Healthy Growth for the Family Business

Healthy growth is critical to the future of any business - too many rash decisions can lead to the demise of a family business. Author Jennifer Pendergast provides readers with practical knowledge to help determine whether to grow, what type of growth is healthy and sustainable and what the future potential is for any business.

"As a member of a fourth generation sibling team who face the challenge of defining and planning for "sustainable" growth for our family business, I found Healthy Growth for the Family Business by Dr. Jennifer Pendergast to be particularly relevant and informative. The materials contained within this book move beyond the basic concepts of growth and provide a more comprehensive view of strategic issues related to growth in a family business. As our family continues to pursue a growth strategy for our business, we intend to use the many thought provoking questions raised within this book to prompt future discussions about responsible growth." - Diana C. Pickering, Biltmore Estate, Asheville, NC

"Whether growth translates into prosperity across generations lies at the hearth of leadership of the family enterprise. Having worked with Dr. Pendergast on a variety of strategic assignments, I am well familiar with her impressive analytical abilities and her heart for the unique challenges and opportunities presented by family owned and operated businesses. Both are evident in Healthy Growth for the Family Business. Any family member, leader, or professional wrestling with financial, operational, and cultural issues inherent in the question of whether to grow and how to grow, will find great value in her thorough analysis." - Steven C. Tourek, Senior Vice President/General Counsel, Marvin Windows and Doors, St. Paul, MN

"As a non-family executive in a diversified, multi-generational family-owned company, I fully endorse the growth perspective so well articulated by Dr. Pendergast in Healthy Growth for the Family Business. She has succinctly captured the essence of the growth challenge for the family owned business; its need for proper definition, to be with purpose, and for the consequences to be broadly understood. I found the book to be easily read, filled with real-world examples, and well-organized. It will be shared throughout our company as we transition from third generation management and leadership to that of the fourth generation and refine our vision for growth and renew our commitment to healthy growth." - Barton Weeks, Executive Vice President, Strategic Planning / Real Estate & Land Operations, A. Duda & Sons, Inc., Oviedo, FL

JENNIFER M. PENDERGAST, Ph.D Senior Associate of The Family Business Consulting Group, Inc. She specializes in strategic planning, family and business governance, family office structure, and facilitation. Jennifer is an experienced management consultant with an extensive background in the many strategic challenges faced by family firms serving a broad range of clients, ranging from startup to Fortune 500 companies, in both for-profit and non-profit arenas. With a Ph.D. in strategy, Pendergast has taught at Emory University's Goizueta Business School, Georgia Tech and The Wharton Business School. Her teaching experience spans undergraduate, MBA and executive level programs.