In a family business, it's never lonely at the top. CEOs of family firms constantly feel someone looking over their shoulder — be they family shareholders with a vested interest in the success of the enterprise or the ghosts of generations past. The chief executive hears the message loud and clear: “Don't screw this up.”
“Success” in a family business is defined in a variety of ways, depending on the family's goals. For some, it's preserving the legacy business and passing it to the next generation. For others, it's transforming the assets of the legacy business into a new entity that is more relevant to the needs of the market or the interests of the family. In all cases, however, the goal is twofold: financial prosperity and family harmony. That balance is often tough to maintain.
This year's CEOs to Watch run the gamut of family business leadership, from entrepreneurial founders to a fifth-generation steward of a multifaceted enterprise to non-family executives trusted by the family ownership group to lead and expand their operations.
The missions these business leaders have undertaken include some daunting challenges: unify a family, hold the reins after a devastating loss or anti-immigrant violence, revive a company, build a family office from scratch, develop the person who will take your job — and, of course, figure out how to operate in a global pandemic.
These exceptional CEOs are the right leaders at the right time for the family businesses they helm.
N. ROGAN DONELLY
President and CEO | Third generation | Tervis, Venice, Fla.
N. Rogan Donelly is following in the footsteps of his grandfather and father as the leader of Tervis, the drinkware company renowned for its classic insulated tumblers. He grew up with the brand, bringing Tervis tumblers to show-and-tell in middle school and working summers in the warehouse. By the time he was appointed company president in 2016 (after a stint working for Bank of America's Global and Wealth Investment Management division), he had worked in every department at Tervis, including production, operations, sales and marketing. Four years later, he assumed the role of president and CEO. read more >
KAREN FLAVELLE
CEO | Second generation | Purdys Chocolatier, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Karen Flavelle's father, Charles Flavelle, purchased R.C. Purdy Chocolates Ltd. in 1963. “His message to his four children was that he didn't want to parachute his offspring over longtime employees,” Flavelle says. “We all received the message: pursue our careers elsewhere, which we did.” read more >
DELROY WRIGHT
CEO | Non-family | BFO21, New York, N.Y.
Delroy Wright is the CEO of BFO21, the family office of Christina Lewis, daughter of famed financier Reginald F. Lewis and philanthropist Loida Lewis.
Wright is an experienced financial services executive whose career spans asset management, corporate governance, business development, client relations, business strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate law. He began his career practicing law at the corporate law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in its investment management and mergers & acquisitions practice areas, then worked with Credit Suisse Asset Management as M&A advisory counsel. read more >
JONATHAN THOMPSON
President and CEO | Non-family | Nielsen-Massey Vanillas Inc., Waukegan, Ill.
Jonathan Thompson, known as JT, has served as president and CEO of Nielsen-Massey Vanillas Inc. since September 2020. The company, founded in 1907, has operations in Waukegan, Ill., and Leeuwarden in the Netherlands and is a purveyor of vanilla extracts and fine flavors for consumers, culinary professionals and industrial customers. read more >
PAIGE PATTERSON
CEO | Second generation | WORD Rock Drills, Elon, N.C.
Paige Patterson assumed leadership of WORD Rock Drills, a manufacturer of excavator and skid steer attachments, limited-access drilling equipment and dimensional stone automated drilling systems, in 2019. Under her leadership, the company has doubled its workforce size, seen significant financial gains and become a certified Women-Owned Small Business. read more >
TÂM NGUYỄN
Chairman and CEO | Second generation | Advance Beauty College, Garden Grove, Calif.
Tâm Nguyễn leads Advance Beauty College with his sister, Linh. More than 40,000 graduates have been trained at the beauty school, whose educators speak English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Farsi. Many of the graduates have become business owners. read more >
STEVE HENN
CEO | Non-family | IDEAL Industries, Sycamore, Ill.
Steve Henn spent 29 years with Illinois Tool Works before joining IDEAL Industries in 2019. IDEAL is a global enterprise with companies serving technicians and workers across a wide range of industries, including electrical, construction, aerospace and automotive. read more >
MARGARET HUDSON
President and CEO | Fourth generation | Burnbrae Farms Limited, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Margaret Hudson has gained experience in a variety of Burnbrae divisions in over 30 years of working in the business. She is the youngest daughter of company chairman emeritus Joe Hudson. Burnbrae Farms, founded in 1891, has egg grading, processing and farming operations in five Canadian provinces. read more >
SACHIN SHIVARAM
CEO | Non-family | Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry, Manitowoc, Wis.
Shivaram was recruited in 2019 to join Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry (WAF) as its first non-family CEO. He earned trust with WAF's three labor unions, brought energy to managerial ranks, created excitement about the company in the local community and put shareholders at ease that the family's century-old legacy will continue to thrive. In recent years, WAF has grown through acquisitions and capital investments, now with nearly 800 employees across the Midwest. read more >
STEVE RIGBY
Co-CEO | Second generation | Rigby Group PLC, London, England
Steve Rigby has driven the transformation of a family business founded in 1975 to create Rigby Group. Now diversified from its origins in technology, Rigby Group is a multinational holding company for a portfolio of businesses, with divisions in technology, finance, real estate, airports and hotels. Together, they consist of more than 8,500 employees and operate in eight countries across Europe and the Middle East. For the year ending March 2023, the group reported turnover of £3.9 billion. read more >
ANA MARIA QUINTERO LOWRY
President and CEO | First generation | A & P International Inc., Orlando, Fla.
