Cornerstone Conversations

We’re joined by Jon and Max Harrell to talk about their family business: Generations Bank, a Northwest Arkansas pillar serving individuals, families, and business across the state for over 100 years. They share the story of how each of them found their way into the banking business and how they've navigated the tension between of being father / son co-workers.

→ Connect with Generations Bank
→ Learn more about the Jim Walcott Family Enterprise Center

If you are a family business owner or small business owner looking for:

• Guidance on training your son in a business
• Direction on balancing ambition and humility
• OR looking for a new bank home for your business

 This conversation will give you a real, behind-the-scenes look at what that actually takes.

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→ Watch this episode on YouTube

00:00 Stats about Family Business
1:09 Why is banking so stable?
7:00 Jon's journey into joining Generations Bank
15:30 Max's journey into joining Generations Bank
32:00 The weight of stepping into a family business
42:00 Ambition vs. Humility
47:00 The future of Generations Bank

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On Cornerstone Conversations, we explore the unique dynamic of fathers and sons who work together, whether they built something from scratch or carried something forward.

Our mission is to create a space for intentional conversation and storytelling around family business transitions and legacy by enabling more dads to see working with their kids as a discipleship opportunity and more sons to see working with dad as an honor, not a handout.

Connect with Kile Graves or Cornerstone Coaching on LinkedIn
Learn more about Cornerstone Coaching at www.cornerstoneco.com

We’re joined by Doug and Tristan Batie to talk about their new joint family venture: Carve AutoLab, an automotive market intelligence company that simplifies the car buying process. They share the story of how each of them decided to start this together and how they've navigated the tension between of being father / son co-owners.

→ Connect with Carve AutoLab
→ Protect your nest with HootOwl Estate Planning

If you are a family business owner or small business owner looking for:

• Guidance on starting a business with your son
• Direction on balancing ambition and humility
• OR looking to be better informed about the car buying experience

 This conversation will give you a real, behind-the-scenes look at what that actually takes.

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→ Watch this episode on YouTube

00:00 Stats about Family Business
1:09 Starting Carve AutoLab
17:30 Who is Carve AutoLab for?
38:30 Ambition vs. humilty
43:00 Unique rewards of working together
59:00 Advice to father / son looking to partner together

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On Cornerstone Conversations, we explore the unique dynamic of fathers and sons who work together, whether they built something from scratch or carried something forward.

Our mission is to create a space for intentional conversation and storytelling around family business transitions and legacy by enabling more dads to see working with their kids as a discipleship opportunity and more sons to see working with dad as an honor, not a handout.

Connect with Kile Graves or Cornerstone Coaching on LinkedIn
Learn more about Cornerstone Coaching at www.cornerstoneco.com

We’re joined by Dwight & Blake Power of Ozark Consulting & Marketing to talk about what it looks to grow their business together. Dwight shares his story of founding OCM and how each of them have navigated the tension between being father / son co-workers, and what it means to build a company that can last for 50 years and beyond.

→ Connect with Ozark Consulting & Marketing

If you are a family business owner or small business owner looking for:

• Guidance on training your son in the family business
• Direction on balancing risk and innovation at scale
• OR learning how to grow into leadership while working alongside a family member

 This conversation will give you a real, behind-the-scenes look at what that actually takes.

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→ Watch this episode on YouTube

00:00 Stats about Family Business
1:09 Dwight's journey to founding OCM
14:30 Blake's journey into OCM
24:00 How roles are divided up
34:30 Advice to fathers with "ambitious" sons
47:00 Unique rewards about working together
1:02:00 How does OCM re-invent itself?

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On Cornerstone Conversations, we explore the unique dynamic of fathers and sons who work together, whether they built something from scratch or carried something forward.

Our mission is to create a space for intentional conversation and storytelling around family business transitions and legacy by enabling more dads to see working with their kids as a discipleship opportunity and more sons to see working with dad as an honor, not a handout.

Connect with Kile Graves or Cornerstone Coaching on LinkedIn
Learn more about Cornerstone Coaching at www.cornerstoneco.com

We’re joined by Brad and Marshall Smith of Pender-Craft to talk about what it looks like to step into business together: not through inheritance, but by choosing to take a risk side by side. They share how this opportunity came together, how they’ve navigated the tension between father, son, and co-owners, and what it means to build something meaningful while learning how to lead together in real time.

→ Connect with Natural State Wealth Advisors

If you are a family business owner or small business owner looking for:

• Guidance on buying a business with your son
• Balancing risk, faith, and responsibility together
• OR learning how to grow into leadership while working alongside your dad

 This conversation will give you a real, behind-the-scenes look at what that actually takes.

