Here at the CFBC we often say ‘it can be lonely at the top’ for business owners who are seeking the shared experiences they need from their peers. Shared experiences define the CFBC…don’t think that we aren’t seeking out our own! Thankfully, there is a group for family business centers just like us - the Family Business Alliance. This group of family business centers from across the country (and Canada!) meet once a year with the objective of sharing ideas on how to better service the family-owned businesses that we serve.

The three-day conference took place last month in South Dakota and allowed the directors to discuss best practices for programming, forums, membership, marketing and beyond. We accomplished many things this year including the idea of creating membership surveys to learn what resources are important to provide our members. We are looking forward to implementing this within the CFBC soon. We also made a collaborative program database to gather the best speakers across the country for family business centers. We can’t wait to see the incredible speakers that will be coming to visit us at the CFBC in the coming years.

“Every year, I look forward to attending this conference because of the wealth of new ideas, discussions around research and building an organization which continues to add value to it’s stakeholders,” stated conference host and Director of the Prairie Family Business Association, Beth Adamson, from the University of South Dakota.  “Each time I attend this conference, it is inspiring to meet with my counterparts, and get new, fresh ideas on how to do my job better.  We all leave much more motivated and educated, and so many of the ideas that have been implemented at Family Business Centers around North America are a direct result of this conference, and these people.”

Judy Hogel, Executive Director of the CFBC, explains that attending the conference feels like a Forum meeting on steroids. “Not only are the conference attendees peers, but they are peers in our same industry. They do what we do. So, the sharing of ideas and experiences – what works and what doesn’t – is so valuable. It doesn’t matter whether you’re from the East or West Coast, we all get what it’s like to work as a nonprofit with boards and committees. There is empathy that bonds us all together.”

As always, Judy left the conference this year feeling energized and filled with new ideas. Thank you to all our fellow family business centers. We’re looking forward to next year!

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