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Conway Center for Family Business

Monthly Message -- December 2011

Thinking of Selling Your Family Business?

Consider This!

December 8, 2011 - 7:30-9:00 a.m.

Alumni Hall at Ohio Dominican University

Featuring: Joel Guth, of The Guth Group at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, and David Schottenstein, founder and CEO of Astor & Black

Have you ever thought about selling your family business? If so, you're not alone. Nearly 47% of family business owners are considering selling their company within the next five years, according to new research by business advisory firm Rothstein Kass. But how do you make this monumental decision? What factors do you need to consider? What preparations do you need to make? And how do you know you won't regret your choice five or ten years from now?

Conway Center Service Provider Joel Guth, of The Guth Group at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, and family business leader David Schottenstein, the Founder and CEO of Astor & Black, will help you learn more about making this difficult decision and dealing with the aftermath. Schottenstein founded his first company at age 12, starting his own cigar business on the sly after noticing how popular cigars were among the businessmen who visited his father. He ran it for two years before his father found out and shut it down. He then moved on to trading Internet and pharmaceutical stocks, also without his father's permission; that career was also cut short when his father found out. But while attending boarding school in Venice, he discovered his love of fashion and created a business of which even his father would approve, Astor & Black, a company that sold custom clothing, at the tender age of 21. He used money he had saved from his previous business ventures to fund his vision, which was to bring custom tailoring to the general public at affordable prices.

Please join us for this informative program and be sure to RSVP to Deana Gordon, gordon@familybusinescenter.com or 614-253-4820.

Lunch and Learn

Creating a Personal Development Plan

for the Family Business Leader

December 13, 2011 - Noon-1:00 p.m.
Griffin Student Center, Room 274
Ohio Dominican University

With Bea Wolper, of Emens & Wolper Law Firm

Setting goals for yourself and your business is not a new concept, but taking time to create a Personal Development Plan that brings renewed energy and focus to your career and your family business can be an innovative way to strengthen both. A Personal Development Plan offers a unique opportunity for you to fully analyze your knowledge about day-to-day business operations and to assess your own strengths and talents.

During this hands-on program designed to kick-start your plans for 2012, Bea Wolper, of Emens & Wolper Law Firm, will help you create an individualized personal development plan. You'll be given an opportunity to reflect on your current status, brainstorm ways to improve and grow your company, then set goals and determine how to accomplish them in order to achieve the next level of development in your career.

Please RSVP to Deana Gordon, gordon@familybusinesscenter.com or 614-253-4820, if you would like to attend this session that will help you grow your family business by strengthening the foundation on which it is built.

Directors' Insight

As we wrap up another year, it's time to start thinking about resolutions and making plans for 2012. If your goals include enhancing your leadership skills or growing your business, the Conway Center has many opportunities available for you to join a peer group that matches your interests. Participants find them invaluable both as personal development tools and as a way to build relationships and get feedback from other family business leaders with similar interests and challenges. You can choose from peer groups for Women in Family Business, Next Generation Leaders, CEOs, CFOs, and Family Business Leaders interested in growth and development, or Marketing and Sales. In addition, Bea Wolper will be conducting a Lunch & Learn program on December 13th to help family business leaders develop a personal development plan to kick-start their own plans for 2012. And finally, be sure to mark your calendars with the new educational programs being offered in the New Year. You'll receive the full schedule in the mail soon which will also be included in the next issue of the Communicator.

We value your participation in the Center and wish you happy holidays and special memories with your families and friends throughout the holiday season. We look forward to seeing you in the next couple of weeks and again in the New Year.

Dick and Deana

2012 Next Gen Peer Group Meeting

Monday, December 5th!

Are you a leader of a family-owned business who will be assuming a greater leadership role in your family's company or someone who will have that opportunity in the future? If so, you should consider joining the 2012 Next Generation Leaders Peer Group led by organizational psychologist Dr. Thaddeus O'Brien, of O'Brien & Associates. Dr. O'Brien moderates the group in a roundtable format that gives members insight into the issues and challenges that affect next-generation leaders through guided sessions and peer-to-peer input. Participants also learn to evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses at a time when they are preparing for expanded responsibilities. Join us for an informational meeting at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, December 5th in Room 276 of the Griffin Student Center at Ohio Dominican University. If you are interested in attending the meeting or learning more about this free opportunity for Conway Center members, contact Connie Nicholson at nicholson@familybusinesscenter.com.

Upcoming Peer Group Meetings

To sign up for any of this month's peer group meetings or to learn more about peer group opportunities contact Peer Group Coordinator Connie Nicholson at nicholson@familybusinesscenter.com or visit www.familybusinesscenter.com.

CEO Peer Group (RSVP Required*)
December 7 - 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Holiday Gathering at the Athletic Club of Columbus
136 E. Broad Street, Columbus
*Members of this group are asked to commit to one full year of meetings. If you are a CEO who's interested in joining, we encourage you to try one out.

