Family Business - Winter2017

Massachusetts

WINTER 2017

FAMILYBUSINESS

FAMILY BUSINESSES WIN BIG Official magazine of the

Inside:

Celebrating Success and Strengthening Support

Portrait by renowned illustrator Joseph Adolphe.

WILMINGTON TRUST RENOWNED INSIGHT

“Shouldn’t you decide what will become of your business?”

Heads of successful family businesses

income. And you should know whether

are often reluctant to share control and

the business will generate sufficient

involve other family members in the

cash flow to support you and your family

management process. But do you know

in retirement.

what would happen to your business if you suddenly became incapacitated or worse, passed away? Who would step in to manage day-to-day operations? And even if you have a successor in mind, is that successor ready and capable of Bruce F. Hoffmeister Director of Wealth and Fiduciary Planning

stepping up and running the business?

ONLY

21%

OF B US IN ESS OW N ERS HAV E A S PEC IF IC S UCC ESS ION PLA N Source: “The Power of Planning” survey of 200 business owners conducted by Wilmington Trust

Starting early. Ideally, succession planning should begin the day you

Whether you decide to pass down

take over a business. Of course, that

the business to family or sell it outright,

Bruce has more than two decades

isn’t always realistic given the amount

there are many planning considerations

of experience in estate and financial

of work running a business takes, but

and strategies you can employ to make

planning for closely held business

succession planning needs to be a top

the transition a success. That’s where

priority. Most importantly, you will

Wilmington Trust comes in. Founded

need to decide if you want to keep the

by successful family business leader

business in the family or eventually sell it.

T. Coleman duPont more than a century

owners and their families. He is part of a seasoned team of professionals who exemplify Wilmington Trust’s 114-year heritage of successfully advising business owners. Our goal is to help you create a plan for each stage of your business and your

Looking down the road. To make

ago, we have the heritage and experience

the important decisions, you have to think

to help guide you through every part

about how you envision your retirement.

of the process.

For more insight on the

life, offering key insights at critical

You’ll need to determine if you want to be

times of transition. For access to

actively involved in the business in some

importance of business succession

knowledgeable professionals like

capacity for the remainder of your life.

planning, download our latest

Bruce and the rest of our team, contact

You should ask yourself if you want to be

research at wilmingtontrust.com/

Chris Casey at 617-457-2021.

chairman of the board and collect the net

businessowners.

F I D U C I A R Y S E R V I C E S | W E A L T H P L A N N I N G | I N V E S T M E N T M A N A G E M E N T | P R I V A T E B A N K I N G*

This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended as an offer or solicitation for the sale of any financial product or service. This article is not designed or intended to provide financial, tax, legal, accounting, or other professional advice since such advice always requires consideration of individual circumstances. If professional advice is needed, the services of your professional advisor should be sought. There is no assurance that any investment, financial, or estate planning strategy will be successful. *Private Banking is the marketing name for an offering of M&T Bank deposit and loan products and services.

Investments: • Are NOT FDIC-Insured • Have NO Bank Guarantee • May Lose Value Wilmington Trust is a registered service mark. Wilmington Trust Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of M&T Bank Corporation. Wilmington Trust Company, operating in Delaware only, Wilmington Trust, N.A., M&T Bank, and certain other affiliates provide various fiduciary and non-fiduciary services, including trustee, custodial, agency, investment management, and other services. International corporate and institutional services are offered through Wilmington Trust Corporation’s international affiliates. Loans, credit cards, retail and business deposits, and other business and personal banking services and products are offered by M&T Bank, member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender. ©2017 Wilmington Trust Corporation and its affiliates. All rights reserved.

16145_Boston Business Journal /10”w x 14”h

Massachusetts Family Business Official magazine of the

CONTENTS

5 Brass Tacks: The Family Business Conference Myriad experts across diverse industries convened to talk shop, share anecdotes, give advice and celebrate the spirit that motivates every familyowned business.

4

5

a united front

Family-owned companies come together to pat each other on the back and offer a helping hand.

10 awards well-earned

A racecar driver-turned-CEO dishes heartland wisdom and a comedian introduces this year’s award winners.

13 profiles in family enterprise

10

From 1871 up to 18 months ago, a look at the heritage of 10 family businesses and their champion, Ed Tarlow.

