Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) is pleased to return as the Presenting Sponsor for the 2017 Smart Business Family Business Conference.
We value family businesses as an important part of the fabric of our community, and Tri-C is committed to providing education and training to guide owners and employees of family businesses so that they may grow, thrive and be sustained for future generations.
For example, the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program at Tri-C has assisted nearly 500 entrepreneurs over the past five years with developing and expanding their businesses. Those who graduated from the program have outperformed the broader economy while exceeding national and local averages in revenue growth and job creation.
Tri-C is committed to building and expanding the workforce for the future through professional development, helping business owners leverage their incumbent employees and upskill their abilities through training and education.
In addition, the college seeks to address the skills gap by creating a pipeline of skilled workers ready to fill in-demand jobs. The college’s six Centers of Excellence supply skilled workers for local employers, address areas of anticipated job growth, demonstrate high success rates and have broad impact on the region.
These centers address student, community and employer needs in Creative Arts, Hospitality, Information Technology, Manufacturing, Nursing and Public Safety.
The Family Business Conference also allows Tri-C to support employers by showcasing how to build and maintain a lasting formula for success. Smart Business has assembled two noteworthy panels consisting of top experts in the field of family business.
The first panel is comprised of industry experts who will share their advice and provide national best practices. The second will include local CEOs who have lived, worked and thrived in Northeast Ohio and who understand what it takes to run a successful family-owned business in the region. These leaders will share the strategies that they have employed on their pathways to success and offer their insights on owning, running and working in a family business.
Cuyahoga Community College extends sincere thanks to the business owners who agreed to participate in this innovative event and congratulates the 2017 Family Business Achievement Award Winners. ●
Alex Johnson, Ph.D.
president
Cuyahoga Community College
Bialosky Cleveland
Jack Alan Bialosky Jr. FAIA, IIDA, LEED AP
Senior and managing principal
www.bialosky.com
Trained under some of the most influential and imaginative architects of the 20th century, including Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Kahn, Jack Alan Bialosky began as a sole practitioner in Cleveland in 1949, producing early modernist residential and commercial projects. In 1951, Bialosky officially started his practice, Jack Alan Bialosky Associates, which helped pioneer modernism in the region.
After years of studying, teaching and practicing in Boston, Jack Alan Bialosky Jr. returned to Cleveland in 1986 to join his father’s small firm, which became Bialosky + Manders Architects, and today goes by Bialosky Cleveland. The name change grew organically out of the logo design process — a road of self-discovery that illuminated the fact that Bialosky was no longer made up solely of architects, but also interior designers, graphic designers, strategists, urban planners and engineers.
Jack Jr. serves as senior and managing principal, while his brother, William, initiated and still leads the New York office. Upon stewardship, Jack rose to the challenge of deciphering the roadblocks to firm growth, and through employee empowerment and collaboration, knocked them down.
With a vision for the family business, he set a new course that looked beyond the familial leadership to be inclusive and diverse. While in its second generation of leadership with Jack Jr., the firm is currently using the “It takes a village” philosophy to simultaneously grow its third and fourth generation leaders. ●
Busch Funeral and Crematory Services
James H. Busch
President
www.buschcares.com
Since 1905, the Busch family has been a part of the funeral business. Founded in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood of Cleveland by Gustav H. Busch, Rehburg-Busch Furniture and Hardware Store crafted furniture, built fine wooden caskets and ran embalming facilities.
Twenty years later, the family’s first funeral home business was established on Pearl Road in Cleveland. Today, Busch Funeral and Crematory Services is owned and managed by fourth-generation funeral directors, brothers James H. Busch and J. Mark Busch.
As president and vice president, respectively, James’ and Mark’s roles are intertwined as the two support each other in their day-to-day management roles. Following in the footsteps of their father and former owner, John M. Busch, the Busch brothers embody the definition of a family-owned business and dedicate their lives to compassionately serving families throughout Northeast Ohio.
Busch’s loving family focus is felt by families across the state. It was the first funeral home to provide caring staff for at-home funeral planning to better serve grieving families. And the company is part of the largest grassroots effort to help Ohio families fight the opioid epidemic.
To support this deep-rooted family dynamic within their business, Busch holds a daily staff meeting to discuss new business, narratives and a bit of brotherly banter. The business maintains a strong culture of inclusiveness throughout its seven Cleveland locations. ●
E.F. Boyd & Son Inc.
