Family Business
2016 Family Business Awards: Transition
Gold: Continental Mills
GOLD AWARDContinental MillsLocation: Tukwila Continental Mills has a staple of tried-and-true brands such as Krusteaz and Alpine Cider Mix, but to reach millennials it has devised new brands such as WildRoots trail mixes and Buck Wild natural snacks. The snacks are available at many retailers, from Starbucks to Walmart. Third-generation President Andy Heily, 44, who…
2016 Family Business Awards: Business of the Year, Large Firms
Gold: R.D. Merrill Company; Silver: Peninsula Truck Lines
GOLD AWARDR.D. Merrill CompanyLocation: Seattle in the 1890s, Richard Dwight Merrill built a business based on timber. Six generations later, the company he built, R.D. Merrill, has 1,700 employees and operations in timber, retirement homes and property development. Merrills great-great-grandson (and the companys current chairman), Charlie Wright, took the first step toward diversification in 1993…
2016 Family Business Awards: Business of the Year, Midsize Firms
Gold: Decagon Devices; SIlver: Nakanishi Dental Laboratory, State Roofing
GOLD AWARDDecagon DevicesLocation: Pullman Renowned Washington State University soil scientist Gaylon Campbell worked part time to blend an engineering background with customer needs and create an instrument that measures water potential. Decagon Devices, soon to be Meter Group Inc., makes instruments to test plant-available water in the soil. They are used in environmental monitoring and…
2016 Family Business Awards: Business of the Year, Small Firms
Gold: Fitterer's Inc.; Silver: Plemmons Industries, Morpac Industries
GOLD AWARD:Fitterer’s Inc.Location: Ellensburg Established in 1896, Fitterers Furniture has its roots in the founding of Ellensburg. Brothers Phillip and Frank Fitterer came to Yakima from Minnesota in the late 1880s and then moved to booming Ellensburg to work for the pioneering Horton House hotel. When it closed in 1896, they began operating a secondhand…
The 2015 Family Business Awards: Legacy Award
Laird Norton Company Seattle Seattle Business magazine’s judges consider Laird Norton to be the gold standard of family business when it comes to implementing best practices, succession planning and long-range, flexible strategies. Founded in 1855 as a frontier logging operation in Minnesota, the diversified holding company today continues to raise the bar through active dialogue, planning…
The 2015 Family Business Awards: Small Firms
WINNER Bonney-Watson Seattle As Seattle’s oldest continually operating business — its history dates to 1861 — Bonney-Watson’s staying power circles back to family-first values. Having provided funeral, cremation and cemetery services to generations of families, the firm embraces guiding principles that comprise the establishment of community ties, the perpetuation of meaningful memorials, and a lasting…
The 2015 Family Business Awards: Longevity/Heritage Award
Mills Bros. Inc.Wenatchee Helping to dress the men of Wenatchee since 1906, Mills Bros. this year added the fourth generation of the Mills family to its heritage roster. Meredith Hilger, the daughter of third-generation owners Sam and Vickie Mills, returned to Wenatchee after working in corporate retail in Seattle. Im glad to be back home…
The 2015 Family Business Awards: Community Involvement Award
Carter Motors Inc. Seattle Begun 55 years ago, before Seattle even had a Space Needle, Carter Motors today has three auto dealerships and holds the top statewide position for new and used cars sold. Three members of the Carter family are shareholders and actively involved in daily operations. They are brother and sister Wade and…
The 2015 Family Business Awards: Emerging Business Award
Sirena GelatoBellingham Brian Ugurlu returned from a 2004 study-abroad program in Italy packing a new business idea. Specialty dessert maker Sirena Gelato lauched the next year in Bellingham with help from his parents, Robin and Fahri Ugurlu, who were successful restaurant and hotel operators. The Ugurlus turned to a third-generation Italian gelato maker for help…
The 2015 Family Business Awards: Midsize Firms
WINNER Family Home CareLiberty Lake Afast-growing segment of health care delivery involves service in the home an area in which Family Home Care (FHC) can show nearly 50 years of experience providing one-on-one assistance. The business employs certified nursing assistants who provide residential care for more than 500 families in eastern Washington and northern Idaho….
Relative Importance: The 2015 Family Business Awards
Quality, consistency, flexibility. These terms often rise to the top of descriptions for the honorees in Seattle Business magazines Family Business Awards program. This year is no different. Most of these companies have at least three generations of family ownership, while some carry a legacy stretching back five generations or more. A common thread among…
The 2014 Family Business Awards: Legacy Award
WINNER Smith Brothers Farms Kent This Kent valley dairy likes to call itself a 94-year-old startup because of the constant changes in the dairy business. In 2006, Smith Brothers Farms sold its farm and cows to concentrate on milk processing and home delivery; since then, it has added online ordering, streamlined home delivery route management…
The 2014 Family Business Awards: Growth Award
WINNER Aegis Living Redmond The operator of retirement, assisted-living and Alzheimers-care facilities is a relative newcomer; it was founded in 1997. But Aegis Living has grown rapidly to 30 communities in three states Washington, Nevada and California with five more sites planned in the next three years. Aegis attributes its growth and success to innovation,…