As a business grows and matures, its leadership needs will change. The talents required to build a company from scratch are different from the skills needed for growth and expansion. And a whole other set of strategies must be deployed to fight off competition and remain relevant in a changing marketplace.
Add family dynamics to the mix, and the leadership challenges multiply. There are the sacrifices an entrepreneurial couple must make to nurture a startup, and then there are the negotiations that must be conducted in a multigenerational family to ensure all shareholders are committed to the enterprise.
The 20 executives we honor this year are charting the course for long-term success of their enterprises. They include members of the second through fifth generations of family ownership as well as non-family leaders.
Among their accomplishments:
• Overcoming business challenges and putting the family firm on solid financial footing.
• Rebuilding after the sudden death of a beloved predecessor.
• Developing a set of shared values to guide decision making about the business.
• Creating a company culture that inspires all stakeholders.
• Stewarding the family business’s legacy as well as its assets.
• Navigating family dynamics and getting decision-making processes “unstuck.”
• Leading a diverse team that is united in support of the business mission.
• Serving the local community and supporting other family businesses.
The examples set by these stellar business leaders are truly inspiring.
Andrew Wexler
CEO | Non-family | Herschend, Atlanta, Ga.
Andrew Wexler is the chief executive officer at Herschend, the world’s largest family-owned themed attractions company. The company’s portfolio of more than two dozen family entertainment brands across North America includes themed attractions such as Dollywood Parks & Resorts, Silver Dollar City Attractions, Adventure Aquarium, Callaway Resort & Gardens, Kentucky Kingdom, Newport Aquarium, The Vancouver Aquarium and Wild Adventures. Herschend also stewards the Harlem Globetrotters legacy and provides immersive content and experiences through Herschend Entertainment Studios and Pink Adventure Tours brands. read more
Amy Lynch
President & CEO | Non-family | K&S LLC, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Amy Lynch leads K&S LLC, the family office of the John & Dyan Smith family. She also serves as chief of staff at the Smith family’s holding company, Hillcrest Holdings Inc. Hillcrest is the parent company of CRST, The Transportation Solution, Inc. and affiliates.
Lynch joined K&S in August 2015 as the president and CEO. She determines the strategic goals and priorities for the family office while overseeing its tax, finance, estate planning, risk management, education, philanthropic and client relationship functions. She manages the treasury function of Hillcrest, coordinates all commercial real estate ownership matters for the enterprise and acts as a liaison between the shareholders and the operating businesses. read more
Edward Logan
President & CEO | Second generation | Sport Clips, Austin, Texas
Edward Logan began his tenure with Sport Clips operating a single store and leading special projects. Over the past decade, he has worked his way up through several segments of the business.
Logan’s father, Gordon, saw an opportunity in the decline in neighborhood barber shops and founded Sport Clips, which specializes in haircuts for men and boys, in 1993 with one location. The company began franchising in 1995. read more
Alysha Loumakis-Calderon
President & CEO | Second generation | ISYS Solutions Inc., Brea, Calif.
Alysha Loumakis-Calderon is president and CEO of ISYS Solutions Inc., which operates two businesses: ISYS Case Management and CareerSmart Learning. ISYS, founded in 1998 by her father, Chris Loumakis, provides nurse case management services to the workers’ compensation industry. CareerSmart Learning, launched under Loumakis-Calderon’s leadership in 2010, provides online continuing education to licensed healthcare professionals throughout the United States. read more
Jeffrey Walsh
CEO | Non-family | Sasser Family Companies, Schaumburg, Ill.
Jeffrey Walsh is the first non-family CEO of Sasser Family Companies. The enterprise, which began in Chicago in 1928, now includes six individual businesses representing $2 billion in assets globally, operating in the railcar, auto, truck, aviation ground support and tank container markets. They provide equipment solutions including leasing, fleet management, repair, maintenance and technology services.
Walsh joined Sasser Family Companies in 2013 with over 25 years of leadership experience in the transportation industry. He served as chief operating officer before being named CEO in 2017. read more
Kari Rihm
President & CEO | Third generation | Rihm Family Companies Inc., South St. Paul, Minn.
