Family Business Today

Episode 102: Tepi Naturals is more than skincare -- It's a family story with Brent Thomas TNCFB Our guest today is Brent Thomas with family-owned Tepi Naturals in Yorba Linda, California. Brent always had a deep desire to create something of his own. He just didn’t know it would lead to Tepi Naturals. He uncovered his passion for chemistry during community college, at a time when he wasn’t sure wh...

Episode 101: Building Stronger Family Businesses Through Entrepreneurial Thinking TNCFB Our guest today is Lisa Ascolese, Founder and CEO of Inventing A to Z. Lisa is an inventor, entrepreneur, mother, grandmother, and the founder of several ventures, including Inventing A to Z, a product development company, and Inventors Spotlight TV, a shopping network designed to help inventors ...

Episode 100: Creating a Culture of Generosity in Your Family Business with Jeff Rutt TNCFB Our guest today is Jeff Rutt, CEO and Founder of Keystone Custom Homes, a Pennsylvania-based home building company that has built over 8000 homes. Early in Jeff’s career, God got Jeff’s attention in the area of generosity. It wasn’t long after starting Keystone that Jeff launched Hope International. Since it...

Episode 99: What They Don't Tell You about Taking Over the Family Business TNCFB Our guest today is Eric Corliss. Eric Corliss is the fifth-generation steward of Corliss Management Group (CMG), a private real estate development and investment firm with deep roots in Washington State. Alongside his brother Steve, Eric has guided CMG’s evolution from its historic foundations in aggregates and sand a...

Episode 98: Building a Sellable Business Even if You are Not Selling It Yet with Tyson Ray TNCFB Our guest today is Tyson Ray. After nearly three decades building a successful financial advisory practice, Tyson thought he had it all figured out—until his 50th birthday reality check revealed his own succession plan was not what he thought it was. That moment of brutal honesty sparked the question:...

Episode 97: How Inherited Trauma Shapes Financial Decision-Making in Family Businesses TNCFB Our guest today is Ruschelle Khanna. Ruschelle is a Chief Wellness & Emotions Officer for families navigating the emotional and relational complexities of wealth, succession, and intergenerational legacy. She works with parents, adult children, and family systems to improve communication, heal inherite...

Episode 96: High Performance Motors with Christophe Cloitre, Ashland Electric Products TNCFB Our guest today is Christophe Cloitre. Christophe is the President of Ashland Electric Products located in Rochester, New Hampshire. Ashland Electric was founded in 1953 as an original equipment manufacturer of high-performance motors, fans and blowers for the aerospace, medical, transportation and militar...

Episode 95: Southern Hospitality in a Bottle with Morgan Weinstock and Jackson Wetherington TNCFB Our guests today are Morgan Weinstock and Jackson Wetherington. Morgan is a founding member and the driving force behind the marketing strategy at Jackson Morgan Southern Cream. With over a decade of experience in the spirits industry, Morgan brings a unique blend of innovative creativity and familiar...

Episode 94: How an Independent Board of Directors and a Non-Family CEO Helped this Family Business G TNCFB Our guest today is Matt Nielsen. Matt is a third-generation steward, director and shareholder for their family-owned Nielsen-Massey enterprises. He currently operates as the Strategic Advisor for Corporate Development, overseeing the companies’ inorganic growth strategies via acquisition and...

Episode 93: How a NextGen Prepares for Leadership in His Family Business with JC Carr, World Emblem, TNCFB Our guest today is JC Carr. JC serves as Territory Account Manager at World Emblem, a global manufacturing leader, and CEO of Whips Miami, an exotic car brokerage business he founded while attending the University of Alabama where he has a degree in Business Administration and HR Law. He has...

Episode 92: Learn to Live, Speak and Lead from the Brand You Were Born With TNCFB Our guests today are Kati and Alex Pauls. Kati and Alex are the visionary duo behind KP Design — a transformational branding studio that helps entrepreneurs uncover what’s true and build what’s needed to carry it forward. Blending soul and strategy, they guide clients through identity work, messaging clarity, and ali...

Episode 91: Two Sisters Committed to Helping Women Live Their Life on Their Own Terms TNCFB Our guests today are Dr. Flora Waples and her sister, Dominique Waples-Trefil. These powerhouse sisters founded RESTOR medical Spa in 2011 in the Denver area. Dr. Flora Waples is a board-certified physician with degrees from the University of Chicago and Cornell Medical School at Weill Cornell Medical Colle...