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→ Watch this episode on YouTube

00:00 Stats about Family Business
1:09 Brad's journey into Pender-Craft
9:00 Marshall's journey into Pender-Craft
15:00 Finding a good father / son business fit
19:00 Evaluating risk
28:00 How roles are divided up
42:30 Unique rewards & challenges
52:00 Advice to fathers & sons thinking about going into business together
1:00:00 Pitfalls of family business

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On Cornerstone Conversations, we explore the unique dynamic of fathers and sons who work together, whether they built something from scratch or carried something forward.

Our mission is to create a space for intentional conversation and storytelling around family business transitions and legacy by enabling more dads to see working with their kids as a discipleship opportunity and more sons to see working with dad as an honor, not a handout.

Connect with Kile Graves or Cornerstone Coaching on LinkedIn
Learn more about Cornerstone Coaching at www.cornerstoneco.com

We’re joined by Jeff and McKane Martin of Martin Building Group to talk about more than just construction: they unpack what it looks like to build something from the ground up while navigating the tension of independence, legacy, and stepping into business with your dad without losing your own identity.

If you are a family business owner or small business owner looking for:

• Guidance on starting a business with your son (not just inheriting one)
• Balancing independence with legacy in a family business
• OR learning how to build something meaningful together without forcing it

 This conversation will give you a real, behind-the-scenes look at what that actually takes.

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→ Watch this episode on YouTube

00:00 Stats about Family Business
1:09 Jeff's journey into Martin Building Group
9:00 McKane's journey into Martin Building Group
14:00 Parenting as a small business owner
20:00 Talking about working together
35:00 How roles are divided up
46:30 3 Seasons of Family Business

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On Cornerstone Conversations, we explore the unique dynamic of fathers and sons who work together, whether they built something from scratch or carried something forward.

Our mission is to create a space for intentional conversation and storytelling around family business transitions and legacy by enabling more dads to see working with their kids as a discipleship opportunity and more sons to see working with dad as an honor, not a handout.

Connect with Kile Graves or Cornerstone Coaching on LinkedIn
Learn more about Cornerstone Coaching at www.cornerstoneco.com

We’re joined by Shannon and Graves Schmidly of BHC Insurance to talk about more than just business: they walk through what it really means to step into legacy, build trust over decades, and figure out how a father and son can work side by side without losing either the relationship or the mission of the company.

If you are a family business owner or small business owner looking for:

• Guidance on navigating generational transition
• Building something that lasts
• OR Learning how to lead while still learning

This conversation will give you a real, behind-the-scenes look at what that actually takes.

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→ Connect with Graves Schmidly
→ Watch this episode on YouTube

00:00 Stats about Family Business
2:00 Shannon's journey into BHC Insurance
16:00 Graves' journey into BHC Insurance
24:00 Shannon mentoring Graves at work
40:00 Evolution of the insurance industry
44:00 Unique rewards & challenges of working together
58:00 10-year vision of BHC Insurance

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On Cornerstone Conversations, we explore the unique dynamic of fathers and sons who work together, whether they built something from scratch or carried something forward.

Our mission is to create a space for intentional conversation and storytelling around family business transitions and legacy by enabling more dads to see working with their kids as a discipleship opportunity and more sons to see working with dad as an honor, not a handout.

Connect with Kile Graves or Cornerstone Coaching on LinkedIn
Learn more about Cornerstone Coaching at www.cornerstoneco.com

Welcome to Cornerstone Conversations where we discuss timely topics impacting communities, cultures, and economies. The first topic we're gonna dive into in this series is family business:

Currently there are 32 million family businesses in the US generating over half of our GDP as a country. They also employ 83 million people. What's interesting is only 30% of family businesses make it to the second generation, and only 12% make it to the third.

You've probably heard of the great wealth transfer that is taking place across the globe in the next five to seven years. 40% of all the small businesses in the US are owned by a baby boomer who is reaching retirement age pretty soon.

As coaches, we're really interested in what those impacts do to communities and cultures at large. We've had the privilege of walking alongside a lot of family business leaders over the past few years, and we believe this major intersection is something that can really, impact communities as well. 

In Season 1 of Cornerstone Conversations, we're gonna talk to six dads and sons that are working together and are trying to navigate what it means as a son to carry forward what their dad started, and as dads trying to let go of something that they've held onto for so long.

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On Cornerstone Conversations, we explore the unique dynamic of fathers and sons who work together, whether they built something from scratch or carried something forward.

Our mission is to create a space for intentional conversation and storytelling around family business transitions and legacy by enabling more dads to see working with their kids as a discipleship opportunity and more sons to see working with dad as an honor, not a handout.

Connect with Kile Graves or Cornerstone Coaching on LinkedIn
Learn more about Cornerstone Coaching at www.cornerstoneco.com