15

12 3

Director’s Letter

Families Coming Together

By Edward D. Tarlow

A

nybody who may harbor uncertainty about the strength and vitality of the family business in America today would have had their doubts erased at the 2017 New England Family Business Conference in Boston in late October. This fifth annual confab of family-owned businesses and their supporters was the largest and most successful yet. And it spoke volumes about the state of family businesses in today’s economy.

The festivities started with the annual Massachusetts Family Business Awards on Tuesday evening, where a capacity crowd celebrated inspiring examples of how family-owned companies are making an impact on their industries, their employees and their communities. Each of this year’s honorees had a compelling story to tell about their journey from an idea to a successful and sustainable enterprise. The harsh facts about few family-owned businesses surviving into a second or third generation were belied by the fact that several of the award finalists are several generations removed from their founding, including one that recently welcomed a sixth generation into the business!

Wednesday’s day-long conference at the Colonnade Hotel in Boston would prove to be just as much a celebration of family

business. Owners across multiple generations and from an amazing array of industries gathered to share common concerns and discuss mutual challenges, ably assisted by speakers with the expertise and experience necessary to positively impact the way forward for attendees.

The atmosphere as groups collected, split off for smaller sessions, and then rejoined for the keynote address was universally positive and upbeat. The general consensus was that business is good, and it is likely to get better, for family-owned companies.

This is precisely the kind of supportive,

encouraging and mutually beneficial environment we need to help family businesses thrive. Hats off to The Warren Group and the Northeastern University Center for Family Business, and sponsors like Webster Bank, Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce, Cambridge Savings Bank, MPI Business Valuation & Advisory, Wilmington Trust, M&T Bank, Moody Famiglietti & Andronico and Tarlow Breed Hart & Rodgers for making this unique and uniquely effective event possible. ■ ED TARLOW IS PRESIDENT OF THE MASSACHUSETTS FAMILY BUSINESS ASSOCIATION.

Massachusetts

FAMILYBUSINESS

Official magazine of the Family Business Association. Inc.

Editorial | Advertising | Design A Family-Owned Business Since 1872

101 Huntington Ave., Suite 500 Boston, MA 02199 fbaedu.com

DIRECTORS Jeffrey S. Davis, Mage, LLC Al DeNapoli, Tarlow, Breed, Hart & Rodgers, P.C. Brian Nagle, First Republic Private Wealth Management

4

PRESIDENT Edward D. Tarlow, Tarlow, Breed, Hart & Rodgers, P.C.

VICE PRESIDENT Catherine Watson, Tarlow, Breed, Hart & Rodgers, P.C.

TREASURER Jeffery P. Foley, Gray, Gray & Gray, LLP

280 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02210 Phone 617-428-5100 Fax 617-428-5119 www.thewarrengroup.com ©2017 The Warren Group Inc. All rights reserved. The Warren Group is a trademark of The Warren Group Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.

The 2017 Family Business Conference Leaders from Diverse Industries Hold Panels to Make Family Businesses Stronger

Photos: Amanda Martocchio

From left: Deb Drapalla, regional president - Boston, Webster Bank; Thomas Sheehan; Ken Kirkland, CPA; Aviva Sapers, president and CEO, Sapers & Wallack Inc.; and Ed Pendergast, founder and president, Pendergast & Co. LLC.

Ted Clark, executive director of the Northeastern University Center for Family Business and executive professor of entrepreneurship and innovation.

From left: Mike Mulrain, CFO & COO, Polar Beverage; Engin Okaya, managing director, Prudential Capital; Chip Johns, president, Butler Automatic; and Caleb White, senior consultant, CFAR.

By Mike Flaim

T

he Massachusetts Family Business Conference convened this year in Boston’s celebrated Colonnade Hotel on Oct. 25; the annual Family Business Awards ceremony preceded the conference. See page 10 for more about the awards ceremony and profiles of the winners.

Planning is Paramount If the focus of the all-day, eight-session conference had to be distilled into a single word to reflect the theme, it would be “planning.” An understanding of the consequences long-term planning has for the success of a family business was the basis on which all discussions were built that day.

