The Family Business Experience

This episode features  Jordan Fuller  of the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership in a conversation about where multi‑generation family businesses and early‑stage startups actually overlap. Jordan explains how programs like the FIRE Accelerator bring together capital, mentorship, curriculum, and networks, and how established family firms can use those same tools to spin out new product lin...

This episode features a conversation with Michelle Izbicki of the Barber National Institute and Heather Evans of Port Erie Plastics about how Supported Employment creates meaningful work for individuals with disabilities while solving real workforce needs for local employers. The discussion unpacks Pennsylvania’s “employment first” commitment and how Barber’s Supported Employment Program turns tha...

This episode features a conversation with Kevin DiGilio, founder of KMD Technology Solutions and spin‑off AIBI, on how a highly technical software company unexpectedly grew into a multigenerational family enterprise. Kevin traces the journey from a single project‑management platform built during an internship at LORD Corporation to a secure system now supporting hundreds of complex engineering and...

In this episode, we sit down with  James Bly , Managing Director of Family Enterprise Business Services at EY, to talk about what the next 40–50 years will look like for family business heirs. James explains why the post‑World War II era of globalization and efficiency effectively ended early with COVID‑19 and how we’ve entered a new “S‑curve” defined by de‑globalization, geopolitical fragmentatio...

In this episode, we sit down with Steve and Nate Jones of  Ron Jones Hardwood , a multi‑generation hardwood lumber company rooted in northwestern Pennsylvania. Steve shares how his father Ron launched the business in 1983, built a reputation strong enough to put his own name on the door, and gradually transitioned ownership to Steve over many years as the industry, product mix, and markets shifted...

When Tom Tredway moved back to Erie to join his family’s plastics company, he walked straight into a crisis: the bank dropped them, 60% of their business had disappeared offshore, and his dad was asking if it was time to shut the doors. Instead of liquidating, they doubled down on a new niche, stock threaded caps for the packaging industry and spent the next decade grinding through a complete rebu...

What if Erie could keep more of its own tax dollars working here at home? In this episode, host Jacob Jones sits down with  Brian Polito , Executive Director of the  Erie CRIZ Authority , to unpack how the City Revitalization and Improvement Zone (CRIZ) works, why Erie fought to secure it, and what it means for local and family‑owned businesses. Brian explains: What the CRIZ is and how it captures...

In this episode, host Jacob sits down with Casey Lucas Szumigala, founder and owner of Click Pragmatics, to dive into the messy, emotional, and absolutely necessary communication that keeps family businesses alive. Casey unpacks how families can talk about the hardest topics: death, money, responsibilities, succession, and transitions. Drawing on real scenarios, Jacob and Casey explore what happen...

Strategic investment is turning Erie from a legacy manufacturing town into a modern innovation hub, and this episode dives into the people and partnerships making it happen.​ Today’s conversation spotlights the Erie Revitalization Investment Fund, a 500,000 dollar evergreen fund launched by Ben Franklin Technology Partners and Erie Insurance to back early-stage tech companies and small manufacture...

Fourth‑generation owner Shane Reese joins Zach and Jacob to share the nearly 100‑year story of General Exterminating, an Erie‑based pest control company that began with his great‑grandfather’s Depression‑era decision to find a “recession‑proof” business. From shooting rats in basements with a .22 in the 1930s to today’s regulated, highly professional structural pest control operation, Shane traces...

A 21-year-old buying a family machine shop sounds like a movie plot—but for Andrew “Andy” Reinwald, it was real life. In this episode, Andy shares how he purchased Ripley Machine from his grandfather and then led it through the hardest year in company history, a full modernization, and a deep cultural shift toward continuous improvement. He talks candidly about stepping into leadership young, navi...

In this episode, Jacob sits down with Ryan Parker from Penn State Behrend’s Office of Community and Workforce Programs to talk about how local and family-owned businesses can tap into powerful training and talent resources right in their backyard. Ryan explains how his team partners with companies to design trainings that fit their schedules, budgets, and goals—from highly targeted technical skill...

Ben Davis, co‑owner of Gene Davis Sales and Service in Erie, Pennsylvania, joins Zach and Jacob to share how a small regional steel supplier transformed into a vertically integrated fabrication “powerhouse” while staying firmly rooted as a family business. From his great‑grandfather’s scrap operation to his grandfather’s risky restart at age 65 and his father’s hard‑won decades of week‑to‑week sur...

What happens when a dental hygienist with a knack for conversation follows her heart and builds a real estate powerhouse with her family? Join Zach and Jacob as they sit down with Marsha Marsh of Marsha Marsh Real Estate Services for an inspiring look into the roots, risks, and rewards of a thriving family-run business. In this episode, discover: How Marsha's career leap turned into a multi-ge...

Join Zach and Jacob as they sit down with Brian Rubin, third-generation president of Erie Cotton, a pioneering textile recycling company with roots dating back to 1946. In this episode, Brian shares the fascinating history of his family’s business — from its origins in scrap metal and wiping cloths, through decades of industry shifts, to its innovative role in sustainability today. Listen as Brian...

Step inside the century-old legacy of Erie’s Waldameer Park as Zach and Jacob sit down with Brian Gorman, Chief Operating Officer and fourth-generation family member. From its origins as a trolley company picnic spot in 1896 to the bustling amusement and water park it is today, Brian shares the family journey—complete with paper adoptions, bold investments, generational shifts, and a deep commitme...

In this episode, we welcome Matt Totzke, CEO of Big Ideas Learning, a leading K-12 mathematics publisher based in Erie, Pennsylvania. Matt shares his journey from starting as an intern at Larson Texts to leading one of the nation’s top math curriculum companies, now serving millions of students and educators across the country. Listeners will learn about: The Story Behind Big Ideas Learning: How t...

In this episode we talk with Katherine Dahlkemper about the history of her families business and what it is like to be a new owner in the business. Katherine is the third-generation jeweler and co-owner of Dahlkemper Jewelry Connection in Erie, Pennsylvania. Katherine shares the remarkable story of her family's business, which spans nearly seven decades, evolving from her grandfather's humble begi...

In this episode we talk with Doug and Andrea Bierer about their journey of starting DBC Remodeling. Doug grew up doing construction & remodeling with his family his whole life. He loves seeing existing structures renewed and given revitalized purpose and function and always dreamed of owning his own business. Running DBC and working with such an incredible and talented group of people brings h...