Generation Excellence Podcast

Steven Goodman is a CPA, a banker, a business-owner and a published author. Put all that together and you have someone who has been in the room for difficult and seminal conversations around business continuity and succession. Steven’s book is titled Business Succession Planning, and he is passionate about the importance of planning for generational family businesses. Listen as Steven shares some real-world examples. Certainly appropriate subject matter for this year-end episode of GENeration EXcellence.

Shane Pliska serves as president of Planterra, a business his parents formed over 45 years ago. Learn about how flying ficus trees ignited a unique business spanning the design and installation of plantscapes to beautiful weddings in a glass conservatory. Business insight, art, culture, creativity and of course “growth” are part of the generational Planterra story. Please use your green thumb and push play on this enjoyable episode of GENeration EXcellence.

Joshua Bernard is a super hard-working commercial mortgage banker at Bernard Financial Group, a firm his father started 30 years ago. Josh introduces an intriguing concept - taking a mousetrap and “second generationizing” it. (Find that idea anywhere else!) A student of the business, Joshua is honest in his appraisal of interacting with clients, colleagues and family. Joshua also enjoys cooking, skiing, playing piano and reading. His passionate interests come thorough in this conversation. Regardless of where you are in your career listeners will find relevant insights in this episode of GENeration EXcellence.

Heidi Harlan outlines how her family built a business that helps teachers gather and organize the materials they need to make science lessons fun and engaging for students. Heidi explains how she brings her Hollywood experience to the next generation of a business that has roots in entertainment, but is focused on revolutionizing science education in the U.S. Put on your lab coat and safety googles and take a listen ...

Elliot and Noah Lewkow of The Cappuccino Man Grab a cappuccino (or your favorite beverage) and join me for the legend of The Cappuccino Man through the stories of founder Elliot Lewkow and his son Noah. Find out how selling a piece of equipment spawned a network of “coffeehouses on wheels” in Michigan and Southern California. This family business communicates and operates in a manner as fresh as their coffee beans. And provides timeless instruction around delivering an exceptional customer experience with flexibility and ingenuity. Please enjoy.

Jim Michelson is the chairman of SMZ and celebrates 56 years in the advertising business. He’s also my father and that makes this a unique conversation. If you’re interested in a real connection to the actual Mad Men era of the business, Jim shows who’s the best storyteller in the family... by a mile. While technology has changed our business (and almost every other) the principles Jim reminds us about remain timeless. I hope you walk away from this episode with a better sense of why and how SMZ has quietly been making noise for generations.

Christopher Klebba grew up in and around the family business. From a single gym to many Planet Fitness locations in the U.S. and Canada, Chris (father) and Christopher have built a family enterprise that now includes Smoothie King franchises, a unique bar/restaurant called Single Barrel Social and additional ideas in the hopper. Christopher is a student and teacher of leadership lessons and we’re lucky to get to learn from his experiences on this newest episode of GENeration EXcellence. Fire it up on your next workout...

Robert Schulte followed the “flight plan” of many second generation business owners by working in every aspect of the business. Machining, delivery, operating the lathe, computerizing the tooling and building of molds, and more. This episode captures that there aren’t really secrets of a fast-growing family enterprise, just a good deal of hard work around serving customers and embracing the principle of continuous improvement. Please enjoy the low key wisdom of Hi-Tech Mold & Engineering’s Robert Schulte.

Rob Shooks is one of the 4th generation owner-operators of Shooks Farm and Cellar 1914 in Northern Michigan. What does it take for a family farming operation to cross the 100 year mark? We’ll learn about how Rob’s analytical skills led the family to make a major shift into starting a winery. Rob shares dramatic stories from the business’s past and shows how the family is already embracing a 5th generation. We talk hoops and running, too. Enjoy a celebratory taste of Cellar 1914.

Scott Leibovitz is the president of Ari-El Enterprises a GENeration EXcellence-style business that acquires, develops and manages commercial real estate. In this episode Scott shares how the business was founded (and named) by his father, his earliest memories of the business and where the family envisions taking Ari-El in the future. I enjoyed talking with Scott about family, about business, and about family business. No surprise they are separate and intertwined at the same time.