William F. Boyd II
CEO
www.efboyd.com
E. F. Boyd & Son Inc. is the oldest African-American business in Cuyahoga County, having first opened its doors in 1905. Founder Elmer F. Boyd was a pioneer and set the foundation for a company that has become synonymous with dignity, integrity and quality in funeral service. Today, the company is led by William F. Boyd II, who serves as CEO.
E.F. Boyd has adapted with the times. It was the first funeral home in the Cleveland area to advertise on billboards and buses in the late 1990s. In the late 1980s, Boyd added its own crematory, University Circle Crematory, at its 89th Street location to better serve the needs of the public.
Today, Boyd maintains a Facebook page and has a grief therapy dog that is in training. The company’s directors and staff encourage families to be creative and memorialize their loved ones with DVD tributes, balloon and dove releases and personalized services that truly reflect the life of their loved one.
It has sponsored many bowling and baseball teams, as well as supported a host of churches over the years. In 2016, Boyd adopted an advisory board that consists of many community and business leaders who serve as an outside resource to the company. E.F. Boyd continues to provide the same gracious service, traditional manner, sincerity, warmth and respect by which the company established itself in 1905. ●
Edelman
Dan Edelman
Vice president
www.edelmanhome.com
Alan Edelman, founder of Edelman, cannot help but marvel at the journey that has been his life.
“In 1943, I was in Siberia as a ‘guest’ of (Joseph) Stalin; my family and millions of peasants were starving to death. I could not have imagined that I would be feeding 600 people on the 50th anniversary celebration of my business,” he says.
After World War II, Edelman immigrated to the U.S. He worked tirelessly and for little pay in the New York garment industry until he met the woman who would become his wife. Together they moved to Cleveland to be closer to her family. With his father-in-law’s help, he began selling plumbing supplies out of a step van. Soon after, he opened his first warehouse on the west side of Cleveland.
Alan grew his company by tapping into the same tenacity that had ensured his survival in Siberia. He cultivated a talented staff and worked tirelessly to provide the best possible service. In 1976, his son, Sheldon, joined the company and brought with him a vision of destination showrooms featuring the finest in luxury plumbing for kitchens and bathrooms.
In the last decade, Edelman, now led by Sheldon, who serves as president and Dan, who serves as vice president, has expanded into appliances, architectural hardware, windows and doors. The company’s goal is to help build dream living spaces for its clients by providing the very best selection of products and ensuring that their projects execute flawlessly. ●
Euclid Fish Co.
John C. Young
President
www.euclidfish.com
By the time Charles and Marilyn Young purchased Euclid Fish Co. in 1973, they had fallen in love with the business. The company was founded in 1944 with a simple idea: Bringing fresh seafood to friends and family in the Euclid and Cleveland areas. Chef John Comella opened a retail store and warehouse space on E. 185th Street in Euclid to receive fish, set up a retail market and store U.S. Navy surplus clambake equipment.
It’s always been an all-hands-on-deck attitude at Euclid Fish, so Comella had a lot of help from local high school kids peeling shrimp, making deliveries and preparing for clambakes. Among the helpers was Charles, who went to St. Joseph High School not far from the plant during the day. He would join Comella’s daughter, Marilyn, to help out in the market, in the warehouse or wherever help was needed, after school. As time passed, not only did Charles and Marilyn fall in love with the business, but they fell in love with each other as well and got married.
Euclid Fish eventually outgrew its operations in Euclid and moved to Mentor in 1977. There, the family opened a modern temperature-controlled distribution center and retail market, and was able to expand into wholesale seafood distribution. These days, the business is run by Charles and Marilyn’s son, John. C. Young, and continues to operate on the founding principles that it was built upon all those years ago.
Ganley Auto Group
Kenneth Ganley
President and CEO
www.ganleyauto.com
Ganley Auto Group was founded in 1968 by Tom Ganley. Over the past 49 years, the company has grown to include more than 29 franchises at 20 locations, including Florida. It was built on a foundation of empowering the management team to make independent franchise decisions, work with local markets and tailor the business around the communities it serves.
Kenneth Ganley now serves as president and CEO and has led a transformation to enable the company to become a unified organization of independently operated dealerships that focus on facility improvements, employee retention and overall brand value. His leadership has helped the company grow to become the No. 1 dealer group in Ohio and No. 27 in the U.S. Kenneth, along with his brother, Bob, were instrumental in navigating the group to continued success after Tom passed away in 2016.
