Posting by:  Debra Andrews
Date: August 21, 2009

When thinking of industries likely to feature family businesses, a natural first instinct is the independent restaurant industry.   But like many other family owned and operated businesses, it is often difficult to get past that second generation hump.  So it is really a success story when a family restaurant survives forty years, and more inspiring still when said establishment experiences steady growth and has accolades heaped upon it. 

Read more about how local Hanover, Maryland’s Gunning’s Seafood Restaurant has managed to achieve these and other lofty goals, while serving award-winning crab cakes to boot:
 
http://www.hometownglenburnie.com/news/Business/2009/07/08-02/40+years+of+crabs%0A.html

Posting by:  Geoff Brown
Date: August 8, 2009

In this month’s Journal of Accountancy, there is an article titled “Four Options for Measuring Value Creation.” http://www.journalofaccountancy.com/Issues/2009/Aug/20091518> At the beginning it states that first and foremost, the role of a corporation is to create shareholder value.  While this is relatively easy to visualize in the world of publicly-traded securities, how does this play out in the world of family-owned businesses?

Posting by:  Debra Andrews
Date: August 3, 2009

Wineries and other alcohol-based enterprises are often family businesses, passed on for generations.  We’ve heard that alcohol impairs judgment – is this the case in the alcohol industry as well?  Perhaps not, but read on from the article at the link below to learn about the family squabbles, financial squandering, and foolish squelching of the voice of reason pointing to the downfall of the Seagram’s empire.  Lessons learned?  Maybe that the family business might be better served not believing in the rock ‘n’ roll and glamorous hype of its own advertising. 

http://www.minyanville.com/articles/DD-Vivendi-tropicana-BRONFMAN-SEAGRAM-ABSOLUT/index/a/22951