Though attendees had the difficult task of choosing which of the concurrent sessions to attend, common themes ran through

each: managing generational transitions, the importance of an outside perspective for the vitality of a family business and how a carefully chosen board of directors can be the best management decision a leader will make were among the repeated ideas. The singular outlier was an extraordinary workshop on cybersecurity that was moderated by a former chief information security officer for the White House. Even there was an understanding of the value of looking to the horizon to ensure a company’s wellbeing.

The Power of Planning was one of the opening sessions and featured the founder and president of Royal Health Group, James Mamary Sr., along with his son, and James Mamary Jr., executive vice president. Also in attendance were Bruce F. Hoffmeister, director of wealth and fiduciary planning for Wealth Advisory Continued on page 6 5

Continued from page 5

From left; Geoffrey Wilkinson, Jr. and Geoffrey Wilkinson, Sr. of George T. Wilkinson, Inc., Aviva Sapers, President and CEO, Sapers & Wallack, Inc. and Thomas Davidow, founder and principal of Thomas D. Davidow & Associates,

Services, and Matt Allen, associate professor of entrepreneurship at Babson College. It was moderated by Mark Andersen of Wilmington Trust.

Wilmington Trust conducted a quantitative and qualitative survey of 200 owners of privately-held businesses and found that only 58 percent of those surveyed had some semblance of a succession plan in place. Andersen asked the panel to “open the kimono” and discuss ways they’ve breached the subject of succession planning.

An audience member chimed in that such a discussion with his father, who is the current leader of their company, consistently

From left: James Mamary Sr., Founder and President of Royal Health Group, James Mamary Jr. Executive Vice President of Royal Health Group., Bruce F. Hoffmeister, Director of Wealth and Fiduciary Planning Wealth Advisory Services, Wilmington Trust, N.A., and Matt Allen, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, Babson College.

“We have to get past the barriers we have of sharing information.”

— Matt Allen, associate professor of entrepreneurship, Babson College ends abruptly because, he supposes, it is linked to his father’s own mortality. Succession planning, like arranging a will, is not something people like to think about, but is necessary for the future.

Meet the best friends your family business will ever have.

Ed Tarlow, Al DeNapoli and Cathy Watson understand and appreciate the unique challenges of running a successful family business. They are dedicated to helping family-owned businesses grow, prosper and endure from one generation to the next. Call today to find out how Ed, Al and Cathy can help your family’s business.

101 Huntington Ave., Boston 617.218.2000 | tbhr-law.com

6

TBHR FBA Awards Ad 2017.indd 1

Ed Tarlow

Cathy Watson

Al DeNapoli

10/12/17 9:46 AM

“We have to get past the barriers we have of sharing information,” Allen said.

With the importance of creating and maintaining an environment that fosters open, constructive communication, one of the panels that immediately followed ran with these ideas a bit further. David Karofsky of The Family Business consulting group led the discussion by introducing the daunting statistic that merely a third of family-owned businesses survive the transition from first generation to second. Karofsky was joined by Jacob Grossman, Andrew Salmon and Ethan Becker to discuss the reasons behind this slim survival rate and offer tips on increasing a business’ odds.

The focus again hinged on proper, careful planning for the future, having an objective valuation performed prior to any transition and the management of assets so that neither generation is left lacking resources.

Lunch followed, with keynote speaker Howdy Holmes. During his address, he assessed the stunting effect that routine can have on a person. He punctuated this point with a simple experiment; he elected two people and tasked them with having a conversation with a simple caveat: they cannot use first-person pronouns. They didn’t get beyond asking “how are you?” His point was rote responses and the ease of slipping into familiar patterns can, at best, keep us from new experiences and, at worst, hobble our personal growth due to these missed opportunities.

Managing Transitions and Transitioning Management One of the first panels of the afternoon was sponsored by Web-

ster Bank, and featured family business consultant Tom Davidow, the father and son team of Geoff Wilkinson Sr. and Geoff Wilkinson Jr. of George T. Wilkinson Inc., and Aviva Sapers, third generation president of Sapers & Wallack Inc. They focused on management issues and transition periods in family businesses.

Davidow set the table by reminding the audience that the desire for family harmony can sometimes result in avoidance of difficult issues that need to be resolved for the business to thrive. He cited the timely example of substance abuse by a family member, a problem that “every knows about, but nobody wants to talk about.” As a result, other important conversations cannot take place, and the business suffers. The key is to learn how to communicate more openly and completely. It helps to seek outside resources who can help “quiet” family conflicts so that business needs can emerge.

