This program will now be a LIVE WEBINAR! Register to view (in listen-only mode) with the opportunity to ask questions to the panelists via chat. Registration is required and limited to 100, a recording will be available to all registrants. We think having an advisory board is an important tool in ensuring the success of family-owned businesses. Family business leaders can gain valuable insight and advice from trusted resources who can help move the business forward. Join this webinar to learn best practices and shared experiences from Rhett Ricart of Ricart Automotive and Bob Coco of Choice Properties, both of whom have utilized outside advisors for their family-owned businesses and served on boards themselves. Facilitated by Joel Guth of Gryphon Financial Partners. Sponsored by GREENCREST. REGISTER now and join us for this live webinar on 4/16. You'll have the opportunity to submit questions during the session and view a recording post session! ... read more

Costing and Inventory Management Strategies - A lot of you likely have some type of inventory, and the answers to these questions are likely as diverse as the group of companies that could benefit from attending this presentation. How do you track your inventory? Do you store/organize your inventory for maximum efficiency in the production and shipping processes? Do you know how much it costs to make your product? Are you capturing all the costs of moving, storing, and tracking your inventory? How do you track your work-in-process, if you can track it at all? Carlin Culbertson of Meaden & Moore will cover various topics including the below that help you answer some of the questions posed above: Tracking inventory quantities – physical inventories and cycle counts. Assigning overhead costs to inventory. Just in time inventory. Technology to assist with inventory management. Consignment inventory considerations. Including purchasing and sales in inventory management discussions. Perpetual inventory systems and their benefits. Inventory control procedures. If you have inventory then you know that sometimes it can be difficult to manage it. Sometimes you may perform a physical count and realize you have significantly more or less of a product than you originally thought and wonder “how did that happen?” Maybe you don’t have enough for your next round of shipments and you need to expedite the delivery of raw materials and rush the order through your shop, possibly resulting in defects, late delivery, or other items. Or perhaps you have significant sales of an item but can never seem to turn a profit on it. Please join us on April 29th for this informative discussion and the opportunity to share similar issues or successes you’ve had in dealing with these challenges. Presenter: Carlin Culbertson of Meaden & Moore. ... read more

Doing Business During the Pandemic Over the past several weeks, you've likely been inundated with information and guidance regarding the various government funding programs related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Join Conway Center Service Provider Clark Schaefer Hackett as they help clear the noise surrounding recent coronavirus-related legislation, and more importantly, provide insight into what actions family businesses should be taking now. CSH’s Phil Hurak and Kevin Dehner will discuss: • Updates and business considerations regarding the CARES Act including PPP Loan forgiveness, Employee Retention credit, and FICA tax deferral • Update on the proposed HEROES Act (possible “Phase IV” Coronavirus Stimulus Response) The webinar will conclude with a Q&A allowing you to get your questions answered. Register button MEET THE PRESENTERS Phil Hurak leads CSH’s Government Funding Advisory and State and Local Tax practices. He specializes in helping clients across all industries understand the various rules and opportunities available in each taxing jurisdiction. He has extensive experience in assisting companies at the federal, state and local levels identify, apply and comply with both tax and non-tax benefits. Kevin Dehner leads CSH’s Government Funding Advisory practice. In this role he assists companies in identifying, understanding, and receiving money through a variety of programs provided by governmental bodies. Kevin has a diverse background, including significant expertise in audit, tax and M&A practices. Kevin has served as a business advisor for public, private, domestic and multinational companies from a broad-based industry profile, including consumer products, technology, life sciences and industrial products. REGISTER now and join us for this live webinar on Wednesday, 5/20. You'll have the opportunity to submit questions during the session and view a recording post session. ... read more