Kari Rihm took over as CEO of Rihm Family Companies after her husband passed away. The enterprise, founded in 1932 as Rihm Motor Company Inc., employs more than 350 people in 21 locations and includes Rihm Kenworth, the second-oldest continually operated Kenworth truck dealer in the world; RMC Truck Parts, a genuine and aftermarket parts sales company; Rihm Leasing, a truck rental and leasing company; and Rihm Global Sales, which handles international truck and parts sales and service training.
“My husband, the former company owner, John W. Rihm, was diagnosed with brain cancer in June 2010 and lost his life four months later. When he died and I became the owner, I had two choices: sell the company or run it,” Rihm says. read more
Mike Coyne
President | Fourth generation | Coyne Oil & Propane, Mount Pleasant, Mich.
Mike Coyne and his two siblings lead their family business, Coyne Oil & Propane, which has been serving the propane, fuel and lubricant needs of residential, commercial and farm customers since 1930. Now in its fourth generation, the company traces its roots back to their great-grandfather, who started as a Standard Oil agent. Since returning to the family business in 2014, Coyne has doubled the company’s size and made two significant acquisitions. read more
Arin Emmert
CEO | Fourth generation | Fremont Motor Companies, Lander, Wyo.
Arin Emmert began her career in the automotive industry at age 17 as an office assistant and receptionist in her family business. She then learned the roles of cashier and service writer.
She attended Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., earning a degree in entrepreneurial management with a minor in Spanish. During the summers while home from college, she was a traveling service advisor for the Fremont Group. read more
Varish Goyal
President & CEO | Second generation | Vintners Distributors, Fremont, Calif.
Varish Goyal leads Vintners Distributors, a fuel retailer in the San Francisco Bay area; AU Energy, a fuel wholesaler and retailer in the San Francisco Bay area; and Loop Neighborhood Markets, located across California. As president and CEO of these companies, he has overseen significant growth, particularly at Vintners Distributors, which has become one of California’s largest gas service operations. He has focused on integrating technology and enhancing customer service. read more
Jennifer Lahoda
CEO | Third generation | Pacific Resource Recovery, Los Angeles, Calif.
Jennifer Lahoda is the CEO of Pacific Resource Recovery (PRR), a waste management company founded by her mother and grandfather 30 years ago in East Los Angeles. PRR specializes in fuel blending, a waste-to-energy process that converts flammable industrial waste into supplemental fuel for powering cement kilns.
Before joining the family business, Lahoda spent eight years as an entrepreneur and four years in non-profit development. In 2012, she assumed the role of HR director for both of her family’s companies: Ellis Paint Company, an industrial coatings manufacturer, and PRR. Her strategic vision and leadership were instrumental in the successful growth and sale of Ellis Paint Company in 2018. read more
Kenneth J. Crofton
President | Second generation | Crofton, Portsmouth, Va.
Kenneth (Kenny) Crofton began working at Crofton Diving Corporation, which his father founded in 1949, as a young teenager in the 1970s. After graduating from high school a year early, he joined his father, Juan Crofton, and two brothers at the company. He gained field experience as a commercial diver and worked with his family to expand the company’s service capabilities beyond commercial diving to include marine construction, barge and tug services, and crane rental and rigging.
In April 2023, Kenny Crofton’s three older siblings, Camille, Jay and Bob Crofton, retired after working together for over 40 years, and he took on the role of sole owner and president. read more
Nisha Baugher-Carrow
CEO | Second generation | Baugher Ranch Organics, Orland, Calif.
Nisha Baugher-Carrow is the CEO of Baugher Ranch Organics, which handles over one-third of all California organic almonds. The company was founded more than four decades ago by her parents, Chris and Marcie Baugher. Under Nisha’s leadership, Baugher Ranch has grown from a small family operation to a trusted partner to businesses of all sizes. read more
Ken Lebersfeld
CEO | Fourth generation | Capitol Lighting, Boca Raton, Fla.
Ken Lebersfeld, CEO of Capitol Lighting, works alongside his brother and two cousins. The business, founded by his great-grandfather, originally converted homes from gas to electricity in the early 1900s. As Lebersfeld describes it, “Back then, we were an industry disruptive tech startup.” In 1924, Lebersfeld’s great-grandfather opened a retail lighting showroom and called it Capitol Lighting. Today the enterprise includes seven retail stores, a commercial supply showroom and an ecommerce business. The product offerings have expanded to included mirrors, rugs, furniture and accessories. read more
Kathryn Poehling Seymour
CEO & President | Fifth generation | First Supply, Madison, Wis.