This call for an outside perspective was one of the common threads found in many of the day’s workshops. Wilkinson Sr. stressed the importance of an objective business valuation, saying, “You want to be taken care of after all the time and hard work you put in” and a valuation can quantify that effort.

The conversation then turned to the dual minefields of nonparticipating family members influencing the business and compensation. On the first point, Sapers was blunt: “No business involvement? No ownership. No compensation. No control.” The rest of the panel agreed. The question of compensation – specifically, if it should scale with responsibility or be spread evenly among participating family members – received no such easy answer. A one-size-fits-all solution to this problem does not exist, and it’s a conversation Continued on page 8

The family business expertise you need. The responsiveness you deserve.

Webster Bank has a long history — both as a family-run business and helping family businesses like yours. Whatever matters most to you, your Webster banker will tailor a solution that works for your business. That’s how we’ve grown to be one of the largest banking organizations in the Northeast*… one relationship at a time. Learn how we’ve helped family businesses like yours grow and thrive.

We are pleased to be a sponsor of the Family Business Association. call: Debra Drapalla at (617) 717.6841 email: ddrapalla@websterbank.com * Source: National Information Center. The Webster symbol is a registered trademark in the U.S. Webster Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender ©2017 Webster Financial Corporation. All rights reserved.

WEB1606_4.75x7.25_AD_FINAL_101817.indd 1

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10/18/17 2:08 PM

Continued from page 7

From left: David M. Karofsky of the Family Business Consulting Group; Ethan Becker, president, Speech Improvement Co.; Andrew Salmon, Salmon Health and Retirement; and Jacob Grossman, The Grossman Companies.

that needs to happen within the family. Davidow also noted that if the relationship among family members is not intact, the business is at risk.

The Value of Outside Advisors In the session that immediately followed, the role of objective perspective was looked at more closely. The panel was sponsored by the law firm of Tarlow Breed Hart & Rodgers, and featured family business consultant Ed Pendergast, CPA Ken Kirkland, financial consultant Aviva Sapers and attorney Tom Sheehan.

8

Konrad Martin, CEO and director of business development, Tech Advisors, and Nate Gravel, vice president of information security, GraVoc.

“No business involvement?

No ownership. No compensation. No control.”

— Aviva Sapers, president, Sapers & Wallack Pendergast, who has guided dozens of businesses successfully through generational transitions and serves as a director on multiple boards, recommends a business establish an outside board of advisors early on, as a family business can benefit from having a “civilian” in

“I’m never a big fan of solely relying on technology to stop a problem for you; I think you still need to train your end-user to be able to identify threats.”

— Nate Gravel, vice president of information security, GraVoc the room with a third-party perspective.

Ken Kirkland of CitrinCooperman echoed the sentiment Geoff Wilkinson Sr. expressed in the preceding workshop about the importance of a valuation in the transition of a family business. However, Kirkland went a bit further, stressing the need to consider a transition’s impact on the business as well as its impact on all family members. “The design of a transaction cannot paralyze the business,” Kirkland warned. “The agreement needs to balance the retirement needs of the older generation with the income and business needs of the next generation.”

Protecting the Family Livelihood A panel moderated by Christopher Mellen, who was a former chief information security officer for the White House, successfully broadened the focus of the conference by hammering home the point that cybersecurity should be a primary concern for all businesses, regardless of size or industry.

Mellen pointed to data gathered by Juniper Research which projected that the global cost of cybercrime would crest $2 trillion by 2019. He and the panel broke down the variety of tactics hackers to breach a network, and the use of viruses, worms, trojans and malware.

They then went into a brief case study on phishing, one of the more preventable forms of data breaches. Despite this, however, it’s one of the most consistent scheme hackers use. “A phishing campaign sent to 50 people will net five to six victims in the catch,” Mellen said.

The takeaway was that there are three things every business should be doing: training and educating; investing in all three phases of security, which are protection, detection and response; and testing employees repeatedly without being afraid of failure.

“I’m never a big fan of solely relying on technology to stop a problem for you; I think you still need to train your end-user to be able to identify threats,” said Nate Gravel, vice president of information security at web design and development firm GraVoc, in response to an audience mem-

ber’s inquiry about specific applications that may prevent breaches.

And if you ever find yourself on the receiving end of ransomware, the consensus was that you do not pay.