Understanding COVID-19-Related Employee Benefit Plan Pitfalls and Opportunities This timely webinar will address the employee benefit provisions buried within the CARES Act and other fiduciary issues that employers should consider. COVID-19 has affected all aspects of business. The economic fallout has created potential fiduciary and liability issues for employers with respect to their qualified retirement plans. Fortunately, Congress has provided relief with respect to some of these issues under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020. Topics will include: • CARES Act changes to the tax qualified retirement plan rules and health and welfare plan rules. • Potential ERISA liability and litigation risk related to investment options under 401(k) plans. • The impact of furloughs and layoffs on employee benefit plans. • Suspending matching contributions, and other related economic considerations on employee benefit plans Greg Daugherty from Porter Wright will help those involved with their organizations’ employee benefits administration and compliance manage the response to COVID-19 with respect to these plans. REGISTER now and join us for this live webinar on Wednesday, 5/27. You'll have the opportunity to submit questions to Greg during the session and view a recording post-session. ... read more

Curious about the Conway Center? Already a member and want to learn more? We are hosting a virtual meeting for new, prospective, returning members, or any other family business or service provider members interested in learning more about getting the most out of your Conway Center membership. This event will give everyone an opportunity to learn more about the history of the Conway Center, its offerings and member benefits. Hear from some of our members on how they maximize their membership and on ways to get engaged! ... read more

Data Analytics and Business Intelligence In the current economic environment, uncertainty is certainly one thing we can all count on. But there is also the power of data that can help us navigate our current situation and allow us to evaluate where we were, where we are, and where we will be and how to effectively get there. Join Carlin Culbertson from Meaden & Moore as he discusses the power of data analytics and how it can allow an organization to decipher the results of its own operations and provide meaningful Business Intelligence (BI) results including: Data analysis projects M&M has done to provide some real world examples Simple ways to get started with data analytics and business intelligence Examples of software you can use to get started Challenges companies face when trying to implement and maintain a data analytics program and how to minimize these challenges REGISTER now and join us for this live webinar on Wednesday, 7/22. You'll have the opportunity to submit questions during the session and view a recording post session. This quarterly forum is generously sponsored by Conway Service Provider Meaden & Moore. ... read more

This August 6th session features Jim Wasserstrom, CEO of Advance Sign Group. Growing his family business to a position of national leadership was an evolution. Hear from Jim Wasserstrom of Advance Sign Group as he shares the multiple pivots he made to increase sales, change the company’s customer focus, hire a key management team, implement EOS and shift his sales and marketing to meet the changing needs of his customers. Learn what it took to build a foundation for growth and how the trust and value the family owners put on their people to drive the company’s vision has led to its national success. ... read more

Join Ted Fireman, Franchise Consultant and Market President of FranNet of Central and Southeastern Ohio as he discusses franchising basics. Ted will explain the array of categories and investment levels available (starting at around $50K), and how to go about defining your own personal vision. For some family business owners, franchising is a way to diversify or to help adult children enter business ownership and receive strong ongoing training and support to help them succeed and possibly to prepare for a role in the family business. Among the topics Ted will cover include: ? Basic information on franchising, including the range of industry categories, investment levels and fees. ? Finding the right funding option to fit your circumstances. ? The legal regulations governing franchising that protect the buyer. ? A strategic approach to defining your personal business model, quantifying your returns and safely researching and selecting the business opportunity that best fits your unique personality, skills, needs and goals. ? Growth trends and choices in franchising that offer stability and success in weak and strong economies. You'll have the opportunity to submit questions during the session and view a recording post session. REGISTER now and join us for this live webinar on Tuesday, August 25. You'll have the opportunity to ask questions during the webinar and view a recording post session. ... read more

Join us for this timely topic for your family business: How to implement and manage effective remote work agreements and keep your employees engaged and productive! Sharon DeLay, President of GO-HR will moderate this event with guest speaker Larry English. Larry, the author of Office Optional: How to Build a Connected Culture with Virtual Teams, will join us for a discussion about how his company Centric Consulting has subscribed to a remote working arrangement early on, with over 1,000 employees across the United States and India. We'll talk about the challenges around a remote workforce, as well as the benefits. Learn about creating and sustaining a culture of collaborative teams including: - How and why you need to cultivate an atmosphere of trust in a virtual environment - How to recruit and hire team members for remote work - How to build strong relationships with people you don't see every day - How to be a great virtual team member ... read more

