In this, our second issue of the Center for Family Business newsletter, we want to thank each of you for your support over the past year, and we look forward to what lies ahead in the coming academic year.
Since September 2013, we have had workshops on topics ranging from The Dark Side of Leadership, to Effective Communication, to Building Trust, to Creating Advisory Boards, to Business Planning. We have seen how one family business from Dallas, Texas crumbled in the face of family battles and a lack of shared values.
Hopefully you have learned many things from these workshops that you have been able to apply in your own family business.
As we move into this new Academic year, you will see a few old familiar faces as presenters (Garry Ridge, CEO of WD-40; and Lois Lang, both of whom spoke to us in 2011), and will learn a great deal from some of your peers in some of our “Family Business Stories” series workshops. In our first such workshop, we will learn from three members of our Center who have been through successful leadership transitions (Cascade Pump, Hill Brothers, and Teacher Created Materials). We will also dive further into topics such as leadership, management, and governance, and look more closely at ways in which we can create greater sustainability for our organizations, wealth for our posterity, and a more satisfactory quality of life. You will notice a much greater focus on developing the next generation for leadership, as we all understand that the sustainability and future health of any organization is in its future leadership.
Our membership is approaching 50 family businesses, and we know it is impossible to please everyone all of the time, so this is why we are putting much more effort into vetting each of our speakers before we bring them in to speak to you. It is our mission to provide the best possible education and tools for each of you at every workshop.
With greater support from our partners City National Bank, Ferruzzo & Ferruzzo, and McGladrey, we will be bringing speakers in who are renowned for their expertise in their fields, and this will get us much closer to our goal of becoming THE #1 trusted resource for family businesses here in Southern California.
We have a new marketing brochure coming out this summer, and would love to get several into your hands that you can share with other family businesses that you know.
As always, if you have any suggestions on topics or speakers, please do not hesitate to contact me.
CSUF Center for Family Business 