Families Speaking to Families:
Transitions in Family Enterprises

The EMC Business Forum capped off a fantastic year with its Seventh Annual Business Forum Retreat. Taking place June 1-2, 2012 at the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, over 140 attendees from closely-held and family businesses retreated from the normal busyness of everyday life and came together for a powerful weekend of hands-on learning and networking. These attendees were able to interact with over 30 local CEO's, expert speakers, and leading family service providers who could help build their businesses.

This year's retreat involved an array of different topics spread across 20 different workshops and seminars. A collection of issues pertinent to closely-held and family businesses were addressed, including: succession planning, managing risk, tax planning, mergers & acquisitions, social media, and many more. In between workshops, there was built in time for networking amongst all the attendees, where valuable introductions and relationships were established.

The weekend culminated in a Gala Dinner with keynote speaker Dan Smith, CEO of Hot Dog on a Stick. Smith spoke to the crowded ballroom about the 20 years since the company transitioned suddenly from a family business to 100% ESOP. Guests were able to see how the company and its strong culture have evolved since the days of their charismatic founder, and the thought process of a CEO trying to grow an already established company into something even bigger and better.