Katie Poehling Seymour was named CEO and president of First Supply in 2020, succeeding her father, Joe Poehling. The company, founded in 1897 as a plumbing supplier, now is a wholesaler serving numerous channels, including plumbing, HVAC, PVF, industrial, waterworks, and kitchen, bath and lighting. It has 53 facilities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas and Michigan.
Poehling Seymour, the company’s first female CEO, has a background in accounting and a J.D. from Notre Dame Law School. Prior to her roles at First Supply, Poehling Seymour was a tax consultant at Deloitte. At First Supply she began in sales and then became chief operating officer of the kitchen and bath stores division. read more
Steven Lopes
CEO | Third generation | L&M Corrugated Container, Pleasant Prairie, Wis.
Steven Lopes grew up in his family company, which designs, manufactures and distributes packaging material. He began his career in 2006, starting on the shop floor as a machine assistant in Zion, Ill., in what was then the company’s only location. Later in 2006, L&M expanded with a facility in Platteville, Wis. Lopes oversaw the management and sales growth of that plant, taking it from startup to $5 million in sales annually in the first five years. In 2012, he was instrumental in the move of the original Zion facility to a new 100,000-square-foot facility in Pleasant Prairie, Wis. read more
Paul J. Thompson
Chairman & CEO | Second generation | Country Club Bank, Kansas City, Mo.
Paul J. Thompson is the chairman and CEO of Country Club Bank, a $2.2 billion family-owned commercial bank with 20 locations in the greater Kansas City area. Country Club Bank also operates a wealth management division that includes Country Club Trust Co., which has $2.7 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2024; CC Capital Advisors; Capital Markets Group; and Asset Management Group. read more
Timothy J. Hemstreet
President & CEO | Third generation | West American Rubber Company, Orange, Calif.
Timothy J. Hemstreet is following the careers of his grandmother, uncle and father at rubber manufacturer West American Rubber Company (WARCO). Hemstreet, who has been with the company for 22 years, is focused on building upon a successful organization staffed with talent to propel the 114-year old company to new heights during its second century of operation. read more
Ryan Plotkin
President & CEO | Second generation | M-D Building Products, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Ryan Plotkin is the president and chief executive officer of M-D Building Products, a manufacturer and distributor of home weatherization, flooring, sealant and specialty extrusion products. Family founded in 1920, M-D was purchased in 2007 by his father, Loren Plotkin, who has worked at the company since 1983 and is chairman of the company.
Ryan Plotkin assumed the president role in 2021 and the CEO position in 2023. He previously served as chief operating officer. In that role, he oversaw a significant transformation of the company’s operations, including the integration of multiple plants, the launch of new product lines and the optimization of manufacturing processes. Earlier, he held various operational leadership roles throughout the company. read more
James L. (JB) Brown
CEO & Chairman of the Board | Fourth generation | BCI Solutions Inc., Bremen, Ind.
JB Brown’s great-grandfather was one of the three founders of Bremen Gray Iron Foundry in 1939. The company started out as a foundry and now is also a full machine and assembly shop. The company was renamed Bremen Castings in 1972 and rebranded as BCI Solutions Inc. in 2020 to better reflect its motto, “Your Complete Manufactured Solution.”
Brown began at BCI working in all departments of the foundry during his high school summers and while attending Purdue and Indiana University. He received an executive management certificate from the University of Notre Dame and a general management certificate from the University of Texas-Austin. read more
James Diamond
CEO | Founding generation | Diamond Properties LLC, Mount Kisco, N.Y.
James Diamond is CEO of Diamond Properties LLC, a company he co-founded with his brother, William Diamond, in 1995. Diamond Properties has acquired in excess of 125 properties, including office, medical, industrial, retail, residential, self-storage, recreation and lodging. The company currently owns in excess of 95 properties in 13 states, totaling more than 16 million square feet. William and James Diamond are also co-founders of Diamond Hospitality Group LLC, an owner and operator of family entertainment centers, RV parks and self-storage businesses. read more
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