New Family Business Videos Reveal Difficulties, Successes in Transitioning to Next Generation, Giving Back to Community  

 Family Enterprise USA’s President Pat Soldano Interviews Leaders of Thompson Realty Group and Lippow Development Co.

 The struggles and successes of starting, transitioning a multi-generational family business, and giving back to communities, come to life in two new videos released by Family Enterprise USA.

The videos, hosted by Pat Soldano, President of Family Enterprise USA, spotlight Kent Thompson, President of Thompson Realty Group, Lincoln, Neb., and Larry Lippow, President and CEO of Lippow Development Co., Martinez, Calif.

Thompson, interviewed from his home in Lincoln, details how his 33-year commercial realty company has grown from its small Nebraska beginnings to owning and operating 60 commercial buildings from Denver to Chicago.

Twice a year we have family meetings, and we review our family trust agreements with family members and spouses,” said Thompson. “We want family members actually engaged in the business and community. We prefer to help build things locally, rather than take beach vacations. We feel very rewarded by these experiences.”

As part of its far-reaching community involvement, the Thompson family has built schools and other projects in the Caribbean, Latin America, and Africa.

Lippow Development’s Larry Lippow, a third-generation commercial real estate family business owner, is readying the reigns for the fourth generation.

We train our next generation of family leaders to understand that we are the stewards of the family legacy, so they can train the fifth and sixth generation in the same way,” said Lippow, from his office in Martinez, east of San Francisco. Lippow’s business, founded over 100 years ago by the CEO’s grandfather Leo Lippow, is the oldest operating business in the city. The company owns and operates properties in California and Arizona.

We are not big, but we are three generations strong, but we want our multi-generational business to thrive, and high taxes worry us,” said Lippow. “That is why we are diversifying and moving our business into other states. We will never leave California, but we look at our high taxes, and estate taxes, and they are a real challenge for us going forward.”

America’s family businesses represent 59% of the country’s private workforce, or some 83.3 million U.S. jobs, research shows. In a recent survey by Family Enterprise USA, it was found family businesses in America consisted of 23.7% in manufacturing, 10.4% in construction/facilities, and 9.75% in real estate.

“We hope these multi-generational family business stories help bring to life the stories of America’s family businesses,” said Soldano, who is also President of the Policy and Taxation Group. “There are many challenges multi-generational family businesses face just trying to survive,” she said. “Too often estate tax bills force families to sell, income taxes drive business out of state, and over-regulation make family businesses uncompetitive. These videos are designed to bring some of those struggles to light.”

To watch the full interview with go to: www.youtube.com/@familyenterpriseusa5848

If you have a family business and a story to tell about your success and/or challenges go to www.familyenterpriseusa and visit the Family Business Stories page.

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