With a long line of Ganleys being raised in and around the business, there seems to be little doubt that the torch will eventually pass to the next generation to continue building on the family legacy. Ganley Auto Group continues to grow and remains a leader in its industry, setting a high standard for how vehicles should be sold. It is also focused on balancing its commitment and dedication to the business with the effort to always make a difference in the community. ●
Great Lakes Brewing Co.
Patrick and Daniel Conway, Co-owners
Bill Boor, CEO (Not pictured)
www.greatlakesbrewing.com
When Patrick and Daniel Conway opened their fledgling operation in Cleveland’s then-moribund Ohio City neighborhood in September 1988, the odds were stacked against them. But they persisted and surrounded themselves with a staff of passionate, knowledgeable people from the start, and committed themselves to bringing a sophisticated, diverse selection of craft beer to their home state.
For 29 years, Great Lakes Brewing Co. has grown from a small-batch brewpub in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood to the 21st-largest U.S. craft brewery in the country, and a top 30 overall U.S. brewery, distributing to 13 states and Washington, D.C.
A pioneer in the American craft brewing movement, from the beginning the company has prided itself on offering a diverse portfolio of only the freshest, preservative-free beer.
Great Lakes Brewing, led by the Conways as well as CEO Bill Boor, has always been committed to more than just beer. The brewpub has long supported local farmers and artisans, offering visitors high-quality, responsibly sourced menu options. It was the first in Cleveland to adopt a smoke-free policy and has always placed the community first, supporting local businesses and nonprofits through patronage and charitable giving.
When Great Lakes opened its doors in 1988, signs of Cleveland’s once-booming brewing industry had almost disappeared completely. By bringing brewing back to Cleveland, the blighted Ohio City neighborhood is now the third largest employment center in Cleveland. ●
InterChez
Sharlene Ramos Chesnes
President and CEO
www.interchez.com
InterChez is a family-owned and operated small business with strong roots in Northeast Ohio. It all began in 2002 with Sharlene and Mark Chesnes. Sharlene’s love of language and Mark’s logistics background inspired the creation of InterChez, a company designed to speak the language of logistics.
The company has embraced the wisdom of Thomas Watson Sr., who once said, “To be successful, you have to have your heart in your business and your business in your heart.”
In 2007, InterChez was quick to fulfill its clients’ need for international shipments by establishing InterChez Global Services Inc. In turn, the demand for language services increased, and the company expanded by developing InterChez Translation Services to break down communication barriers. All of these companies came together to create a family of services that speak the language of the global supply chain that customers rely upon. InterChez is led by Sharlene, who serves as president and CEO.
As InterChez grew, the need to acquire more space became evident. In 2010, InterChez upgraded its facility. Soon after, InterChez acquired the Stratford Place building, a facility that boasts more than 50,000 square feet of upscale, executive office space. The InterChez companies occupy about one-fourth of the building, while the remaining space provides offices to local businesses, nonprofits and startups. ●
Lake Business Products
Terri Cain
President and CEO
www.lakebusinessproducts.com
Lake Business Products was started in 1960 by Jack Slattery from his home in Mentor. Initially a one-man venture, the business grew dramatically. To cope with the growth, Slattery moved the business from his house to downtown Cleveland, then to different sites before settling on a 106,000-square-foot building in Eastlake in 2003. Lake also has branches in Akron, Columbus, Youngstown and Toledo.
Supporting him in the early years were his wife Shireen, daughters Terri, Laura and Linda, and his son Bob, along with his brother, Robert Slattery. Shireen passed away in 1992, Robert passed away in the 1980s and a few years later, daughters, Laura and Linda, and son, Bob pursued other interests.
At Jack’s passing in 2008, Terri Cain assumed the role of president and CEO at Lake Business and with the support of her executive team, Lake continues to grow under her direction.
The company’s long and successful relationship with Canon has helped it to become one of the largest office equipment dealers in Ohio, and placed it in the Canon Advanced Partner Program once again for 2017.
