Barbara Spector  | Departments

Earlier this year, Tyson Foods, a family-controlled, publicly traded company known for its chicken, pork and beef products, announced it would explore the sale of its Sara Lee frozen bakery...

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Old vines lead to new fruit

Published July 11, 2017 by April Hall  | Feature Article

You could say the Lange twins of Lodi, Calif., are intoxicated by the grape growing business. Randall and Brad Lange represent the fourth generation to farm their family's land. About a decade ago...

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Road to sweet success paved by reconciliation

Published July 11, 2017 by Margaret Steen  | Feature Article

Savannah's Candy Kitchen has been part of Rhett Strickland's life for as long as he can remember. "Every day when I came home from school, we'd come down to the candy store" where his parents,...

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A fruitful female partnership at Frieda's

Published July 11, 2017 by Hedda T. Schupak  | Feature Article

Wolfgang Puck, Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsey may be rock stars in the cooking world, but all foodies owe a debt of gratitude to Frieda Rapoport Caplan. A pioneer in the produce industry,...

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University family business clubs: An important resource for NextGens

Published May 09, 2017 by Carol B. Wittmeyer  | Advisers

As business families seek ever more effective ways to cultivate their next-generation leaders to meet tomorrow's challenges, many turn to educational institutions to deliver a robust business...

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Seven essential initiatives ensure family business growth and survival

Published May 09, 2017 by George A. Isaac  | Advisers

Despite seemingly blue skies and calm waters, family businesses, like boats on the ocean, face continual and potentially dangerous threats. The ultimate price for failure to prepare for and meet...

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Is your family prepared to manage potential risks to your reputation?

Published May 09, 2017 by Daisy Medici  | Advisers

Whether your family oversees one or more operating companies or a family office that manages investable assets, the word "risk" usually connotes concepts such as overconcentration, lack of...

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Pittsburgh business welcomes Gen 3

Published May 09, 2017 by April Hall  | Departments

With jobs at Kraft Heinz Co. and Keurig Green Mountain, Chris Droney was carving out a corporate career in supply-chain operations. He hadn't thought about joining his parents at Mt. Lebanon...

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A road warrior's influence lives on

Published May 09, 2017 by April Hall  | Departments

The fact that Michael Boccacino all but refused to work out of a traditional office space has informed his successors' approach to the family business. Boccacino Heating and Cooling is moving into...

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Celebration Corner: Crescent Jewelry's 175th anniversary

Published May 09, 2017 by Hedda T. Schupak  | Departments

The Business: The history of Crescent Jewelry Company begins in 1842, when R.E. Lackner opened a jewelry, camera and general mercantile store in Hannibal, Mo. Lackner had three...

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At the Helm: Sean Reilly

Published May 09, 2017 by Patricia Olsen  | Departments

Generation of family ownership: Fourth.

Revenue: Approximately $1.5 billion.

Number of employees: About 3,500.

Years...

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The NextGens' time to shine

Published May 09, 2017 by Caro U. Rock  | Departments

At our recent Transitions East conference in Tampa, my husband and I had a real treat—our son Bill, who has been with our family business for several years and was recently named president, served...

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Long-term thinking

Published May 09, 2017 by Barbara Spector  | Departments

When family firms are compared favorably with non-family companies, a point often cited is family business owners' "patient capital." While many corporations are focused on maximizing shareholder...

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A step-by-step path to leadership at Perryman

Published May 09, 2017 by Hedda T. Schupak  | Feature Article

How did a small African-American-owned homebuilder from Alabama end up as one of the leading construction companies in Philadelphia, Pa., whose projects have included major sites like the...

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