Women in Family Business Peer Group
December 13 - 7:30-9:00 a.m.
Panera at Easton, 3942 Townsfair Way, Cols.
Topic: Picking Topics and Dates for 2012

Family Business Leaders Peer Group
December 14 - 8:00-9:30 a.m.
Hosted by Sequent, 4700 Lakehurst, Suite 200, Dublin
Topic: Establishing Better Processes for your Family Business

Marketing/Sales Peer Group
December 28 - 7:30-9:00 a.m.
Hosted by Catering By Design at Sanese Services,
6465 Busch Blvd., Columbus
Topic: Know Your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats: Developing a SWOT Analysis
*Please note this group is now full.

Next Generation Leaders Peer Group
January 19 - Noon-1:30 p.m.
O'Brien & Associates, 47 W. Third Ave., Cols.
*Members of this group participate for one full year. If you are interested in joining the 2012 group, please let us know.

Artina Promotional Products

Receives Columbus CEO Award

Congratulations to Artina Promotional Products for receiving the Columbus C.E.O. magazine Best of Business 2011 Award for Best Promotional Product Company! Find out more about Artina at www.artina.com.

Welcome New Members

Martin Carpet Cleaning

John, Chad, and Brent Martin
795 South Wall Street, Columbus, Ohio 43206/614-443-4655
www.martincarpetcleaning.com

Since 1890, Central Ohio homeowners and businesses have entrusted the experts at Martin Carpet Cleaning for their carpet, furniture (fabric and leather), tile & grout and area/oriental rug cleaning needs. In addition, they offer area/oriental rug repair services, custom rug padding, facility services and a wide variety of rental services and supplies including floor mats, dust mops, wet mops, shop towels and bathroom products. Martin Carpet Cleaning is one of the oldest continuously operated family businesses in Central Ohio. The family is proud to have their third and fourth generations (John and his sons Chad and Brent Martin) currently operating the business. Their founders, Mary and Frederic Martin, originally moved from Columbus west to California in the hopes of finding gold. Instead, they learned the art of oriental and area rug cleaning and found the inspiration for their dream of owning their own business in Columbus. Now, 120 years later, the Martins continue to build on the strong traditions that Mary and Frederic established of providing the highest quality services and products available. They look forward to a fifth generation someday continuing their unique story.

Rumpke Consolidated Companies, Inc.

Andrew and Tyler Rumpke, Shane Leftridge, Todd Wielinski, Jonathan Kissell
1191 Fields Avenue, Columbus, OH 43201/1-800-828-8171
www.rumpke.com

Rumpke Consolidated Companies, Inc. has been committed to keeping neighborhoods and businesses clean and green since 1932 by providing environmentally friendly waste disposal solutions. Headquartered near Cincinnati with a regional operation in Columbus, Rumpke is one of the nation's largest privately owned residential and commercial waste and recycling firms, providing service to areas of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia. Rumpke divisions include Rumpke Recycling, Rumpke Portable Restrooms, The William-Thomas Group and Rumpke Hydraulics. Rumpke employs more than 2,300 people, with 75 family members involved in the daily operations of the company.

Interesting Reading

Wendy's works to revive under new leadership
Columbus Dispatch
Farber, who spoke today during a seminar on family business at Ohio Dominican University, said Wendy's new CEO Emil Brolick, who formerly worked closely with company founder Dave Thomas, will help to return the chain to the "luster" it enjoyed in...

Giant Eagle names new CEO
Ohio.com
Shapira Karet, 42, will succeed her father, David Shapira, in the privately held, family-owned business. The Shapira family has owned the company for 41 years of its 80 year history and David Shapira has been CEO since 1980...

Family business Lego celebrates Christmas with toy tree
Campden FB
But family business Lego Group has taken the spirit of the celebration to a whole new level by building a tree made entirely of Lego bricks. It isn't really Christmas without a tree to brighten up the place. But family business Lego Group has taken the...

Family business succession - tips for making it work
Simply Business knowledge
Family business succession is fraught with potential problems - and it requires significant forward planning. Here are some simple tips to help you plan for successful family succession...

America's 10 Largest Family-Owned Businesses
msnbc.com
Family Business Magazine recently put out a list of the 100 largest family businesses in the US -- including industry giants like Wal-Mart, Koch Industries and Cargill. We've highlighted the top 10, which collectively generate $1 trillion...

Family businesses and families must sometimes part ways
News & Observer
I am often asked what is more important in a family business, the family or the business? My first instinct is to explain that this is not really the proper question as it assumes that you can only have success in one...

Five Steps a Woman Can Take to Help Her Family-Run Business Survive Divorce
Forbes
Certainly, the end of a marriage does not have to mean the end of a family business. But, whether you're a successful female business owner or a woman who's part of a successful family business team, you've undoubtedly sacrificed an enormous amount and...

Does contribution equal compensation?
KPCnews.com
One of the most difficult decisions owners of a farm and ranch business confront occurs when one heir returns to the family business, while he or she has siblings that do not. If you start out with the idea that we all love our children...

Monday Q&A: Mom-and-pops meet meta-analysis
RichmondBizSense
It's a very cool family owned business. RBS: In your research, you tie the idea of family units to evolution and discuss how they help foster survival. But can that really translate into modern business? JP: There are a lot of reasons, both theoretical...

Value Added: A burning desire to revive the family business
Washington Post
Bill Paley of McLean decided a couple of years ago to get into the family cigar business, where his late father had begun his career. Bill's father eventually took his work in another direction and left the company. It expired around the 1930s...