Rob Shooks is one of the 4th generation owner-operators of Shooks Farm and Cellar 1914 in Northern Michigan. What does it take for a family farming operation to cross the 100 year mark? We’ll learn about how Rob’s analytical skills led the family to make a major shift into starting a winery. Rob shares dramatic stories from the business’s past and shows how the family is already embracing a 5th generation. We talk hoops and running, too. Enjoy a celebratory taste of Cellar 1914.

Scott Leibovitz is the president of Ari-El Enterprises a GENeration EXcellence-style business that acquires, develops and manages commercial real estate. In this episode Scott shares how the business was founded (and named) by his father, his earliest memories of the business and where the family envisions taking Ari-El in the future. I enjoyed talking with Scott about family, about business, and about family business. No surprise they are separate and intertwined at the same time.

We welcome Don Barnes III, president of Belle Tire to GENeration EXcellence. Don continues the family leadership legacy for this tire and automotive service retailer with over 130 stores in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. As Belle Tire nears their 100th anniversary, Don shares the applied wisdom of the Belle Tire “Belief System.” Want to learn about the Infinite Game. Don said that Belle Tire is halfway to 200 and will continue to grow and go. You will learn from this podcast, Period!

Elizabeth Mays a third-generation businesswoman who leapt out of Western Michigan University, having majored in Film, Video & Media Studies and Graphic & Printing Science to make her mark on a legacy printing business in Detroit. In this episode we go from the Tuskegee Airmen, to a business transitioning from analog to digital, to our nation’s endless struggles with racial injustice. Lace up the “roller skates” (you’ll learn) and enjoy Elizabeth’s energy and wisdom.

Martha Zehnder Kaczynski is one of the 4th generation owners of the Bavarian Inn family of businesses in Frankenmuth, Michigan. This is a jam-packed 30 minutes on 132 years of continuous operations, family creed, values, and a never-ending commitment to creating enjoyable experiences. I hope you enjoy and respect Martha’s knowledge of and passion for her family business. Quiz to follow on success vs. significance.

William Alexander is a passionate lecturer at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. We spent an hour (that flew by) talking about perpetuating and stewarding generational family businesses. We get to learn about “expert power” from an expert and touch on values, accountability, family constitutions, ... even Confucian culture. You won’t get this anywhere else!

A masterclass with Sandy Rosen, CEO of Great Lakes Recycling (GLR) and part of the third-generation leadership of a business founded by his grandfather in Detroit in 1927. From scrap paper and rags to today accepting plastic, e-waste and automotive materials GLR is the story of an honest, hardworking and caring recycling company.

Try to go one day without opening a cabinet door. JB Cutting, Inc. CEO Deb Behring shares how her family business has been manufacturing high-quality cabinet components for the bath, kitchen and home storage industries for over 40 years. Our conversation “opens the door” to insights on delegating responsibilities, assessing talent, and work ethic. Take a listen to how Deb – working with her brother, JB – has helped steward growth while remaining true to the founding ideals of her parents.

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Want to learn about industriousness? Dan Weingartz generational family business story traces nearly 75 years from a single farm and feed store that has grown into an industry leader spanning five outdoor power equipment superstore locations in Utica, Farmington Hills, Cedar Springs, Clarkston and Ann Arbor. Join this conversation that covers everything from risk-it-all bets to a family foundation that is defining “service to others.”

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A conversation with Jeffrey, Josh, Andrew and Justin Moss, the 3rd and 4th generation family leaders of this 99 year-old Detroit institution who has been proudly serving kitchen and bath contractors and homeowners. We sat down in their award-winning Midtown location to talk about “Rebuilding Detroit” and even touched on the innovative Toto toilet.