Family Business Newsletter

a publication of the                                                 Delaware Valley Family Business Center

                       January 2010
Family Business Learning Community
Announcing our Initial 2010 Family Business
Learning Community Programs!
Please mark your calendars now for upcoming educational Forums and watch for our 2010 Program to be released soon! 
 
Henry, Clem and DeanJanuary 28, 2010 Mini-Forum: 
Lessons Learned from the Downturn:
Building a Thriving Business in 2010
 
With the economy recovering, why are some businesses poised for growth and profits while others still struggle? Learn the strategies and best practices to reevaluate, restructure and reinvent your business for a
successful 2010.
 
Learn from Mario Vicari, Kreischer Miller, and Rocco Pace, President, Oliver Heating & Cooling, Morton, PA
and other business owners who have reinvented their strategic direction to remain competitive and prepare for the current realities.
Exceptional Trust, Support & Competence in the Face of Unusual Complexity: The Sullivan Family, Dunmore Corporation
 
The Sullivans, Dunmore Corporation, Bristol, PA, a G2 family of 11 siblings - of which 9 are shareholders and 7 are employed in the business - share remarkable trust, including working closely with their non-family partner for 29 years. Learn how they have developed a big business mentality within their business family resulting in a great organization and an even greater family!
Highlights from Our November 17
Annual Dinner Meeting:
Enjoy a slideshow and recap of the evening's events!Henry, Clem and Dean
 
Over 370 family business members and guests gathered for our Dinner Meeting featuring Chick-fil-A's President, Dan Cathy,
G2, Atlanta, GA.
Celebrating Learning Community Progress
One of our foundational values is "Celebrating Progress ... Not Perfection as we prepare for success together ... at work & at home ... today and through the Generations."

Member Progress
 
Shady Maple ExpansionMember Shady Maple broke ground on September 8, 2009 for a new 14,000 square foot addition to the East Earl supermarket. 
 
Expansion plans include a new entrance with a carport to protect customers from the weather, new spacious restrooms, additional checkout counters and new tile flooring throughout the store. Their produce and seafood departments will be enhanced and repositioned along with combining the foyer meals with a new Shady Maple caf�.

Shady Maple's overall appearance will be more open and provide a more convenient shopping pattern.
News from the Family Business Center
Learning Community Director - Sally Derstine
Sally Derstine
 
Choosing Contentment 
 
The current state of our economy over the last year has affected everyone in some way.  I am encouraged by our members and clients who choose to view any situation they find themselves in as an opportunity rather than a crisis.  This is an attitude we bring to our personal and professional lives.  Furthermore, I admire those who choose contentment over fear and frustration.

In his book, The Power of Enough:  Finding Contentment By Putting Stuff In Its Place, Lynn Miller analyzes the barriers to living in contentment that have us tied up in the relentless American pursuit of "more."  Miller notes we have created a culture that is in disarray.  We have loaded up with goods but are in debt up to our eyeballs, fearful about how we will manage to keep it all together. Despite all of our efforts to "pursue happiness," many of us are anything but happy.
Henry Landes, President, DVFBCPresidentPresident's Corner - Henry Landes 

The REAL Bottom Line:  Growing People!   

Perhaps like you, my development as a child was profoundly and positively impacted by my close contact and involvement in a thriving family business started in 1929 by Grammy and Grandpop, Susan and I. T. Landes. I have fond memories of "hanging around the shop" with my Grandpop, my Dad, my older brothers, and employees . . . observing, learning, no doubt often getting in the way, and sometimes even contributing!

I believe our businesses can be powerful resources (part of the "village") in growing children. From the earliest days of cleaning bathrooms, mowing the company lawns, and sealing envelopes, the family AND the business provide an excellent learning laboratory for our children.

In This Issue
Family Business Learning Community
Celebrating Learning Community Progress!
Learning Community Director
President's Corner
Recommended Reading
Recommended Reading
 
A Woman's Place:
The Crucial Role of
Women in
Family Business
 
A Woman's Place discusses the complexity of working with a spouse and the pitfalls of a personal as well as business relationship. The book provides concrete advice to avoid problems that could result from such a relationship. Simple, easy to understand financial information is provided for women who may not see themselves as confident and assured in the financial arena.
Founded in 1988, the Delaware Valley Family Business Center is a family business advisory firm that prepares business families for generations of success. The premier Family Business Center in the Philadelphia area, we have served over 600 business families.
 
Our intergenerational team-building process, "The Lasting Legacy Process™" provides the direction, confidence and tools to grow robust enterprises, develop competent leaders and strengthen family relationships.
 
Working in concert with a multi-disciplinary team with deep experience and specialized expertise in all aspects of family business transitions, we guide our clients through all aspects of family business transitions to assure success through this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

For more information on preparing for generations of success or to register for an upcoming event, please contact Sally Derstine at (215) 723-8413 or click here to email.