Peter is also part of a legacy family himself; he is a 5th generation member of a 7th generation American enterprise established in 1885. Peter married into this family and was astounded by the welcoming and inclusive nature of his wife's large family. The family enterprise is now a holding company with over 500 shareholders, all of whom are family members. Of particular interest are the Family Summits held annually, which are designed to re-engage family members, partake in family traditions and rituals, discuss philanthropy and reset for the year ahead.

Peter shares his experience of what it was like to join a well-established legacy family and how he has used this unique experience to pivot his career and help other legacy families flourish.

Standout Quotes:

• "We can't really plan significantly for longer than 5-10 years, you just learn that along the way, things change; the world changes" - [Peter]
• "I'm really interested in making sure that the family's values are aligned with their actions" - [Peter]
• "To have some sort of formal way of telling stories, I think, is critical" - [Peter]
• "The most important thing you'll do are these rituals" - [Peter]
• "If we have the privilege of having wealth and means, we have an obligation to give back" - [Peter]

Key Takeaways:

• Peter is the 5th generation member of a 7th generation American enterprise established in 1885. He is an adviser, consultant, and speaker to legacy families, family offices, and multigenerational enterprises globally. He became a part of the family when he married his wife and was included.
• The company began as a group of lumber companies started by two brothers who liquidated everything after 45 years to invest with their partner, Friedrich Weyerhäuser in 1901. Peter's family had continued to be involved with the business as it expanded, although there were no male heirs in the second generation, till the 3rd generation. The family later started a private trust company in 1964, at which point they became the 3rd largest retailer of building materials in the US.
• Today with diversification, they are now a holding company with over 500 shareholders, all of whom are family members. Peter's children are already involved with the family business actively and eagerly look forward to partaking in the annual family meetings.
• The Family Summit: This annual family meeting usually runs over 3-5 days, on the same weekend every year, with activities like the coming-of-age ritual and elders’ ritual, Olympic games, business meetings, philanthropy group meetings, and talks by guest speakers. The goal is to make it so interesting that people want to come back.
• Planning Never Stops; the family forms a long-range planning committee every 5 years to have a clean slate to think through everything. A pattern of liquidating a significant resource once every 20 years was also observed; this 'Generational Harvest' would provide liquidity to each shareholder, giving them the freedom to make their own investments.
• The family investments today are largely in Real Estate, like residence halls or low-income housing units, all intentionally inclined towards 'doing well by doing good' which is a value the family holds.
• Peter left his role as president of the family enterprise in 2003 and has since then helped other family enterprises manage their multigenerational interests. He believes families with vast amounts of capital can make decisions that affect millions of lives and works to ensure that these families act in accordance with their values. "I can hold a mirror up to you so that you can begin to see yourself, your family system, and your footprint in the world; the other thing I can do is open the window so that you can look out into the world and see how other families made choices during different transitions"
• Peter's most satisfying work is sitting with family members and watching the interactions; his work is focused on helping build bridges in communication and relationships. His role is a position between being a business consultant, priest, and therapist all of which require a deep level of trust and respect. At its core, his work is about relationships.
• Peter’s role as a 'Personne de confiance': This is a confidential advisor based on their trust, respect, and honesty. The way to get into that role is to come into the family that needs help, taking time to build trust and confidence. Very often Peter has to model a way of doing things like chairing a meeting, inclusion, and effective decision-making while keeping in mind that the goal is to pass on the mantle of leadership. Most of the time, the G2 generation is the one that reaches out to him, however, in some cases when the patriarchs are comfortable giving up authority, this spurs the G2 to take up the mantle and learn how to hand over to G3. Sometimes, the G2 has even already made the transition in their lifetime, adapting to the values and culture while the G3 grows up having a completely different experience.
• Storytelling is critical in documenting family history. Peter uses this both in his family enterprise and while working with others. His family works with a full-time archivist who helps research the lives of people such that detailed questions can be asked and stories can be told more deeply. It also offers an opportunity to share lessons from the failures, trials, and tribulations of family members.
• While still active in his family he was always open to learning from other families and when he left his role, he wanted to be involved in creating the consciousness in families that they can impact the world. Based on Peter's background, he has the experience which gets him into those family spaces after which he starts work.
• From Peter's experience, when it comes to cultural mindsets like having female leaders, and diversity, there is a lot more openness in the US than in most other places. Although he tries to encourage such views, some cultures are just not ready for it. However, families of significant or multigenerational wealth are naturally global these days, hence it is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid influence from other cultures.
• Family Rituals are the most important way to bring the family together continuously over the years because they help young people feel acknowledged. Peter's family has a children's program packed with several activities that keep them eager to return. After the age of 14, they can start going to business meetings. These activities help the family familiarize themselves with teenagers and create a more welcoming environment in the business meetings.
• It is necessary to identify who is family and the kinds of roles available to different members. Each family does this differently, but Peter's family has selected the option of Inclusion.
• Building Family Governance starts with having a reliable cadence of meetings quarterly, as well as major annual gatherings; this goes hand and hand with excellent communication. The next step would be to memorialize family values and have a direction and then this can be the foundation of a constitution. The constitution is a living document and should be examined and changed as required.
• Peter also uses the concept of the "5 Capitals" within his family and the families he works with.
• Philanthropy is another tool Peter has been familiar with. It is fun to watch families come together to figure out ways to give back based on their different interests and drives.
• Very often, families look at their business as heirlooms which begs the question "Is the business an heirloom or an investment?" Sometimes it is hard to sell a business because it's been our identity for years; thus, selling is easy if the business is only an investment but if it functions as an heirloom then it may not be advisable. In some situations, the business is on the spectrum in-between, which means only certain objects or aspects may be more valued as an heirloom. Mike's family takes pictures yearly on the same spot on a piece of land which over time has taken up the role of an heirloom too.
• From Peter to his children: "This is your life, do what you love and do it often. If you don't like something, change it; if you don't like your job, move on. If you don't have enough time, stop watching TV. If you're looking for the love of your life, stop, they'll be waiting for you when you start doing the things you love. Stop overanalyzing; life is simple. All emotions are beautiful, when you eat, appreciate every last bite. Open your mind, arms, and heart to new things and people; we are united in our differences. Ask the next person you see what their passion is, and share your inspiring dream with them. Travel often; getting lost will help you find yourself. Some opportunities only come once so seize them. Life is about the people you meet and the things you create with them, so go out and start creating. Life is short, live your dream and share your passion."

