Family Business Initiative Introduces New Programs This Summer

The School of Business at St. John Fisher University is running at full speed with its Family Business Program. Led by Interim Dean, Dr. Carol Wittmeyer, the initiative has introduced a Family Business Camp, a Next Generation Leadership Program, Governance Programs, and the Women in Family Business program, with each scheduled to launch in late summer and early fall.

Young Adult/Parent Family Business Camp

The Young Adult/Parent Family Business Camp is a one-day program providing network and learning opportunities for young adults (ages 16-20) whose parent(s) own a business. The camp runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, August 8, at the School of Business. Online registration is now open and will close Friday, July 29.

“Family firms in Upstate New York are the backbone of our economy.  The young adults whose families own firms are stakeholders and may one day own or run these or other firms in our region. They are our future and it’s exciting to create programming to support them,” said Wittmeyer.

Reagan Stitt, a rising senior at the University of Dayton and third-generation family member with Cutco Knives, will provide a real case presentation to young adults about her journey in her family’s business. Robert Denning, fourth-generation, president and CEO of Perry’s Ice Cream, will present to parents on next-generation policies. Both groups, parents and young adults, will present background and futuristic transitions for their family’s business to the rest of the peer camp guests.

As part of the program, event guests will have the ability to attend an exclusive viewing of the Buffalo Bills 2022 Training Camp as a group, hosted by Dr. Todd Harrison, assistant dean of the School of Business, who also serves as director of camp operations.

Women in Family Business

As a branch off of the family business tree, Wittmeyer and her team have announced a new Women in Family Business Program. The program’s kick-off event, the Women’s Wine Dinner, will bring together women who have a role in their family firms. The dinner will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 14, in the Elaine Wilson Formal Lounge located in Haffey Hall on Fisher’s campus.

Meaghan Frank, vice president and fourth generation of the Dr. Frank Winery on Keuka Lake, will be the guest of honor at the dinner. Frank uses her platform in the family business to honor the generations of women that precede her via “The Helm” wine series. Dr. Frank’s “The Helm” will be paired with a three-course dinner for the occasion.

“There is an opportunity to create a program that will lend to networking, educational content, mentorship, and more. All of which will aid in the growth of our female family business leaders,” said Teagan White ’19, director of onboarding and community engagement at JN White, and member of the Women in Family Business committee. “Our inaugural dinner will be a multi-sensory event in that we’ll hear Meaghan tell stories of her family members, including photos, taste the individual names, and hear about how each wine was crafted. Our hope is this will lend to thinking about other women in family-owned businesses and how they played, or still play, a key role in the success of the company.”

A key influence of Frank’s upbringing is her Ukrainian roots. Each family member has helped build the winery into the success it is today. A portion of proceeds from the dinner will be donated to the World Central Kitchen, which has served millions of meals to Ukrainians this year.

Tickets to the event are $90 per person (age 21 and older, please). Register online by Wednesday, Aug. 24. 

Governance Programs

The Family Business Initiative will also introduce two governance programs oriented toward families who are interested in taking a deep dive together to discuss decision-making practices and create strategies that we know will help families navigate transitions that come their way. The Family Governance Program will focus on family decision-making and the Business Governance Program will focus on business decision-making.

Next Generation Leadership Program

The Next Generation Leadership Program is a monthly program that prepares young family employees (ages 25-45) for leadership roles in their family businesses. The program offers deep dives into business, family, and ownership roles and responsibilities; and covers topics such as leadership, conflict management, team building, accounting/finance/valuation, and negotiations all of which are taught by Fisher faculty and other family business experts. The program also includes presentations by and networking with regional business leaders navigating real-world problems. All attendees complete and present a capstone - an individual development plan to address the unique transitions they see for themselves, their families, businesses, and owners. Participants earn an Executive Education Certification from Fisher.

For more information about the program and to register for events, email Wittmeyer at cwittmeyer@sjf.edu or call the Office of the Dean of the School of Business at (585) 385-8446.