September 15, 2005
By Pamela McLaren

Mike Trueblood briefly relaxes in his small office and talks with excitement about the Family Business Council and its achievements. The campus center, established as a partnership between the business community and the university, is celebrating its 10th anniversary and the achievements it has made in enhancing the well-being and survivability of Southern California family businesses.

Mike Trueblood dashes back and forth, taking calls from business owners and other directors of family business centers, checking on mailing lists for upcoming workshops and trying to manage the many emails that he receives daily. Last spring he spoke to students at the University of Manila in the Philippines and last month, hosted a faculty member from the Philippines, who came to Cal State Fullerton to discuss establishing student/faculty exchanges.

Around his busy schedule, Trueblood reminisces about the council’s beginnings and its impact on the region’s business community.

Ten years ago, Judy Harman in the College of Business and Economics and Rachael Owens, then of MassMutual Insurance, got together to discuss research that revealed that nationally 80 to 90 percent of all businesses begin as family owned, but only a third are passed on to the next generation. It was time, the two women thought, to put together a center that could help family businesses succeed and thrive.

That discussion led to further talks with Ephraim Smith, then dean of the business school, and finally to formal university approval, says Trueblood. To begin, the two women knew they not only had to recruit family-owned businesses in the area, but needed sponsors who would support the concept of the council and what it was attempting to do. Thinking of the needs of business, they approached MassMutual; the law firm of Stradling, Yocca, Carlson and Rauth; accounting firm Arthur Andersen & Co.; Eldorado Bank; and advertising firm Hunter Barth Inc.

“Judy, her husband, Dave, and Rachael were the real driving force behind the council and remain among its staunchest supporters,” notes Trueblood. “Without their vision, it’s tough to think where the council would be. Then too, we’re so pleased that the university and college remain committed to supporting our efforts.”

With sponsors established and a small but growing list of family-owned businesses, the council began offering small breakfast meetings where guest speakers addressed issues related to family business: succession, communication, sibling rivalry, strategic and family mission.

“The rest, as they say, is history,” says Trueblood, with a smile. Six years ago, just after Trueblood came on board, the Family Business Council joined with the Orange County Business Journal to establish an annual family business awards program. The annual event, now held every November, continues to showcase the success of large and small, new and long-established family businesses. This year’s keynoter will be John Shea of Shea Homes, a former family-business award winner.

Two years ago, the Family Business Council instituted a Hispanic Family-Owned Business Conference as another outreach effort. Bank of America sponsors the annual March event.

In addition to monthly workshops, the fall awards luncheon and the March conference, the Family Business Council also supports four affinity groups. These groups, for heads of business, the next generation and women business owners, meet monthly to discuss topics of interest to their specific needs and interest.

Never forgetting that the council is headquartered on a university campus, five years ago the College of Business started offering an undergraduate management course to help educate future family-business owners. The next step, Trueblood says, is to add an executive education course and a graduate-level course specifically designed for the second-generation business leaders. “Educating the second generation has become very important, and such programs are becoming a national trend.”

Family business, he notes, continues to be a big part of not only the U.S. economy, but also worldwide. “The Philippines [visit] was so rewarding,” says Trueblood. “Family businesses are a bigger part of their economy than ours. This is also true in China, Turkey and South America.”

Next spring, Trueblood will pack his bags and travel to Turkey where he will give a talk at Istanbul’s Kültür University — a family business.

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