“Contact your local FBI field office,” said Mellen, who told attendees that the FBI is willing to help businesses negotiate with hackers. Of course, the best course of action isn’t to rely on a third party to deal fallout, but to prevent these problems in the first place. Konrad Martin, CEO and director of business development at Tech Advisors, reminded attendees that “your best security is based on your weakest link,” and as such training, education and awareness are the best defenses for businesses of any size.

ness conference proved helpful to many attendees, as evidenced by lively discussions during the well-attended talks. One of the most common themes was the realization that certain commonalities exist between companies, whether they have 10 employees or 1,000 and operating revenue of $200,000 a year or a half-billion; some businesses practices are superior, independent of size or industry. And for those who attended, concerned about legacy and the future of their family’s livelihood, this year’s conference showed that there exists a supportive community from which this special breed of businessperson can gain strength.

■ MIKE FLAIM IS AN ASSOCIATE EDITOR WITH THE WARREN GROUP. HE CAN BE REACHED AT MFLAIM@THEWARREN-

A Supportive Community The breadth of diversity and depth of experience in this year’s family busi-

GROUP.COM. DEB DRAPALLA, REGIONAL PRESIDENT OF WEBSTER BANK, CONTRIBUTED TO THIS ARTICLE. SHE CAN BE REACHED AT DDRAPALLA@WEBSTERBANK.COM.

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Family Business Awards 2017

Family Businesses Win Big at Annual Awards Event Photos: Amanda Martocchio

By Mike Flaim

T

he ninth annual Massachusetts Family Business Awards took place this year on Oct. 24, the evening prior to the Family Business Conference, at the Colonnade Hotel in

Boston.

Howdy Holmes, former racecar driver and now CEO of Chelsea Milling Co., the makers of Jiffy baking mixes, was the keynote speaker at the awards. With his unpretentious demeanor, enthusiasm for family enterprises and a honed ability to convey his business acumen in a way that feels personalized, Holmes was a natural choice.

Holmes began his remarks by sharing that his family had been in the milling business for six generations and that the Jiffy brand goes back three generation to his grandmother. He had “no back-

10

ground, no training and no manual,” similar to many in the room, but endeavored to continue the family’s legacy. With downtempo charm, he shared anecdotes, dropped bits of wisdom (such as “business is easy – it’s people that are hard”), and cited statistics like “family businesses are responsible for 63 percent of the GDP. Performance-wise, family businesses outperform publicly held businesses in terms of financial returns by about a point and a half.”

Holmes’ enthusiasm and wit was in good company thanks to comedian and emcee Jeff Smith (who goes by J Smitty if you see him on Kevin Hart’s “Hart of the City” or in a Boston comedy club). Businesses from all over the commonwealth were recognized; read their stories in the pages of this issue of Family Business Magazine.

■

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2017 Family Business Award Winners Sapers & Wallack

Small Business of the Year Awarded to a business with fewer than 50 employees, with multiple generations employed currently or a successful transition to the next generation

Edward D. Tarlow Award for Marketing Excellence Awarded to a business that has demonstrated unique creativity in its marketing

Volante Farms

Medium Business of the Year Awarded to a company with 50 to 150 employees, with multiple generations employed currently or a successful transition to the next generation

Endurance Award Awarded to a business that has overcome significant adversity

Battle Grounds Coffee

First Generation Business of the Year Awarded to a company in its first generation

Robert B. Our Co.

Large Business of the Year Awarded to a company with more than 150 employees, with multiple generations employed currently or a successful transition to the next generation

VERC Enterprises

Edward D. Tarlow

Community Excellence Award Awarded to a business that has demonstrated philanthropic excellence and exhibits a deep commitment to underserved communities

Regional Family Business Advocacy Award Awarded at the discretion of the executive directors of the Family Business Association

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Battle Grounds Coffee, Haverhill

First Generation – Salvatore and Dana DeFranco Founded in 2016 Restaurant/Café Husband and wife team Salvatore DeFranco and Dana DeFranco opened Battle Grounds Coffee in Haverhill last year, just three days after their wedding.

The two began their firstgeneration family business focused around what they knew best – coffee. Blending the old with the new, the pair crafted the company’s name and mission statement with a nod to Salvatore’s former career as a Navy SEAL. Centered on “country, community, coffee,” Battle Grounds Coffee actively works to support the veteran community by hosting events, maintaining a veteran hiring preference and donating goods, services and time to veteran organizations.