Episode Timeline:

• [00:52] About today's guest, Peter Evans.
• [02:44] Peter shares his family history.
• [07:10] What makes your annual family meetings appealing to the younger generation?
• [12:28] Does a value system guide the investment making decisions?
• [14:00] Peter's work helping other family enterprises.
• [18:40] Peters role as a 'Personne de confiance'.
• [24:22] Family Storytelling as a tool in Peter's work with family enterprises.
• [29:08] Was it your experience with your own family that led you to work with other families?
• [31:39] What are some of the differences in culture that showed up during your work with different families across the world?
• [34:50] How important is it to have traditions that bring the family together?
• [38:41] Who is a Family member?
• [39:17] Building blocks of Family Governance.
• [44:10] Philanthropy in the family enterprise.
• [46:16] How shared experiences come into family meetings.
• [48:14] What is the role of Heirlooms in the family enterprise?
• [50:47] Peter's letter to his kids.

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Special Guest: Peter Evans.

Sponsored By:

• The Business of Family Newsletter: The newsletter compliments the podcast with subscriber-only articles, bonus content and a great list of book recommendations.

Links:

• Laird Norton Company — Laird Norton Company is a family-owned enterprise that provides long-term capital and resources to empower companies to thrive—and we’ve been doing it for seven generations.
• Peter Evans | LinkedIn

As his career has evolved, he has developed a true passion for governance and operations. One of his current focuses is the codification and institutionalization of the key elements that differentiate his family’s enterprise. At its core, this speaks to their desire to remain a purpose driven enterprise focused on the preservation of their servant heart culture for generations to come. This spans the continuum of the impact that they have on their associates, their clients, and the communities that they serve overlayed by a holistic approach which incorporates environmental, social, and governance considerations.

In addition, his passion for governance and operations has evolved beyond that of traditional corporate. For the better part of the last decade, he has led their family’s formalized family governance efforts. As they continue the transition from the 4th to the 5th generation, it was paramount to Anthony, and his generation, that they build the requisite operational and governance structures to ensure success in succession not just for their generation but for generations to come. With the collective support of the 4th and 5th generations, He has allocated a considerable amount of my time establishing their family office and formalized governance structure and framework.

