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Running a family company? Here are five things you need to know Dustin McKissen Family. You can’t live with them, and ... (long, uncomfortable pause). If you thought what came next was, “you can’t live without them,” then consider yourself lucky. While many of us love our families, making a relationship work doesn’t get easier simply because two people share DNA. In fact, shared DNA often can make a tense situation — like working together — even more difficult. Navigating the sometimes-choppy waters of family-owned companies can be hard. It can also be worth it. Many of Whatcom County’s most
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BUSINESSPULSE.COM | JUL/AUG 2021
successful companies and many of the entries in this year’s Business Pulse Top 100 are family owned and managed. While working with family can be hard, the passion present in family companies can propel businesses to unheard-of success. Just ask Hershey, Ford Motor Company, or all the super-wealthy Walton children. Your family’s company might not be on the Top 100, but here are a few things you can learn from some of Whatcom County’s most successful family-owned companies.
Have defined roles and responsibilities. Being a family-owned company doesn’t mean that a coat of arms with your last name sits atop the org chart in the space where the bubbles for “CEO” and “COO” normally go. You still need to create a structure that plays to your team’s strengths while minimizing weaknesses. “My father, James Hall, started the company in 1992,” said Kelsey Van Miert, president of customer relations for Northwest Health Care Linen. “We provide medical laundry services