Ana Maria Quintero Lowry founded A&P International in 1989. The company, certified as a Minority Business Enterprise, assesses and develops diverse suppliers through business coaching to become pre-qualified vendors to A&P's corporate and government clients. read more >
ERIC CORLISS
Co-Manager | Fifth generation | Corliss Management Group LLC, Lake Tapps, Wash.
Eric Corliss is co-manager with his brother, Steve, of Corliss Management Group (CMG). CMG is the managing member of all Corliss LLCs. In September, he celebrated his 20th anniversary with the family business. read more >
JENNIFER L. EDNEY
President and CEO | Fourth generation | Edney Distributing Company, Inc., Lakeville, Minn.
Jennifer L. Edney helms Edney Distributing Company, Inc., a wholesale equipment distributor focusing on the agricultural, lawn and turf maintenance, forestry and light industrial markets. An enthusiastic member of the EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) community, she is Edney Distributing's EOS visionary. read more >
MICHAEL C. HADJINIAN
President | Non-family | Magnetic Products Inc., Highland, Mich.
Michael Hadjinian has been president of Magnetic Products Inc., a supplier of magnetic separators for food safety and material handling equipment for metal forming, since 2018. read more >
SCOTT OH
President | First generation | American Traveler Inc., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Scott Oh is the founder of American Traveler Inc., a luggage and travel bag specialist licensed by brands including Brookstone, Perry Ellis, Juicy Couture and Nautica to bring their vision to the marketplace. The company designs, manufactures and markets backpacks, sport bags, causal bags, business cases and a wide variety of luggage. read more >
MARY LISLE LANDHUIS
President | Fifth generation | Lisle Corporation/EZ Way Inc., Clarinda, Iowa
Mary Lisle Landhuis is the president of Lisle Corporation, manufacturer of a line of over 800 automotive specialty tools with a magnetic plug division and a full line of machining tools made by its Dunham Tool division. She also oversees Lisle's sister company, EZ Way Inc., a medical device manufacturing company. read more >
RICHARD L. SCHMIDT JR.
CEO and Chairman | Fourth generation | CG Schmidt, Milwaukee, Wis.
Rick Schmidt served on the board of directors of CG Schmidt, a construction management firm, for 10 years before joining the company as president in 2006. Previously, he worked for construction and engineering firm Payne & Dolan Inc., where he served as vice president and regional manager. He received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Marquette University and is a registered professional engineer in Wisconsin. read more >
MIKE RINDY
President | Non-family | Nelson-Jameson Inc., Marshfield, Wis.
Mike Rindy was named president of Nelson-Jameson, a 75+-year-old food and beverage distributor, in 2020. He began his career as a teenager studying the art of cheesemaking at his cousin's cheese factory and learning the fundamentals of the dairy industry milking cows on his neighbors' farms. His passion for the dairy industry led him to earn progressively more senior positions across disciplines from technical service to executive management. He came to Nelson-Jameson from a role as executive director at Hydrite. read more >
PAULA GAMER
President and CEO | Second generation | Gamer Packaging, Minneapolis, Minn.
Paula Gamer has been involved with Gamer Packaging since 1993, at first behind the scenes. After joining officially, in 2012 she was named executive vice president and chief operating officer of the company, which offers custom packaging solutions for a range of products and industries. She has been president since 2019 and added the CEO title in 2022, taking over that role from her husband, Kenny, who is now chairman and chief strategic officer. read more >
ANDREW KOENIG
CEO | Second generation | City Furniture, Tamarac, Fla.
Andrew Koenig began his full-time career with City Furniture in the receiving department in 2006. City Furniture, founded in 1971 as Waterbed City, owns and operates more than 30 showrooms from Miami through Vero Beach and in Southwest and Central Florida (Orlando and Tampa), as well as 14 Ashley Home Store showrooms as the brand's Southeast and Southwest Florida licensee. read more >
JEFFREY COUREY
President and CEO | Fourth generation | George Courey Inc., Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Jeffrey Courey joined George Courey Inc. as a senior buyer in 2008, became chief operating officer in 2012 and was named president and CEO in 2020. The 113-year-old company manufactures and distributes reusable hospitality and healthcare textile products, serving institutional clients across North America. read more >
CALLIE ZAMZOW
CEO | Second generation | Dynamite Specialty Products
Co-CEO | Fourth generation | Zamzows Inc., Boise, Idaho
Callie Zamzow holds the title of CEO for two family businesses — Zamzows, a fourth-generation lawn, garden and pet supplies retail chain, and Dynamite Specialty Products, a second-generation business that manufactures and distributes nutritional supplements. She graduated from Boise State University with a biology degree, then worked outside the family businesses for several years before becoming the marketing director for Dynamite. She dove in to learn the rest of the business, eventually taking the reins as CEO in 2005. read more >
ERIC L. GOODMAN
President and CEO | First generation | Mountain View Services Inc., Redlands, Calif.
Mountain View Services (MVS) was established in 1988 as a supplier of products and services to healthcare facilities for developmentally disabled adults and children in Southern California. Eric Goodman, who began in sales and progressively advanced in his career at the company, purchased MVS from the original owner in 2020. read more >