Although he feels blessed to be able to serve his family and family enterprise in a variety of roles, the role he is most proud of is that of a devoted husband and loving father. He is married to his best friend and soulmate, Melissa Contrucci (nee Schrage) and has been blessed with two loving children.

Standout Quotes:

• "I really believe our success as a family kind of exists at the crossroad of this desire to be civically involved" - [Anthony]
• "That formula of putting people before profit is how you build long term sustainable value that transcends generations" - [Anthony]
• "In order to be successful in succession, you have to be intentional and you have to be strategic" - [Anthony]
• "If you think about the destination, you'll never start the journey" - [Anthony]
• "If you're trying to solve a problem that you can solve during your lifetime, you're thinking too small" - [Anthony]
• "Success requires action" - [Anthony]
• "You can't appreciate something if you don't know how hard it was to have or you didn't have to work for it" - [Anthony]
• "During times of dislocation, there's always opportunity" - [Anthony]
• "The most important investment I've ever made is my time in my children" - [Anthony]
• "Never try to replace your net worth for your self-worth" - [Anthony]

Key Takeaways:

• Anthony is a 5th generation member of the Schrage family currently serving in the role of President and Board Director of First Bank Shares, a bank holding company with a primary operating asset "Centier Bank" which was founded in 1895. They are now the largest private family-owned bank in the state of Indiana.
• The Schrage family came over from Germany into the US in the 1800s, and over time the family has always been passionate about the community. This alongside the risk tolerance accounted for the success of the family because being involved with the community helped identify needs and create solutions. The name "Centier" Bank was coined intentionally to represent a century of service, the founding of the bank on Center Street, and that the bank strives to be the premier provider of financial services for the communities. The headquarter is in Merriville Indiana.
• Despite the pandemic, banking is a good business to be in right now. Data from the bank shows that Centier Bank tends to outperform during times of market dislocation or pain. Clients are put even before the shareholders in the business, and this is how long-term sustainable value is built over generations. 2020 has been the best year financially in the history of the bank.
• This success was achieved by consciously and emphatically considering the safety of clients and workers physically while also keeping them confident about their finances. They set out to help communities through different programs, mortgages, credits, and low-interest loans.
• Anthony met his wife and her family at the age of 20 and she was his best friend before becoming his wife. Anthony had no intention of working in the family business but wanted to chart his course in life. He had always been in the financial sector, including commercial banking and investment. Later he started with wealth management in the family business, and then the investment services division. After a while strategic intentional steps were taken to ensure an impact in the community. Currently, Anthony spends time in the financial holding company level, family governance, and the family office.
• Although the family has grown since the first generation, there are 27 family members and 16 shareholders. There is a family assembly every year, and also a family governance structure.
• The goal of the family assembly is both business and to bring the family members closer together. One of the main reasons for starting the family assembly was communication flow. Success and succession in a family business is literally the equivalent of fighting gravity; only about a third of family businesses make it from generation to generation.
• As a broader family, the family meets monthly with specific agendas and occasionally invites subject matter experts. There is also a family business consultant and a family psychologist as well as other subcommittees. There are G5 monthly check-ins with no formal agenda.
• About the Family Portal: While trying to organize family documents that have piled up over many years and made work inefficient, Anthony came up with the idea of the Family Portal. This has been a great tool for increasing efficiency and improving workflow.
• When it comes to starting Family Governance, "you've got to go slow to go fast". Even it is a small start, it's about building the behavior; for Anthony's family, the starting point was about Mission, Vision, and Values. This is where to start to build a foundation with simple things like a code of conduct or attendance policy. It gives some wins and then these goals can be dialed up to more complicated plans.
• The Emergency Transition Planning (ETP): This refers to very detailed planning done such that in the event of the demise of a leader, things can be set in motion to instill confidence in multiple audiences across multiple mediums. It's a succession plan on steroids.
• The family psychologist has been very valuable especially in helping family members communicate effectively. This also includes constructive conflict, which is the most important thing in communication and trust-building. Additionally, having a facilitator around when the family constitution was created was very helpful. However, the values or by-products of this exercise are less important than the journey. Families are encouraged to start this process and take their time.
• After attending a family business conference where he was introduced to the concept of a Family Book, Anthony applied it in documenting the family history to ensure that future generations would understand how hard the journey was. While collating different materials to create the family book, an enormous collection was accumulated and Anthony had the idea to get a corporate historian to manage the collection. This brought the next idea to have a "Centier Museum" for these family artifacts.
• Using the idea of cohesion dynamics which include the family aspect, as well as the business, financial and emotional aspects, Anthony understood that it was paramount to use the family history to keep family members emotionally tethered to the family business. This determines the filter they would use in making decisions regarding the family business because rather than simply thinking like investors, they would think like stewards if they felt emotionally tethered to the family enterprise.
• The 6th generation is currently between the ages of 8-18years. For a long time, the family legacy was the bank, but now there's so much more opportunity for the G6 to get involved with the family enterprise and create an impact.
• Advice for someone looking to lay the foundation for a Family Enterprise: Slow down; "you have to be patient and focus". The other thing is to save; "live below your means and always have reserves because having that additional financial capacity allows you to be opportunistic".
  
