What Does It Take to Be an Exceptional Family Business CEO?
In a session moderated by Brooke Anderson and Jeffrey Kane of BDO, Mariah Weyland Gratz, CEO of Weyland Ventures; Robert Underbrink, president and CEO of King Ranch Inc.; and Todd Schurz, president and CEO of Schurz Communications, Inc., will offer insights into what it takes to achieve true leadership success.
Wednesday, November 11, 2020
2 p.m. ET | 11 a.m. PT
60 minutes
In our November/December 2020 edition, Family Business Magazine recognizes a diverse group of family business CEOs for their exceptional leadership. To complement this special feature, we asked three of the CEOs to join us for a webinar discussion on the unique challenges and opportunities in leading a family business.
In a session moderated by Brooke Anderson and Jeffrey Kane of BDO, Mariah Weyland Gratz, CEO of Weyland Ventures; Robert Underbrink, president and CEO of King Ranch, Inc.; and Todd Schurz, president and CEO of Schurz Communications, Inc., will address the following questions and respond to audience questions and comments:
- What are the characteristics required to be a successful CEO of a family-owned business?
- What makes family businesses different to lead than other types of businesses?
- What governance systems do you rely on for both the family and the business?
- What do you wish you had known before you took your present position?
- What advice do you have for your eventual successor? How should he/she prepare for family business leadership?
If you are the CEO of a family-owned business or aspire to lead your family company, this webinar will offer insights into what it takes to achieve true leadership success.
Family Business Magazine’s “Family Business CEOs To Watch” is made possible through the sponsorship of BDO.
Speakers

Mariah Weyland Gratz
CEO, Weyland Ventures

Robert Underbrink
President & CEO, King Ranch, Inc.
Robert J. Underbrink graduated in 1983 from Texas A&M University-Kingsville where he received a Bachelor of Science in agriculture (cum laude). Robert was hired by King Ranch, Inc. in 1984 as a management trainee and traveled to various operations in the United States and throughout South America and Australia. In 1987, he assumed the responsibility as general manager of Florida operations. As part of an expansion of the Florida operations, King Ranch, Inc., acquired citrus groves in 1994. The board of directors of King Ranch, Inc. appointed Robert as vice president of farming operations in June 1998. He was then appointed as senior vice president in March 2008 and in June 2010, was appointed as president/CEO, as well as a director. He also currently serves as a director of Consolidated Citrus Limited Partnership, the nation’s largest citrus grower, where he previously served as president and CEO from 1999 to 2005. Consolidated Citrus Limited Partnership is owned and managed by King Ranch Inc.

Todd Schurz
President & CEO, Schurz Communications
Todd F. Schurz has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Schurz Communications, Inc. since July 1, 2007. Schurz Communications, Inc. (SCI) is a diversified, fifth-generation, privately-owned media, broadband and cloud commu-nications company. Geographically, SCI has a presence in Arizona, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Australia and England.
Schurz joined Schurz Communications Inc. in 1989 and has served in a number of roles, including managing publishing and television operations. He was born in San Francisco, Calif., graduated from Brown University in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Economics, and later received his Master of Business Administration in 1989 from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with majors in marketing and manage-ment.
Schurz currently serves on the boards of the Herschend Enterprises as lead independent director, News Media Alliance, American Press Institute, Beacon Health Foundation, and Uni-versity of Notre Dame College of Arts & Letters advisory council. He has served on the boards of the CBS Television Network Affiliates Association, Hoosier State Press Association’s Foun-dation (also a past president), and Mutual Insurance Company Limited. He is a former Chair of the Memorial Hospital board, the Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County, the Poynter In-stitute’s National Advisory Board, and the coordinating committee for the Regional Approach to Progress. He has served on numerous other community organization boards, including United Way, Project Future and the Community Foundation.

Brooke Anderson
Tax Office Managing Principal; Private Client Services Central Region Leader, BDO

Jeffrey Kane
National Managing Partner; Global Private Client Services Centre of Excellence Chair, BDO

David Shaw
Publishing Director, Family Business Magazine
David Shaw is the publishing director of Directors & Boards and its sister publication, Family Business. With more than 30 years of experience in business-to-business and consumer media markets, he has served as an editor, publisher, publishing director, group publisher and group vice president of a variety of publications, trade shows, conferences and websites.
Prior to founding GRID Media, David served as senior vice president for Phillips Business Information Inc., where he oversaw nearly 100 discrete media properties, and helped build the business from $35 million to more than $100 million in annual revenues. He is a frequent author and speaker on issues related to business-to-business media, multi-generational family businesses and private and public company governance. He is married, with two grown children, one serving in the Navy and the other in law school.
Benefits
- No cost to attend.
- Opportunity for questions and feedback.
- All participants receive a copy of the webinar materials after the event.
- All participants receive Family Business Magazine weekly newsletter, with news, tips and trends that impact your family business. You may, of course, opt out at any time.
- Unbiased third-party family business education.
- 60 minutes -- maximum value for time.