At Vermeer, Senior Family Office Manager Aaron Smith is bridging generations through education, family camps and intentional relationship-building — ensuring more than 80 family members stay connected as both the family and business grow. A second-generation nonfamily employee, Smith is turning everyday questions and shared learning moments into a foundation for long-term unity and stewardship.

In her nearly 14-year tenure at Mt. Vernon Investments, Meredith Liner has helped steer the family office through two closely linked transitions: modernizing its technology and reconfiguring its investment operations.

This exclusive study by Family Business Magazine and Compensation Advisory Partners shows that most family businesses treat family executives and non-family executives similarly for compensation purposes.

By examining how and why fund managers use NAV lending, families can identify applications that translate directly to their own capital structures.