• There has had to be a shift from being a family that operates a business to a family that has an enterprise. "We had the belief for so long that the legacy was the bank but now I believe that the legacy is the culture that fuels the enterprise" Thinking about it this way gives the motivation to lean into Family Governance and Family Office. It also shifts the mindset from being competitive to being more collaborative. All of this takes curiosity, communication, working through conflict, and never being afraid to fail, knowing that growth comes from failure.
• Anthony's letter to his kids: Happiness comes from the important things in life; love, health, the time spent, and experiences created with loved ones. True fulfillment comes from finding something you're extremely passionate about, that is meaningful but extremely hard; if you don't grind, demonstrate grit, fail, and pick yourself up, you will never find fulfillment and self-actualize. If you always lean into what's important in life and push yourself, you'll find that fulfillment.

Episode Timeline:

• [00:50] Introducing today's guest, Anthony R Contrucci.
• [02:05] The history of Anthony's family business.
• [08:20] How is the banking industry right now?
• [12:16] Anthony's entrance into the family and the family business.
• [17:40] The structure of the family enterprise.
• [29:28] How has your governance structure taken shape since its implementation?
• [37:55] Where did you start in terms of Family Governance?
• [41:34] The Emergency Transition Planning (ETP).
• [45:00] Discussing the role of the family psychologist.
• [48:30] How did the family constitution come to be?
• [51:14] About the Family structures put in place to guard the family history.
• [57:54] With regards to the 6th generation, how do you look to the future of the family enterprise?
• [01:00:21] What advice would you give to someone looking to lay the early foundation of a Family Enterprise?
• [01:05:08] Is there a new habit you've adopted that was meaningful to your journey?
• [01:09:16] Anthony's letter to his kids.

For more episodes go to
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Sign up for The Business of Family Newsletter

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Special Guest: Anthony R Contrucci.

Sponsored By:

• The Business of Family Newsletter: The newsletter compliments the podcast with subscriber-only articles, bonus content and a great list of book recommendations.

Links:

• Centier Bank - A Family-Owned Indiana Bank Since 1895. — Michael E. Schrage, CEO and Chairman of Centier Bank
• How Centier Bank celebrated its 125th anniversary

This story covers not only leadership succession within a family business but also ownership succession and how the family have stayed together and united around a family office in the absence of an operating company.

Standout Quotes:

• "What's gotten us here, isn't going to necessarily get us there" - [Sean]
• "As a family, we realized that we would have to make a pretty major change in the journey... And we made the choice to start that journey from family-owned and family-run, to family-owned and professionally-run" - [Sean]
• "I think in any family business, there's a certain level of distraction or disruption that comes from the family, and if you can move that into the family council and outside of the board room, it seems to be better for everybody" - [Jeff]
• "The family office is being driven by a stewardship theme; Leave it better than you found it" - [Sean]

Key Takeaways:

