Harbor Wholesale Foods (then named West Coast Produce Company) was founded in 1923 by Carl Erickson, as a supplier of fresh food to logging camps in the Grays Harbor region. It is now one of the fifteen largest private
companies in the state of Washington, catering to convenience stores, grocery stores, and restaurants.

Whether by necessity or design, family owned enterprises may find themselves looking outside of the family for leadership. However, bringing in a non-family CEO can result in significant change to the way the family ownership group operates. Please join our panel of non-family CEOs and family member officers and directors.

The 2nd Annual Family and Closely Held Business Summit will address the pressing issues that will impact family and closely held businesses now and in the future, especially after the outcome of the upcoming presidential election. Attendees will leave the program with practical, actionable strategies for addressing challenges particular to family and closely held businesses.

Please join us for Family Business Succession: Transitioning to Sibling & Cousin Generations. Ivan Lansberg, Ph.D., an international speaker and Academic Director of the Family Enterprise Executive Programs at the Kellogg School of Management, will guide participants in the day-long event that focuses on the success factors for effectively transitioning from the first to second, and second to third generations.

Gonzaga University School of Business Presents:
"Family Business: Transitioning to the Sibling and Cousin Generations"
Featuring: Ivan Lansberg, Ph.D. International speaker and Academic Director of the Family Enterprise Executive Programs, Kellogg School of Management

Baker Boyer Bank Presents:
"Family Business: Transitioning to the Sibling and Cousin Generations"
Featuring: Ivan Lansberg, Ph.D. International speaker and Academic Director of the Family Enterprise Executive Programs, Kellogg School of Management

Kick-start your succession process with practical tools and a clear, step-by-step approach to building your succession plan from the ground up. Learn how to begin the conversation and constructively address conflicts that arise along the way, use case studies to work through common succession challenges as a team and get the latest legal and accounting insights from local experts. Specifically designed for businesses in agriculture, this program helps families proactively plan for management transition and develop an estate plan that’s family friendly and business smart. 

Please join us for the Eleventh Annual Family Business Institute in Portland, Oregon. The program is scheduled for May 19 on the beautiful campus of the Lewis & Clark Law School.

Please join our expert panel of family business owners as they discuss the affect and consequence on the family in the sale of the family business.  Our presenters include Steve Gordon, CEO of Gordon Trucking (sold in 2013), Corry McFarland, CEO of McFarland Cascade (sold in 2012), Steve Loeb, CEO of Alaska Distributors (sold in 2008), and Brett Brinton, CEO who was involved with his father in the sale of one family business (Wasser) and the formation with his brother of another (Zonar).

More than ever before, family businesses, especially those with significant growth aspirations and/or complex and challenging dynamics, need an effective board. Reasons include the demand for rapid innovation, the need to compete for outside talent, and a growing urgency to prepare for lead­ership succession and transfer of ownership across genera­tions. It is estimated that with the transition of the boomer generation, 40 percent of current leaders of family-owned companies will retire in the next five years.  Our discussion will be geared for leaders and owners of family businesses who are looking to help the company meet these challenges either by building a board or by advancing the capability of the one they have. 

Jon Hemingway, Chairman of Carrix, Inc. and CEO of Progeny 3, shared his perspective on the evolution from waterfront labor broker to an international port operator over a span of six decades. 

PFBI and its sponsoring partners presented the results of the 2015 Northwest Family Business Survey. We discussed our findings relative to business growth, succession planning, family business structure and ownership, governance and more. Through a brief presentation and moderated panel of questions posed to our partnering sponsors, Cascadia Capital, Perkins Coie, and the Threshold Group, attendees explored new ways to help regional family businesses thrive.

Seattle Business Magazine honored Washington's top family businesses at an awards banquet. Awards were handed out in numerous categories honoring multigeneration family enterprises large and small, plus special categories such as stewardship, best practices and lifetime achievement.

Governance is perhaps the most significant challenge for a family business.  A panel of experts discussed key considerations in the effective operation and oversight of a family business.

Acting as fiduciary where a family business comprises a significant part of the estate or trust can be a significant undertaking, with many planning opportunities and potential perils. The role of a family business attorney can be vital for ensuring a smooth transition and avoiding the potential conflict that can arise with succession planning. Join John Draneas and Pat Green as they discuss family fiduciaries through the lens of a case study discussion centered around a family real estate business, and some potential pitfalls (such as establishing a successor and trustee, potential lawsuits and claims, etc.) and how to proactively protect one’s estate and business plan.

