Family Offices

Advisors often say, “If you’ve seen one family office, you’ve seen one family office.” But we can highlight some commonalities and insights to help a prosperous family understand how a family office might be useful.

Healthcare may be massive, but for family offices it’s anything but simple. Investment professionals say opportunity lies in private markets, but only if you bring domain expertise, the right partners and patience.

Family offices already apply rigorous discipline to wealth management, tax strategy, and philanthropic governance. The decisions that fall within that scope share a common quality: consequences that extend well beyond the immediate moment. The same is true of the education of a young person. For that reason, college admissions planning, and the related developmental activities associated, have entered the scope of the family office.

Shoebox began as a private trust company created by the Bush family to protect ownership of Bush Brothers & Company, then evolved organically into a true family office by earning buy-in, one shareholder at a time. Today, Shoebox operates as a purpose-built family enterprise designed to preserve stewardship, alignment and continuity across generations.

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.