• Sean Lang and the Lang family represent a 5th generation business family who owned Ainsworth Pet Nutrition, while Jeff Watters is the first outside professional CEO recruited by the family to lead the business till it was finally sold.
• The business started small, with deliveries made to "mom and pop" stores, expanded over the years, and all interested family members worked in the factory. After school, Sean started as a sales manager and worked his way up to be president.
• The family realized that there was a need to make a major change to move with the competition and this would require great talent, moving from family-owned and family-run, to family-owned and professionally-run
• Although Jeff was in a place where he wanted more in his life personally and professionally, his relationship with Sean was initially not a professional one. Following further interaction, Jeff realized the family was committed to the business, and they were authentic and intentional about their growth.
• The average tenure of a Public Company CEO is about 4 years, and a Family Business CEO is about 6years, even if you think you're going to be there longer than that, you have to plan according to the statistics.
• The introduction of professional leadership after 5 generations took some time, however, this had been tried previously and even though it failed, the family had started to get used to the idea. The goal had become to keep the family culture but adopt the benefit of big company thinking and growth capabilities.
• The notion of an organic, natural but very transparent onboarding process is extremely helpful for professionals outside looking to join a family business.
• Jeff also encourages professionals considering entry into a family business. You just have to bet on yourself to a certain extent. Once you're satisfied that the other party has high integrity and will deliver on their promises, have the conviction that you're going to deliver on yours, and if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. There will be other opportunities.
• While Jeff's transition into the business had its hiccups, there was a lot of intentional effort from all sides to communicate effectively and create ways to tackle arising issues. This was made easier by the family culture of transitioning where the older generation completely let go of the business which allowed Sean to give Jeff the space needed.
• Working with a Private Equity Company was pivotal in driving the rapid growth of the company moving from a 200 million-dollar company to a 2 billion-dollar company in 4 years.
• Jeff describes that the main factor that drove growth while working with the PE Company, was a deep cultural alignment
• Between the family and the company. It was all about a long strategic view of the business.
• The family council was started by Sean's father, and one of the policies laid down was that incoming family members needed to work somewhere else for 2 years or until their first promotion whichever came later, before joining the business.
• In the absence of an operating company, Jeff wanted to still have a family enterprise that could act as glue for the family, and help be a driver for education for the rising generation. This would also foster the creation of mechanisms to share the family history and culture with coming generations.
• It's not always easy to leave it better than you found it, given the mathematical fact that families almost grow faster than businesses and assets, that means each family member needs to be self-sustaining and look at any help from the family later in life as icing on the cake, not the cake itself.
• Sean shares he now has more time for family and personal relaxation, while also finding businesses to invest in. Jeff also tries to have fun, works with his wife on philanthropic projects, and serves on a number of boards.
• Jeff's letter to his kids: Jeff tells them to be bold in the pursuit of what they love, hopefully, it will be something that allows them to leave this place a better place. He encourages them to take a leap of faith, the financial fortune is an opportunity for them to invest in their future in a way that can be fulfilling for them and differentiating for their community.
  
• Sean's letter to his kids: The family business cocktail of money, love, and power is trouble. It can rip families apart easily and needs to be proactively managed within the family with the help of professionals.

Episode Timeline:

• [00:52] Introducing today's guests, Sean Lang and Jeff Watters.
• [02:30] Sean shares the history of the family business.
• [08:00] What was the reason for bringing in outside leadership?
• [10:00] How Jeff got involved with the business.
• [15:18] Were there any surprises while bringing in the idea of getting professional leadership after 5 generations?
• [20:21] Jeff describes his transition into the role of CEO.
• [29:30] Discussing the growth of the business, involvement of a Private Equity, and the decision to exit rather than transition to a 6th generation.
• [42:02] When did the Family Council begin?
• [52:25] What was the transition like after the final decision to sell the company?
• [01:00:22] Before the company was sold, there were plans to continue the Family Council?
• [01:03:51] What Next?
• [01:06:00] In a letter to your children, what is one lesson or idea you don't think many parents would mention but you consider important to understand?

For more episodes go to
BusinessOfFamily.net

Sign up for The Business of Family Newsletter

Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeBoyd

If you feel it's appropriate, I'd so appreciate you taking 30 seconds to Leave a Review on iTunes, I receive a notification of each review. Thank you!

Special Guests: Jeff Watters and Sean Lang.

Sponsored By:

• The Business of Family Newsletter: The newsletter compliments the podcast with subscriber-only articles, bonus content and a great list of book recommendations.

Links:

• L Catterton and the Lang Family to Sell Ainsworth Pet Nutrition to The J.M. Smucker Company
• The J. M. Smucker Company to Acquire Ainsworth Pet Nutrition, LLC, Maker of Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® Pet Food; Company to Explore Strategic Options for U.S. Baking Business