A Seat at the Table

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Today Natalie sits down with George Sousa Jr., president of the Mariani Family Premium Dried Fruit & Packing Company. He also happens to be Natalie’s cousin. George and Natalie give a detailed look at the good, the bad and the ugly of running a multi-generational family company, which has been around for over 100 years. 

What happens when you have dozens of owners? What happens when family members want out? What happens when they want a job? How do you navigate working with other employees when your last name is on the package? George takes you through his experience with all these scenarios as well as his belief that transparency and honesty are the foundation of good leadership in a company. 

George also shares a gruesome accident that shaped his life and taught him about perseverance and why the Mariani’s turned down an opportunity to be early owners of Apple stock. 

Visit Mariani Family Premium Dried Fruit & Packing Company website

Visit the Capital Region Family Business Center here 

To learn more about the Capital Region Family Business Center visit our website HERE. To learn more about River City Bank and how they can benefit your family business, visit www.rivercitybank.com

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Join the conversation as your host, Natalie Mariani Kling visits with Donald and Justin Ratajczak, a father and son who are just two of many family members who have been a part of the family owned S&G Carpet and more.  Donald shares how several members of the Ratajczak family started working at the carpet company in San Jose in the 1970’s and how their family bought out the original owners and turned it into a family owned institution in Sacramento and the Bay Area we all know today.  Justin reminisces about playing in the vast carpet warehouse as a kid, friends singing the popular jingle to him at school and deciding to leave a promising career in San Francisco as an actuarial analyst, to come back home and work his way up to C.F.O. of the family business.  The discussion continues as they talk about the struggles and benefits of working with family, hiring and firing family members and surviving the great recession, as well as,  the bright future of S&G moving forward. 

For more information on S&G Carpets you can visit www.sgcarpet.com

To learn more about The Capital Region Family Business Center please visit www.capfamilybus.org

To learn more about the Capital Region Family Business Center visit our website HERE. To learn more about River City Bank and how they can benefit your family business, visit www.rivercitybank.com

Let us know what you thought of this episode and any other comments you may have.

In this very first episode of "A Seat at the Table",  Steve Bender joins your host, Natalie Mariani Kling, to share the story of transition from his father's company, Warren G. Bender Insurance to what has now become a significant presence in the insurance industry, Bender Insurance Solutions.  You'll hear the story from the beginning to the current structure as Steve shares how he came into the family business, grew it and now is about to transition it to his daughters.  Steve also provides anecdotal advice, common sense and some solid business strategy that was well ahead of his peers in the field.  Bender Insurance Services has gone from start-up, to first generation growth and now second generation succession as Steve's daughters take over the business.  This is a wonderful story that has resulted in an outcome that has and continues to provide for many. 

You can learn more about Bender Insurance Solutions by visiting www.https://mybendersolutions.com/

To learn more about the Capital Region Family Business Center visit: www.https://capfamilybus.org/

To learn more about the Capital Region Family Business Center visit our website HERE. To learn more about River City Bank and how they can benefit your family business, visit www.rivercitybank.com

Let us know what you thought of this episode and any other comments you may have.

Natalie Mariani-Kling introduces herself and this new podcast to serve family owned businesses and the unique challenges they encounter as they pass from generation to generation.  Created by the Capital Region Family Business Center, Natalie explains the purpose and need for a resource just like this.  

To learn more about the Capital Region Family Business Center visit our website HERE. To learn more about River City Bank and how they can benefit your family business, visit www.rivercitybank.com