After almost 30 years of upholding a strong and steady relationship with Canon, Lake Business Products then signed a contract with Samsung in 2016. This gave the company a larger product base by offering these innovative and quality multi-functional devices to its customers. ●
OGS Industries
John Bader, President (R)
Tom Bader, Vice president (L)
www.ogsindustries.com
Ohio Gasket & Shim began as a small shop committed to supplying local industries with superior shims and gaskets. Not only does Ohio Gasket have a wide variety of stamping presses, it also has a complete fabrication department with lasers, brake presses, spot welders and CNC punching machines. Through steady growth, prudent decision-making and moral and ethical business practices, it has evolved into a national leader in metal stamping and fabrication.
By way of growth and acquisition, the OGS Industries umbrella now covers not only Ohio Gasket, but Progressive Stamping & Fabrication, a sister company with heavier tonnage presses, an in-house tool room and robotic welders.
OGS is led by John Bader, who serves as president, and Tom Bader, who is vice president.
Also created in 1984 was Mil-Pak Industries, a military/specialized packaging plant, and in 2002, OGS Procurement, the company’s global supply chain division.
Acquisitions include LEM Tools in 2012, which is a high-end rivet tool assembler, and Lehner Screw Machine Co. in 2014, an aircraft-approved small parts manufacturer. In 2016, Royalton Manufacturing was acquired, which is a heavier machining center sporting nine larger CNC vertical and horizontal mills. In late 2016, OGS stepped out of its comfort zone and started Additive Engineering Solutions LLC, which has one of the world’s largest 3-D printers.
Today, OGS is a national leader in high-precision metal stampings, gaskets, shims, metal fabrication, brackets, machined parts and military and export packaging. ●
Rice’s Landscapes Redefined
Bryan Rice
President
www.riceslandscapes.com
Rice’s Landscapes Redefined is a leading provider of custom, high-end landscapes. A family-run business, Rice’s has worked over the past 75 years to redefine landscapes for both residential and commercial clients. The focus has remained on exceeding customer expectations as well as building an atmosphere that fosters personal and professional growth among employees.
Rice’s provides estate landscape management, custom-designed landscapes, commercial grounds services, construction and proactive landscape maintenance plans for both commercial and residential clients.
The company thrives on continuous improvement in the process of delivering premier landscape services while improving techniques through training and streamlined operations. The leadership team measures critical quality metrics with a focus on providing the highest level of value and benefit to clients. President Bryan Rice leads the business through change by challenging the status quo with a determined focus on quality landscape services.
Bryan and the Rice family have continued to grow and change, pushing to always stay at the forefront of its industry. Each generation has helped to further build and define the business as well as support the ever-changing community it serves.
The company has built strong partnerships with local organizations such as the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Aultman Hospital, Mercy Medical Center and others, which provides a canvas for the company to stand out in the landscape market space. ●
Standard Plumbing
and Heating Co.
David Grabowsky
President
www.standardpandh.com
With more than 100 years and still going strong, Standard Plumbing & Heating Co. is a third-generation, family-owned company. Started by Herman Grabowsky in 1912, the company has been growing and adapting continuously through the years.
One idea that has been consistent over that time was pushed by Herman’s son, Robert. Robert was a strong believer in making sure everyone in the company knew their trade. His son, David, still embeds this philosophy into the company of today.
David started at a young age working in the warehouse and helping with inventory. He slowly moved his way up the ladder, learning each part of the business. After his father took over the role of president from his grandfather, David, in 1979, started working full time as an estimator and project manager. He and his father would work side by side, forming the company into what it is today.
David became president in 1997, but his father was still a vital part of the company’s operations. In 2005, Robert passed away. David and his wife, Laura, are keeping the family memories alive by continuing to lead the business into the future.
Standard’s ability to stabilize maintenance costs, maintain comfort conditions, extend equipment life and protect the capital investments of its customers are key factors in the company’s enduring success. ●
The Albert M. Higley Co.
Bruce G. Higley
Chairman
www.amhigley.com
When The Albert M. Higley Co. was founded in 1925 by Albert M. Higley Sr., the business served as a general contractor in the commercial, institutional and industrial marketplaces from its Cleveland headquarters. Higley was a 1917 civil engineering graduate of the Case School of Applied Science and a veteran of World War I.
Much of the work was done in Ohio, but the company also finished projects in West Virginia, Virginia, New York, Maryland and Indiana.
In its first five years, The Albert M. Higley Co. did more than 100 projects, from automobile dealerships to science and research buildings, for both the Case School of Applied Science, which later merged with Western Reserve University to form Case Western Reserve University, and Hiram College.