Join Megan Clubb, CEO of Baker Boyer National Bank and the great-great granddaughter of bank co-founder Dr. D.S. Baker, and Peter Allen, Executive Vice President and a member of the 6th generation in the business, as they share their views on responding to challenges, the role of family in family business and the need for re-invention. Founded 20 years before Washington became a State, Baker Boyer National Bank opened in Walla Walla in 1869. The Bank remains the oldest independently owned community bank in Washington. It now operates with five branches, including wealth management and business banking offices in Yakima and the Tri-Cities.

Join fourth generation family business members Betsy and Stacey in a discussion about dealing with sudden leadership change, preparing the next generation, and the need for reinvention.

The ongoing process of guiding family business ownership through the many transitional challenges of ensuring continuity of the business across generations can be a monumental endeavor for advisors. The role of the psychologist can be vital to the advisory team in helping to promote an effective succession outcome. Come join Ron Dohr, Ph.D., as he discusses the process of succession planning, key transitional elements impacting success, how to build a team approach using multiple advisors, and real world case examples. Dr. Dohr, a Seattle-based family business psychologist, is nationally recognized in the field of family business, advising business owner clients on a wide range of topics including succession planning, business and family governance, family dynamics, business and family transition, and building a family legacy.

The Pacific Family Business Institute (PFBI) conducts comprehensive surveys of family businesses to better understand the benefits and liabilities of owning and operating a family-owned business in the Pacific Northwest. The 2014 Northwest Family Business Survey captured the views of 195 leaders representing family businesses in more than ten industry sectors in Oregon and Washington. Survey questions covered business history and future, management and governance structures, and the influence of multiple generations on family-owned businesses. PFBI co-directors Rich Simmonds and Mark T. Green will discuss key insights derived from the survey findings.

Spanning over 100 years and four generations, Wilcox Family Farms has grown from a 240-acre farm established in 1909 by founders Judson and Elizabeth Wilcox, to over 1,800 acres in the foothills of Mt. Rainier. One of the keys to Wilcox Family Farm’s success has been the company’s ability to strategically adapt in the face of a changing market and economy. In 2005, they revised their commitment to sustainability, and in response to the growing demand for organic and cage-free eggs, as well as the company’s desire to sustain the land, community, and company for the future, they began to transition to 100% cage-free systems and organic raising methods for their chickens. Since 2005, they have made steady progress toward the 100% cage-free and organic goal. In 2008, they closed the dairy business to focus on egg production. The fourth generation recently took the helm of Wilcox Family Farms. In this presentation, Barrie, Jim, Brent, Andy, Chris, and State Representative J.T. Wilcox, will discuss how family businesses can prepare the next generation for success and capitalize on innovation without sacrificing the traditions and legacy of the family business.

TEC’s expansion from a single used truck center to 22 franchised dealerships and three used truck centers and 1,000 employees has not followed a traditional path. Today David and his family retain sole ownership of the enterprise, which enjoyed a 53 percent jump in revenue, to $430 million, in the fiscal year ended May ‘13, up from $280 million in fiscal year 2012. David and Ann’s sons, David Oliver, Christopher, and William each play an active role in the success of the company. In this third program of the Family Business Study Group Series, we will hear from David Thompson, CEO of TEC Equipment, Inc., and each of his sons about how his focused strategy has yielded over 30 years of profitability, market share growth, and financial stability and the planning that has supported this growth.

Since launching Saltchuk Resources in 1982 by putting together a group of investors to acquire Totem Ocean Trailer Express (TOTE), a Seattle-based shipping company, Mike Garvey built a portfolio of 22 businesses—in everything from air cargo to trucking. During this Legacy Series, Mr. Garvey and his daughter, Denise Tabbutt, Director and shareholder, will discuss succession planning and implementation, governance, as well as the challenges of running a complex family owned business.

The Excellence in Family Business Awards program was founded in 1988 to applaud the accomplishments and contributions of family businesses for their innovation, entrepreneurship, commitment, and heart. This is an evening of celebration!

Join Seattle Business in honoring Washington's top family businesses!

In this second program of the 2013 Family Business Study Group Series, we will hear from Jay Haladay, CEO of Viewpoint, about how they continue to grow the business at 50% per year while keeping the family energized about their involvement in the company, and the potential for a future IPO.