The IRS recently published its operational compliance list for qualified plans. This list includes changes that employers must make to their 401(k) plan administration by the end of the year. Recent legislation and regulatory guidance also will require more changes and possible document amendments in 2021. Greg Daugherty from Porter Wright will discuss what you need to do to keep your 401(k) plans up-to-date and to fulfill your fiduciary duties to your participants. ... read more

Ignite Your Family Business featuring Schmidt's - Live Virtual Meeting This December 1st session features Andy Schmidt, President of Schmidt Hospitality Concepts. Established in 1886 and now in it's 5th generation, Andy will share Schmidt's growth journey and how marketing (sales, promotion, digital marketing, etc.) played a role in that growth. The trials and errors made along the way and the tough decisions to invest and venture into unchartered waters, the risks made, how they measured success, etc. will also be discussed. ... read more

Join Rick Ricart, President of Ricart Automotive Group, and Jeff Baldwin, Vice President of Franchising and Development for Donatos as they share how their roles and experiences in a family business have helped them evolve and thrive during times of change, transition, and challenges. Facilitated by Kelly Borth of GREENCREST. Sponsored by GREENCREST. ... read more

HR Live Virtual Meeting - From Apathy to Zoom Fatigue – We All Just Need a (Socially-Distanced) Hug If nothing else, 2020 was a year where nobody could be too comfortable! Following months and months of navigating remote working, paid sick leave, viruses, vaccinations, and social unrest, let’s take an hour or so to check in with one another and hear about the best practices we’ve all developed from what we learned, and develop our 2021 checklists of what we need to do and what we need to watch. With a change in our federal leadership, there will definitely be (even more) changes coming! Come prepared with best practices, burning questions, and ready to receive your virtual hug to keep you going through Q1 2021! Sharon DeLay, President of GO-HR will facilitate this session - join us for this live meeting* to find practical advice around tackling the challenges you are facing. *Note: Because we want this to be interactive, this session will be a Zoom Meeting (same format as our peer groups) with audio/video enabled for all who join. Note that if you do not have video capability, you are still welcome to participate. ... read more

Branding for Non-Branding People ''We're different from our competitors, but no one can see why.'' ''Nobody knows who we are and we can't break through the noise.'' ''We're struggling to charge a premium, even though what we do is top shelf.'' These may seem like sales or tactical challenges. In reality, they're brand issues. But what does ''brand'' mean in 2021? Together, we'll shed light on what branding is and how the branding process should work. We'll draw on our own experience as well as examples and best practices for context. In the end, we'll have a better understanding of how taking the time to get it right can help with some of the most common business challenges. REGISTER now and join us for this live webinar on 2/25 presented by Neil Wengerd, partner and creative director at Nonfiction, a brand and design agency for visionaries, change-makers, and big thinkers. Nonfiction helps clients connect the dots between why they exist, what they do, and how they're perceived. For him, it boils down to this: the future must be simpler, smarter, and more sustainable. And if we don’t shape the future, it will shape us. You'll have the opportunity to submit questions during the session and view a recording post session. ... read more

Did you know that more than 30% of all family-owned businesses make the transition into the second generation? 12% will still be viable into the third generation, with only 3% of all family businesses operating at the fourth-generation level and beyond. Therefore, it is crucial that we focus our efforts on preparing and supporting the next wave of leadership, but how can we empower the next generation to step into leadership roles with the confidence and ability to transform the future of their family business? Facilitated by Kelly Borth (GREENCREST), our panel will feature family business leaders, Chelsea King (King Business Interiors, Inc.) and Steve, Austin, and Patrick Wathen (Equity, LLC). Our panelists will share their experiences from all perspectives - those who have successfully passed leadership on, those who have succeeded as the next generation, and those who are currently taking steps towards leadership as a Next Gen. Our panelists will also speak candidly about what the next generation means to their family business and how to support and prepare Next Gens to make a lasting impact. Sponsored by: GREENCREST ... read more