The company is now led by Bruce G. Higley, who is the company’s chairman. It has worked on projects such as Eaton Center, the Southwest General Health Center bed tower addition and University School’s upper campus expansion.
Diversity and inclusion are key elements of the culture at the company. A full-time subcontractor relationship advocate actively engages the subcontracting community to help maximize opportunities for minorities, women and small businesses on all of its projects. ●
The Malish Corp.
Jeff Malish
President and CEO
www.malish.com
When John and Pauline Malish started Malish Brush & Specialty Co. in their Garfield Heights basement in 1945. Seventy two years later, the company had to move its corporate headquarters from Willoughby into a larger building in Mentor as it became one of the largest brush manufacturers in the world.
A third-generation family-owned company, The Malish Corp. now boasts manufacturing plants in the U.S., China and Europe.
While the company’s primary focus today is not too dissimilar from John and Pauline’s initial vision (manufacturing rotary brushes for floor cleaning machines), the business has added scores of products and capabilities over the years to better meet the needs of its customers.
It has also found ways to become more efficient. For example, when the company found itself sourcing numerous plastic extruded products for its own use, the business started its own custom thermoplastic extrusion division. Malish Plastics focuses on pipe and profile extrusions for a wide variety of customers in myriad industries.
Through the vision of President and CEO Jeff Malish and his trusted and experienced leadership team, Malish has thrived, even weathering numerous downturns and recessions. It has done so in part because, as it has since the day Jeff’s grandparents started the business, the company’s focus has always been its customers. Its goal is to provide the highest quality product at the fairest price with the fastest delivery. If it can accomplish that, it expects to be in business for at least another 70 years. ●
Yours Truly Restaurants
Dixie J. Singer
President
Larry, Art, and Jeffrey Shibley and
Darlene Shibley Ziegenhagen
Owners
www.ytr.com
Jeffrey Shibley was a college student working at Our Gang, a tiny restaurant on Chagrin Boulevard in Beachwood in 1981 when he and his siblings — Art, Larry and Darlene Shibley Ziegenhagen — bought the 30-seat diner and founded Yours Truly Restaurant.
They have since added eight more locations and built a business that allows each sibling to bring his or her own passion and responsibility to their work.
The business really began in their childhood home where their parents entertained often. While growing up, the Shibley children were expected to assist in hosting and learned to emulate gracious hospitality from their parents. Guests were greeted, served, entertained and catered to. As teenagers and beyond, the siblings worked in restaurants, bars and private clubs in the Cleveland area.
Chagrin Falls is home to the second YT location as well as Shibley Management, the company’s corporate headquarters. As the number of restaurants outpaced the number of siblings, other people were added to the management team.
In 2013, the company appointed employee Dixie J. Singer as president and Dick Humphrey as vice president to manage the day-to-day operations of the business. The Shibleys remain involved and serve on the board of directors as advisers to the new officers. The key to this family’s success has been the ability to collaborate with each other respectfully and support the outcome of discussions, regardless of each family member’s original stance. ●
Zashin & Rich Co. L.P.A.
Andrew A. and Stephen S. Zashin
Co-managing partners
www.zrlaw.com
When Andrew A. and Stephen S. Zashin joined Zashin & Rich in the 1990s, the firm was a small domestic relations firm. Today, Zashin & Rich Co. L.P.A. has 30 attorneys and represents employers in aspects of workplace law, including labor, employment and workers’ compensation, and high net worth individuals in all aspects of family law, such as divorce, dissolution and child custody.
Robert Zashin, a founding partner, provided a platform from which Andrew and Stephen, co-managing partners, grew the firm into one of the most sophisticated firms in these practice areas. Robert recognized the strength of his sons’ desire to grow the practice and stepped away from firm management in early 2000. Since that time, the firm has experienced exponential growth.
Today the firm competes with national labor and employment law boutiques in workplace law practice, and represents large and small businesses, nonprofits and public sector entities locally and nationally. It provides personalized guidance, contract negotiations and litigation defense concerning all aspects of traditional labor law, employment law and workers’ compensation.
The family law practice represents clients locally and globally on international family law matters including divorce, child custody, relocation and support and property division. Zashin & Rich is philosophically dedicated to obtaining optimum results for all its clients under their unique circumstances in stressful and emotionally charged matters in the workplace and with their families. ●