The company has also acted as a pillar in the community, uniting different groups for discussion by hosting several town hall meetings where neighborhood organizations have met with law enforcement and local politicians to discuss the needs of their communities. The café has also housed state-level events with Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Karen Polito, U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas,

Sapers & Wallack Inc., Newton Third Generation – Aviva Sapers Founded 1932 Financial Services

A mere 10 percent of family businesses survive into the third generation, and only three percent are still viable into the fourth. Sapers & Wallack is one such business that’s dodged the “shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations” phenomenon, and they’re preparing for the fourth.

In a time when insurance and financial services have become segmented, automated and homogenized, Sapers & Wallack moved in the opposite direction. This is due in no small part to the leadership of Aviva Sapers, president and CEO. Over the 15 years of Aviva’s leadership, the team at Sapers & Wallack has successfully navigated the straits of the recession and expanded upon the range of services offered. They’ve grown new divisions that focus on wealth management, charitable strategies, company wellness programs and risk management.

The first generation’s mission was to grow the company be-

State Sen. Kathleen O’Connor Ives, State Rep. Brian Dempsey and Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini, along with many city councilors, educators and other community organizations.

Although young in its incorporation, the business is making a name for itself on the restaurant/café frontlines, serving 180 customers a day in Haverhill, and looking to expand to a second location. Battle Grounds is currently involved in lease negotiations for its next location with the intention to be operational by March of 2018. The DeFrancos aim to open five stores by the end of 2023.

Salvatore and Dana have developed the drink menu based on the requests and needs of their customers. The success of the food menu has surpassed their expectations, now accounting for a substantial percentage of the company’s revenue. To keep up with customer needs, Battle Grounds prides itself on a strategy of innovation. The company consistently adapts its menu to follow the seasons, experimenting with new offerings that are trending in other parts of the country. The company also ensures it treats employees like family and encourages all staff to take part in product development.

Battle Grounds has worked with local craftsman to create a unique interior space that is purposeful and inviting. All of the furniture has been custom-made to fit the design needs of the couple’s brand and vision.

The company has received numerous awards and recognitions in a small timeframe, including the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce Annual Small Business Award, Veterans Category Speaker at the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce Annual Next Generation Leaders Conference and Speaker at Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce Annual Women in Business Conference.

■ yond insurance to retirement plans. The 2nd generation, Bill Sapers and Norman Wallack,expanded upon this legacy by adding executive and group benefits. The third generation, Aviva Sapers and Ed Wallack, added wealth management and retirement advisory, as well as charitable strategies.

However, the lines and missions of the successive generations aren’t clearly delineated; even at the age of 89, Bill Sapers has established the firm as a recognized industry leader in the charitable strategies field. He’s a certified Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy, and frequently confers with nonprofits to secure donations and create cost- and tax-optimized solutions for donors.

The creation of a charitable strategies arm assists nonprofits in their fundraising efforts and enables wealthy individuals to donate more as their contributions are handled strategically.

The most recent major change that occurred this year under Aviva’s leadership was the successful migration of their group benefits team to The Hilb Group of New England. This dramatically improved S&W’s client service offering due to Hilb’s large back office in HR and group benefits as well as their expertise in property and casualty insurance. They have also forged ahead with the development of an industry-specific, web-based customer relationship management system. This system was developed in a joint effort with National Financial Partners and is based on Salesforce software.

As mentioned above, S&W sold off a division this year. This has decreased both the number of employees and revenue by about 50 percent, but the plan is to build the remaining part of the company ■ 13

2017 Finalists Robert B. Our Co. Inc., Harwich

Second generation – Christopher Our, John Our & Hope Our Cleary Founded 1957 Construction site development and maintenance A family business, built on trust – that’s the Robert B. Our Company motto.

The team is made up of knowledgeable, experienced construction and engineering professionals. By coupling their deep expertise with commitment and caring, team leaders have become trusted advisors to developers, general contractors, and municipal engineers.

The firm was founded in 1957 by Robert B. Our Sr. and his wife Joan, who ran the administrative side of the business. Over the decades, he built a reputation of trust with his customers, and a strong value system and work ethic in his children. Today his sons Christopher and John and daughter Hope run the family business.

