2017
July 20, 2017: Family Business Seminar in partnership with PA Center for Employee Ownership - Passing the Torch, The Pros & Cons of Succession, Sale and ESOPs for Effective Business Continuation
Ownership transition can be difficult. Let us help you evaluate and consider 3 options for successful continuation of your business - succession to the next generation, sale to a third party and transition to an ESOP (employee stock ownership plan) - as we discuss and debate these transition strategies. View photos.
June 13, 2017: Family Business Seminar - Estate Planning Essentials for the Family Business Owner
Robert Louis and a team of partners at Saul Ewing LLP will present the essentials of estate planning for family businesses.
All family members in the business will not want to miss this informational session, packed with useful tips and action items to start your planning process now. View photos.
May 23, 2017: Open House - Innovation or Extinction!
Family Business & Entrepreneurship Executive-in-Residence and serial entrepreneur, Marc Kramer will present on the topic Keeping the Business Relevant while Maintaining Family Harmony.
Don't miss out on this special opportunity to network, learn about an exciting topic, and discover what our community is all about. View photo gallery.
Hear case studies and best practices for effective change management focused on transition strategies for both family business founders and future leaders. The examples will spark innovation, move the family business forward, and ultimately lead to greater progress and profitability. View photo gallery.
April 20, 2017: Dine with the Dean
Our Dine with the Dean, hosted by the Erivan K. Haub School of Business Dean Joseph DiAngelo is an exclusive, invite-only breakfast occurring only once a year at Saint Joseph’s University. Our inaugural event featured Jeff Grimshaw, author of "Leadership without Excuses" and a partner at MGStrategy, who shared how he helps senior leaders align people, strategy, and culture in pursuit of business results. View photos.
March 23, 2017: Family Business Legacy Speaker Series - Aged to Perfection
Di Bruno Bros. Share their Blueprint to their House of Cheese Legacy
Join us to hear Bill and Emilio Mignucci, 3rd generation owners of Di Bruno Bros., as they share how they have grown the business to become one of the most recognized specialty food retailers in the country, while still preserving the legacy built by Danny and Joe Di Bruno over 75 years ago. View photo gallery.
February 23, 2017: Family Business Seminar - Building Shared Mission, Vision & Values, Part I
March 9, 2017: Family Business Workshop - Building Shared Mission, Vision & Values, Part II
Bring the whole family out for this 2-part collaborative workshop!
- Defining the terms and framing why having a clear set of shared family values is important for the family business
- Exploring the impact of vision & values through the stories shared by other area family businesses
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Begin the building process by working with family members and members from other family businesses on a collaborative, table-top activity
- Apply the insights learned in part-one to your own family business through this hands on, interactive workshop
- Promote family inclusivity by involving all family members in the business in the building process
- Leave with a draft of your family's shared values
January 24, 2017: Open House - Family Business Essentials Playbook: Legal Edition
Don't be blindsided by lawsuits: The offensive & defensive plays to protect your family and your business
Here’s your chance to run through an all-things-legal playbook with expert tips and advice from a pair of partners at Conrad O’Brien with over 60 years joint experience. Walk away from this 45-minute presentation with actionable items that you can put into place right away so you can focus on your business! View photo gallery.
2016
November 16, 2016: Family Business Seminar - Family Conflict Do's & Don'ts
How to resolve conflict quickly to inspire commitment and greater productivity
Family conflict in a family business is inevitable; however if managed properly, it can be quite useful. Join us in this breakfast seminar and workshop to explore how you can make the most of conflicts. View photo gallery.
First in a 4-part learning series entitled, “Keeping it in the Family: Best Practices for Engaging the Next Generation of Family Business Leaders.”
Gain high-level insight into encouraging the next generation of leaders to pursue their dreams and work together to build a shared vision as future leaders of the family legacy. Featured speakers include Meghan Juday, Fourth Generation Leader and Director for IDEAL Industries, and Jill Shipley, Managing Director, Family Dynamics and Education for Abbot Downing. View photo gallery.
September 27, 2016: Family Business Legacy Speaker Series - Brewed to Perfection
Yuengling CEO & Daughters Share Recipe for Six Generations of Succession
Get your family business succession-ready with tips and insights from the family with 185 years of successful ownership under their belts —The Yuengling Family! Don’t miss out on this special opportunity for a sneak peek behind the scenes of one of the most successful family-owned and operated businesses in the United States. View photo gallery.