Episode 90: Growing Vidalia Onions is a RealSweet ® Family Business with John Shuman TNCFB Our guest today is John Shuman. John is the President and CEO of Shuman Farms, a leading grower and shipper of sweet onions based in Reidsville, Georgia. Raised in a farming family, John left college in 1993, just two classes shy of completing his business degree at Georgia Southern University, to assist wit...

Episode 89: Care for Visionaries in a Family Business with Jaime White TNCFB Our guest today is Jaime White. Jaime is a strategist, speaker, and co-founder of Believe Crew, where she’s pioneering a model called SoulCare for Visionaries™—designed to help entrepreneurs and family business leaders expand without burnout. After two decades working inside her family business and raising six children, J...

Episode 88: Getting Acquainted with Mergers and Acquisitions with Rick Calabrese TNCFB Our guest today is Rick Calabrese. Rick is a licensed attorney and CPA in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and also has a Masters of Law in Taxation from Villanova University, School of Law. Prior to law school, Rick obtained a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh. After graduating,...

Episode 87: Preserving Your Family Business through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) TNCFB Our guest today is Kelly O. Finnell, J.D., CLU, AIF®. Kelly is one of the nation’s premier ESOP consultants, having spent more than 40 years helping business owners design and execute ESOPs. Kelly is one of the most sought-after speakers about ESOPs, with experience presenting at more than 300 confere...

Episode 86: How Pivoting a Family Business Can Lead to Long-Term Success with Ben Hertzman TNCFB Our guest today is Ben Hertzman. Ben is the president of Progress Luv 2 Pak, a family led packaging company with over a century of history. Founded in 1917, the company has grown from manufacturing hat boxes in Toronto, Canada to becoming a global leader in custom sustainable packaging solutions. Under...

Episode 85: How Hiring a Non-Family CEO may Ensure Success for Your Family Business TNCFB Our guest today is Richard Perko, President and CEO of the Lee Company in Franklin, Tennessee. Richard joined Lee Company as a project engineer right out of college in 1996. Twenty years later, he was named CEO of the company, adding that title and responsibilities to his role as president – a position he has...

Episode 84: Bringing Together Faith and Business to Impact Culture in Your Family Business TNCFB Our guest today is Peter Demos, 2nd generation restaurateur at Demos’ Restaurant in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Peter’s vision for Demos’ is clear and simple. “We want the customer to leave in a better mood than when he or she came in.” In 1999, Peter returned to his parents’ family restaurant, Demos’ Res...

Episode 83: Plan for the Future, Preserve the Legacy with Jim and Bill Stranberg TNCFB Our guests today are Bill and Jim Stranberg. Jim is the founder of Stranberg Resource Group in Lake Forest, Illinois. His son, Bill, is a partner in the family firm. As a second generation, family-owned firm focused on CEO succession planning, search and selection business, they support family business leadershi...

Episode 82: 100 Years and still going strong at Chattanooga Bakery, MoonPies have never tasted so go TNCFB Our guests today are Mallie Campbell and Sam Campbell V, Cousins and 5th Generation Owners of Chattanooga Bakery, makers of the iconic 108-year-old MoonPie. Mallie Campbell is a 5th generation owner and Purchasing Manager for Chattanooga Bakery Inc., makers of the iconic, 108-year-old MoonPie...

Episode 81: What Questions Should You Ask Yourself Before Considering Selling your Family Business? TNCFB Our guest today is Jeff Hopmayer who founded the Brindiamo Group in 2012. Jeff’s name is synonymous with excellence and innovation in the beverage alcohol industry. The Brindiamo Group is one of the premier providers of bulk bourbon and whiskey in the world. Hopmayer's dedication to whiskey ed...

Episode 80: Optimizing and Transforming Your Family Business with Tammy Rodgers TNCFB Our guest today is Tammy Rodgers. Tammy is the Co-Founder and CEO of Become More Group, which designs training programs for Corporate America. Tammy believes that life-long learning, coupled with listening, putting clients’ needs first, hard work, and doing more than promised is the recipe for success. She is the...

Achieve the Best Version of You by Actively Taking Action with Jason Yarusi TNCFB Our guest today is Jason Yarusi. Jason is a transformative keynote speaker who passionately empowers individuals and businesses to shatter barriers and forge a path to lasting success. His personal story and extensive work have made him an inspirational force, captivating audiences as a dynamic motivational speaker....

Episode 78: A Century of Style, A Heritage of Service – M. Dumas & Sons TNCFB Our guest today is Gary Flynn, CEO and Co-Owner of M. Dumas and Sons, in Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1917 by Mendel Dumas, M. Dumas & Sons has evolved into an iconic men’s specialty retailer in historic downtown Charleston, S.C. Initially known as a uniform shop for service jobs, M. Dumas & Sons evolve...