They’re working to build on the heritage created by their father and mother while expanding the company’s strengths and services.

Chris has been in the family business since he was a toddler.

He spent his childhood learning the trade – and the value of hard work – from his dad, the founder of Robert B. Our Co. Growing up in Harwich, he was fascinated by every aspect of his job, big and small. As a result, he’s certified in multiple disciplines.

Today, Chris is responsible for overseeing the operations for his

VERC Enterprises, Duxbury

Second Generation – Leo Vercollone, president; Paul Vercollone, vice president Founded 1975 Gasoline stations, convenience stores and car washes When VERC Enterprises was founded in 1975, it consisted of just one carwash.

Gasoline services were later added to supplement income; the company now operates 28 retail convenience, gasoline, and cash wash locations in Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire.

The first generation of the company was headed by Eugene Vercollone. Originally a produce buyer for Purity Supreme, he was 60 when he bought a carwash in Marshfield out of bankruptcy court. In that first decade, Eugene got the business up and running and brought his sons, Leo Vercollone, now president, and Paul Vercollone, now vice president, into the family business. When Eugene left, there were three locations. Under the next generation of leadership, the company refined its products and direction.

VERC Enterprises has grown through a number of innovative, give-back-to-the-community programs, including setting the ambitious goal of achieving a 20 percent level of IDD 14

company, from banking to insurance to bidding. But if he’s needed in the field, he can also be found at the controls of a crane or an excavator. No matter where he is, Chris never loses sight of what matters most – his customers – and their satisfaction with the work his company provides.

Before most kids his age had a driver’s license, John was training professional drivers how to use pump trucks. From his first day on the job at age 15, John learned from his dad the importance of being trustworthy and fair, and the kind of work ethic it took to exceed a customer’s expectations. John has spent his entire career living up to that advice, and today he’s passing that wisdom on to the next generation of the family business. Their sister Hope continues to work in the main office and is in charge of scheduling.

The company has greatly diversified since its founding, and has grown from five employees to 160, many of whom have worked for the company for more than 20 years. The Our Company began pumping septic systems and now has plumbing, mechanical and electrical divisions, and has worked on marine construction, wastewater plant construction and municipal water.

A strong believer in community involvement, the company is a supporter of the Family Pantry of Cape Cod, a corporate sponsor of the Cape Cod Baseball League and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Cape Cod, and volunteers with Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod. Succeeding generations of the Our family – 13 family members so far – have assumed roles in the company and can be found in the office, field, and furthering their technical and business educations. Each works hard towards the same objective – making the company successful – and they leave their egos at home. Each will put his or her training and experience to work to fill critical roles as the Robert B. Our Co. evolves into the future.

■

(intellectually developmentally disabled) employees. They achieve this through partnership with Best Buddies, ARC of Plymouth, and Massachusetts Commission for the Blind.

VERC Enterprises has been named employer of the year by ARC of Greater Plymouth, Mass Commission for the Blind, and is a multi-year recipient of awards from Best Buddies for the company’s assistance in placing intellectually/developmentally disabled people in the workforce.

The company’s vision is symbolized by a four-legged chair: The number one leg is the employee, the most important part of the company. Number two is the customer – well cared for employees will treat customers exceptionally. Number three is the community and the causes that the company supports, and number 4 is the vendors, which the company treats as partners.

Several members of senior management are current and former board members of the New England Concierge Store and Energy Marketing Association; Leo has served as president of the association, Jim Fitzgerald serves on the legislative committee, and Barry Ahern is on the associate board. The company is also active in the National Association of Convenience Stores, serving on its board of directors and membership committee.

One of the company’s most satisfying endeavors is the ability to impact people’s lives in a positive way. The workforce is comprised of individuals representing 19 countries, many first-generation Americans, and the company strives to promote from within. VERC aims to give these diligent, thoughtful, dedicated employees the opportunity and tools to improve their lives.

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Volante Farms, Needham

Fourth Generation – Teri Volante Boardman Founded 1917 Agriculture and horticulture Volante Farms began with Peter Volante in 1917, who established a large family farm in Newton. It was a “truck farm” – a farm that grew vegetables but transported them to off-site markets. Peter, his family, and a small cadre of employees took their produce to Boston’s Produce Market, which was located at Faneuil Hall. In the 1950s, Peter’s daughter Margie opened a farm stand just outside of their fields. By the late 1950s, the farm stand business had eclipsed that of their produce shipping business. In 1962, the farm was moved from Newton to Needham, in a plot of land that has been continuously farmed since pre-colonial days.

