Expanded UB CEL program helps keep family businesses in business

By Kevin Manne

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Members of family-owned businesses will have the tools they need to build a successful company across multiple generations, thanks to an expanded family business curriculum from the University at Buffalo School of Management’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL).

Sustaining a Successful Family Business will feature such topics as systems thinking, communication, strategic planning and preparing the next generation for leadership. For each session, family business experts will be brought in to present to the class.

Tom Ulbrich, CEL executive director, will facilitate the program. Through his more than 25 years working in a family business and consulting with other family businesses, Ulbrich has developed a clear understanding of the dynamics of these organizations.

“Family businesses share some unique challenges, especially in the area of generational succession,” says Ulbrich. “Our goal is to encourage families to engage in succession as a structured and thoughtful process that takes significant time and thoughtful effort if done correctly.”

Sustaining a Successful Family Business is sponsored by Wilmington Trust, a subsidiary of M&T Bank, and adds to the existing portfolio of resources the CEL provides to family businesses, including the Growing a Healthy Family Business course and the Family Business Association (FBA). Throughout 2016, the FBA will offer semi-annual workshops led by industry experts, networking events and facilitated quarterly roundtable discussions on topics relevant to today’s family businesses.

The CEL will hold an open house on Jan. 20 at the Buffalo Club for any family businesses interested in learning more about these programs.

To attend the open house or for more information, contact Jenilyn Kramer, program coordinator, at 716-885-5715 or mgt-cel@buffalo.edu.