May 19, 2016: Breakfast Seminar - Building Agreement in Your Family
Explore how your family business can build agreement among family members by implementing regular family meetings, a family council and a family charter.
Fourth generation family members from IDEAL Industries, Inc. and A. Duie Pyle, Inc. will share the secrets to their success in building agreement across multiple generations.
March 9, 2016: Webinar - Grow Your Family as You Grow Your Business
Learn how to increase your family's stewardship and leadership capabilities so your family's growth is in sync with the growth of the business.
February 4, 2016: Peer Advisory Group Kickoff Event
Do you wish that you had a quality sounding board for airing the challenges you’re experiencing in your family business?
Join the Initiative for Family Business and Entrepreneurship and your greater Philadelphia family business peers for an evening of networking and confidential discussion. Discover the transformative power of peer-to-peer learning and support by participating in a Peer Advisory Group (PAG). PAGs are small, confidential groups of individuals from family businesses that meet to discuss the challenges that come along with being part of a family-owned business.
2015
November 4, 2015: Leadership Series - Sustaining Wealth Through the Generations
How do you preserve your family’s wealth from one generation to the next? How do you prepare your next generation to receive wealth and be a good ambassador? How does your family define wealth?
If you sometimes wrestle with questions like these, then we invite you to join us for our upcoming family business lunch seminar where you will be challenged to think beyond the traditional definition of wealth and what it means to truly leave a legacy for future generations of your family.
September 15, 2015: Leadership Series – Succession and Beyond: Creating a Successful Transition
So you've successfully transitioned the family business to the next generation of leadership. Now what? The struggle to find continued purpose and meaning in your life after transitioning out of the family business is real and can feel overwhelming. This workshop will explore this often neglected topic. Families are encouraged to attend together to help develop whole family strategies that support these entrepreneurial and dynamic leaders in their transition to the next phase of meaningful and purpose-driven work in their both their families and communities.
What makes for a sustainable family business: Communication,Transparency or Inclusiveness? Or are all three equally important? Join us as we explore how a deliberate focus on these factors help lay a timeless and lasting foundation for sustainability, both as an innovation-driven business and as a legacy for generations to come. We will reveal the secrets to sustainability by exploring case studies of families that have been successful. Your family will have an opportunity to identify communication and inclusiveness strategies that will help manage and reduce conflict within your family business.
Why do firms like Columbia Sportswear, Enterprise Rent a Car, and Marriott highlight the fact that they are family-owned? Because they know that “Familiness” engenders customer loyalty. Join us for a discussion of how to upgrade your marketing strategy, and how highlighting the fact that you are a family-controlled firm can help create provide a potential marketing advantage.
2014
December 10, 2014: Leadership Series – Succession: The Keys to a Successful Leadership Transition.
Ownership and management transitions are never easy. Many senior generation leaders hold on to ownership and management too long – destroying trust and motivation in the successor team. Others transition too early – risking the business’ future with a successor who is not ready for the responsibility of leadership. Join us for engaging discussion of transition strategies from our panel of family business leaders from some of the most successful firms in our region. These leaders have transitioned successfully, but all have battle scars from which we can all learn.
October 23, 2014: Leadership Series – From Entitled Brat to Empowered Leader: How great family businesses build a culture of meritocracy and address the cancer of entitlement.
Join us for a frank and insightful dialogue about how your family can avoid and / or address the difficulties that arise from an entitlement mentality. All of our families struggle with entitlement at some level. The key issue for family firms is: a) How do we avoid raising entitled kids? B) How do we address entitlement when it has taken hold? Our speaker, Franco Lombardo, will challenge us to understand the root cause of entitlement AND provide specific remedies once it has taken hold. In addition, Lombardo will share five specific requirements for creating empowered successors.
September 10, 2014: Leadership Series -"Enterprising Families"
What is the “secret sauce” of family businesses that are successful across multiple generations??? Join us on September 10 as we discuss how great families build a legacy of entrepreneurship and family unity. Our speaker, Tim Habbershon, is an executive at one of the largest and most successful family businesses in the world. Over the last 20 years he has helped hundreds of family firms develop their strategy for family “enterprising.” He is one of the top rated speakers in the world and you are sure to leave with ideas that will impact your family firm.