We welcome Brittney Ray, a fifth-generation owner and chair of E. Ritter & Company, a portfolio of businesses in agriculture, telecommunications, fire and life safety, and information technology services across seven states. In our conversation, we take a deep dive into the Ritter family’s family council from her perspective as a married-in. You’ll hear Brittney describe how she’s navigated being a married-in leading the family council, how they’re building a family culture of respectful conflict, and how they’re casting a vision that ensures the family wants to stay in business with each other for generations to come.

Want to learn what key areas your family business should focus on next? Take the Family Business Checkup! After answering several prompts, the Family Business Checkup will give you scores on the key indicators of family business success and point you in the right direction for what you should focus on next. The Checkup is free and available here: www.fambus.org/resources

Family Business Connection will be 10 episodes featuring stories from all kinds of family business leaders that guide the family businesses to thrive for generations.

Thank you to this episode’s sponsor, JPMorgan Chase!

On our episode ahead of Father’s Day, we welcome Paul Steffes, Founder and Innovation Advisor of Steffes Companies headquartered in Dickinson, North Dakota.

In our conversation, we talk about family and business values and especially integrating innovation into all that Steffes does and stands for. We also discuss what Paul refers to as the OBM Model: Owner/Board/Management and how they all work together with each one’s unified voice. There was a time when Paul thought the next generation would not be able to afford the business and he talked about their family’s solution to that obstacle.

Want to learn what key areas your family business should focus on next? Take the Family Business Checkup! After answering several prompts, the Family Business Checkup will give you scores on the key indicators of family business success and point you in the right direction for what you should focus on next. The Checkup is free and available here: www.fambus.org/resources

Want to learn how you can tangibly influence your family business’ culture? Join an Affinity Peer Group! Affinity Peer Groups or APGs are small, highly confidential discussion groups that meet regularly, allowing members to share experiences and learn from each other. Through confidential discussion led by trained facilitators, you can hear how other family businesses have tackled challenges including culture challenges like how to improve employee retention and how the upcoming generations can gain employees’ trust. Learn more about APGs and how you could benefit from joining your peers at https://fambus.org/programs/affinity-peer-groups/

Family Business Connection will be 10 episodes featuring stories from all kinds of family business leaders that guide the family businesses to thrive for generations.

Thank you to this episode’s sponsor, Six Point Creative!

On our episode ahead of Mother’s Day, we welcome Mary Jo Minor, CEO of Mills Property Management, a property management company in Brookings, South Dakota.

In our conversation, we talk about the similarities and differences between Mary Jo’s Gen1 to Gen2 transition and her current Gen2 to Gen3 transition. We also discuss how she approaches being intentional about leading both her family and her family business through values, work ethic, and how they do business. Lastly, Mary Jo and Stephanie talk about her passion of being the matriarch of her family business.

Want to learn what key areas your family business should focus on next? Take the Family Business Checkup! After answering several prompts, the Family Business Checkup will give you scores on the key indicators of family business success and point you in the right direction for what you should focus on next. The Checkup is free and available here: www.fambus.org/resources

Family Business Connection will be 10 episodes featuring stories from all kinds of family business leaders that guide the family businesses to thrive for generations.

Thank you to this episode’s sponsor, Eide Bailly!