Family Business
Family Business Awards — Large Companies: More than 150 employees
WINNER: Hotstart Location: Spokane Employees: 170 In March 2011, the family-owned and -led Hotstart Inc. surprised many employees and customers by selecting a nonfamily member as CEO for the first time in the companys 69-year history. It was a surprise and a bit of a shock, says Terry Judge about his promotion from sales and…
Family Business Awards — Midsize Companies: 51 to 150 employees
WINNER: Rainier Connect Location: Tacoma Employees: 58 When Pete Christensen won a small, rural telephone company in a game of pinochle, little could he imagine it would grow into a diversified telecommunications enterprise run by his great-great grandson. It was 1912, and the young carpenter from Denmark was focused on more immediate concerns, including enlisting…
Family Business Awards — Small Companies: Fewer than 50 employees
WINNER: Hillcrest Bakery Location: Bothell Employees: 12 The story of the Kaskes family bakery is a little like one of their speculaas cookies: steeped in tradition, sweet and satisfying. Peter Kaskes arrived in Bothell in the early 1960s from the Netherlands by way of Canada to take a job as a skilled baker at Hillcrest…
2011 Washington Family Business Awards
The family business constitutes a special element of many societies. It nurtures an extended family of kin and kindred spirits. It also creates and strengthens entire communities. In an age when innovative new startups are launched, sold and resold, the family business provides a valuable study in consistency and reliability. This doesnt imply predictability, for…
How to Use Your Informal Advisors
https://seattlebusinessmag.com/sites/default/files/Weigand.PNGAttorney, Paradigm Counsel Unlike their publicly-held counterparts, private, family-owned businesses are nimble and can react immediately to market conditions, all while keeping focus on a long-term perspective, not quarterly earnings and stock price. But this freedom from layers of formal process is a double-edged sword, especially if it results in the loss of valuable outside…
Seattle Business announces 2011 Family Business Awards
Seattle Business magazine honored recipients of the 2011 Washington Family Business Awards at a dinner and awards ceremony Nov. 3, 2011, at the Columbia Tower Club in Seattle. Here are the winners. Small Companies: Hillcrest Bakery, a Bothell firm whose trade secrets date back nearly 200 years to a family business in the Netherlands and…
Integrating Multiple Generations in the Family Business
https://seattlebusinessmag.com/sites/default/files/Halley_Bock%20Headshot…Attorney, Paradigm Counsel Family businesses are a huge factor in the U.S. economy, contributing an estimated 57 percent to the nations gross domestic product with 35 percent being Fortune 500 companies. Thats the good news. The bad news is that only 30 percent of family businesses survive into the second generation. Clearly, theres a lot…
Pizza is less palatable with an 18.5 percent sales tax
https://seattlebusinessmag.com/sites/default/files/jaffe_photo_0.pngAttorney, Paradigm Counsel As the 2012 campaign cycle approaches full swing, we are noting an increasing amount of discussion regarding how to tackle the U.S. deficit. The Republican debates have yielded a broad range of positions, from dramatic spending cuts to wholesale changes in the tax code. The expense-reduction camp is best exemplified by Ron…
To Sell or Not to Sell, That is the Question
https://seattlebusinessmag.com/sites/default/files/Christian%20Schiller%2…Attorney, Paradigm Counsel For a family owned business, the decision to pursue a liquidity transaction is never taken lightly. Many families derive their identity from a connection to their business. Others view their business as an heirloom to be passed from generation to generation, providing future generations a link to the past and an attractive…
Seattle Business announces finalists for 2011 Washington Family Business Awards
Seattle Business magazine has announced the finalists for its 2011 Washington Family Business Awards. The finalists were drawn from a statewide pool of nominees that included enterprises in such diverse industry sectors as farming, retail, manufacturing and real estate. The goal of the Family Business Awards is to honor family-owned businesses in Washington that are…
Assuring A Legacy Fulfills Intended Mission
https://seattlebusinessmag.com/sites/default/files/Ron%27s%20Professional…Attorney, Paradigm Counsel Shared values can inspire people to take on great things and to accomplish difficult tasks. Such values can also help bridge relationships across generations. Family businesses must weather recessions, declines in sales and profits, threats from competitors, and perhaps most challenging, conflicts from other family members. One thing that transcends all of…
Port Blakely CEO to keynote Family Business Awards
At one time or another, every family business must take onthe difficult challenge of finding a next-generation family member to take over its operations. SeattleBusiness magazine is pleased to announce that the keynote speaker at its 2011Family Business Awards banquet will be Rene Ancinas, the young CEO of Port Blakely Companies. Port Blakely, a fourth-generation…
How Mom and Pop Can Help Save the Economy
https://seattlebusinessmag.com/sites/default/files/Ann%20Scarf%202%20-%20…Attorney, Paradigm Counsel The latest unemployment numbers offer little to cheer about and have left many in Washington asking, What now? After a stimulus bill, bailouts and reforms, job growth has stagnated and the economy is flat lining. Last month, President Obama turned to American businesses to step up and hire more employees. Many agree…