In 2011, Volante Farms consisted of 30 employees. Expansion began in 2012, and within five years staff has increased to 110 and revenue has increased four-fold. Now instead of Volante shipping produce into the city, Bostonians travel to them. Patrons can even eat dinner amongst the crops, thanks to Volante’s “Dinner in the Field” series.

A large part of their success is paradoxically due to a decline in produce sales. This declination sparked an idea to begin offering pre-

Business Advocacy Award: Edward D. Tarlow Edward D. Tarlow is the 2017 recipient of the Regional Family Business Advocacy Award, bestowed at the discretion of the executive directors of the Massachusetts Family Business Association for recognition of enduring excellence in the promotion and support of family businesses.

Tarlow is a founding member of the Boston-based law firm Tarlow, Breed, Hart & Rodgers P.C. The firm provides counsel to businesses, families and entrepreneurs, as well as to individuals and institutions.

Over the years, Tarlow has labored to establish his firm as a singular resource for the family business owner, and his expertise in the fields of taxation, business law and estate planning are the foundations on which his enthusiasm for the entrepreneurially-minded endures.

An independent businessperson through-and-through, Tarlow was drawn to the field of law for the versatility it affords. He graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in chemical engineering but quickly pivoted to pursue a law degree, earning his juris doctorate from Boston College in 1964 and his masters’ degree in taxation several years later.

pared foods. They tested the waters with ready-to-eat salad mixes, and their popularity encouraged the Volantes to expand their offerings. They installed a full kitchen as well as a deli in their new farm stand, which opened in 2012, and have also updated their greenhouses and fields to incorporate a number of resource-efficient strategies.

Many of these innovative strategies encompass the greenhouse: it’s heated by two condensing gas boilers that operate at 98 percent efficiency, it has radiant floor heating and a two-curtain heat retention system that prevents heat from seeping away during frigid Massachusetts winters. There’s a rainwater collection system that can capture 10,000 gallons of water, and they use ebb and flow greenhouse benches that evenly water plants and recirculate nutrients. This, combined with a century of farming, allows the Volante team to time their crops and have them ready precisely when they need them to be.

Despite how labor-saving and efficient these innovations may be, Volante Farms is still a sizable operation that requires many hands.

As such, the family knows just how important their staff is and knows they wouldn’t be where they are today without them. This dedication to their employees is demonstrated by the leadership team’s decision to pay their staff during a nearly month-long period last summer when the farm stand had to close. Thanks to an outside contractor applying the incorrect type of floor sealant to its retail floors, the retail store was forced to shutter its doors while it solved the problem.

“My brothers and I know that loyal employees are our best asset...” says fourth-generation Teri Volante Boardman. “That act of faith definitely bonded us even closer to our employees because we publicly acknowledged that we would be nowhere without them!”

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Not satisfied with simply acting as counsel, Tarlow sought to promote his field by becoming an instructor, and so became an adjunct professor at the New England School of Law and Suffolk University. He was at each institution for over a decade and taught courses in estate taxation, advanced corporate taxation, business planning and corporate finance.

When he noticed that a vacuum existed in an area of his interests, he simply created roles to address those voids; he’s the founding director of The Business Coalition Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to streamlining the process and easing the logistical burdens of foreign companies that conduct business in the U.S. He’s also the president and founding member of The Family Business Association, which he established as a way to educate family business owners and give them the credit they deserve.

“Family businesses are not creations of our modern business climate,” he wrote in the inaugural issue of Massachusetts Family Business magazine. “They date back to the very first communal enterprises. Still, it seems as if only recently that family businesses have begun to truly receive the scope of recognition approaching the level of importance they have in our economy.”

His passion for family enterprises is tangible, and the view that they are the backbone of our economy, and indeed of the country, finds no greater champion than in Ed Tarlow: “As most Americans work for family-run organizations, the families that run them are representative of what American self-initiative and independence is all about. Today, they are the key to our returning economic stability and to ensuring that the great values that make this country will continue.”

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