Advanced Learning Events for Members and Guests

Speaker Series

Leading family business experts share insights and information on trends and techniques that can be applied to your business. The curriculum is driven by the needs and desires of members. Past topics include legal, financial, and other planning issues around leadership succession and ownership transfer; family relationships, traditions, and values; power, control and compensation; and roles and responsibilities.

Emerge Successful: 7 Strategies to Redesign, Rebuild and Relaunch your Business
Tuesday, September 15, 2020

8:30 – 9:45 a.m. Program
9:45 – 10:30 a.m. Breakout Discussion

Next Generation Capabilities: Technology and Workforce Opportunities for Family Enterprises
Thursday, October 8, 2020
8:30 – 11:30 a.m. Program

2021 HR Trends: New World of Work -- Are You Keeping Up?
Thursday, November 12, 2020
2 - 4 p.m. Program

Weathering the "Storms": the Vermeer Family Business Story
Thursday, December 10, 2020
8:30 – 11 a.m. Program

Facing Bias + Inclusive Hiring
January 28, 2021
8:30 – 10 a.m. Program
10 – 10:30 a.m. Breakout Discussion

The Power of Positive Conflict
Thursday, February 11, 2021
8:30 – 11:30 a.m. Program

Polarity Thinking: An Essential Leadership Skill
Thursday, March 11, 2021
8:30 – 11:30 a.m. Program

Designing, Implementing and Harnessing an Effective Board for Your Family Enterprise
Thursday, May 13, 2021
8:30 – 11:30 a.m. Program

Food For Thought

Wednesday, September 23, 2020
Presented by Reinhart Boerner van Deuren

Business Succession Planning During a Crisis

Thoughtful and thorough family business succession planning can take many months to complete. During a crisis like Covid-19, however, you need to act quickly to plan for a possible succession event, even if the next generation is not ready to lead the company. This Food For Thought presentation by Attorney Gregory Monday will provide you with a checklist of quick fixes and temporary arrangements that you can implement immediately to help ensure that if a key family business leader is incapacitated or dies, (a) the business will continue to operate under interim leadership and (b) ownership interests will be held by a fiduciary until proper ownership succession can be determined.

Topics will include: Powers of attorney, Voting and non-voting stock/units, Trust amendments, Sources of liquidity.

Thursday, October 22, 2020
Presented by Resonant Capital Advisors

Year in (P)Review: The Markets, Economy and Your Wealth in and Beyond 2020

Join the Resonant Capital Advisors team for a look at economic, market and policy dynamics in 2020 along with a preview of timely year-end planning tools for wealth and business-owning families.

Thursday, November 5, 2020
Presented by Aspiriant

G2 Perspectives on Family Business Succession

Join us for a panel discussion featuring multiple second generation family members. They will share their experiences and field your questions as a second generation member of a family owned business. Learn about their perspectives as they watched their family build and grow a successful family enterprise, evaluate the transition of the businesses, and the impact it has had on their lives (one business transferred ownership, another was sold and the wealth transferred).

Thursday, December 3, 2020
Presented by SVA

Top 10 Things to Know About 2020 Year-End Tax Planning

I think we can all agree, one of the most used words to describe 2020 is “unpredictable”. Your business strategies have changed as you navigated through the year. Therefore, this year’s tax planning strategies could look much different than years past. Join us for a discussion on the top things business owners should be thinking about and planning for as 2020 comes to a close.

Discussion will include:

• Post-election tax scenarios
• PPP rules and updates
• COVID-19 stimulus impact on your taxes
• 2020 tax planning strategies

Presenters:

Jacob Peters, CPA, MST – Principal, SVA Certified Public Accountants
Dan Glomski, CPA, ABV, CVA – Principal, SVA Certified Public Accountants

Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Presented by BDO

Stories from the Trenches: How Wisconsin Family Businesses are Surviving COVID-19

Join BDO and a panel of past Wisconsin Family Business of the Year award winners to hear about their unique challenges in dealing with the pandemic and what they had to do to survive 2020 while staying focused and optimistic about the future.

The discussion will include reaction and actions when the pandemic first hit including specific tools they used (i.e. cost reductions, new revenue channels, government programs, etc.), employee engagement, sales pipeline/supply chain challenges and advantages of being a Wisconsin family-owned business during uncertain times.

Panelists:

• Tim Haag, State Collection Service
• Scott Sanders, Brakebush Bros.
• Mark Lenerz, North Central Group

Thursday, February 18, 2021
Presented by Associated Bank

Corporate Giving, Where to Start, How to Sustain, and Tips for Maintaining your Philanthropic Legacy

How can your company and your employees help the community thrive? Volunteering time, treasure, and talent are three ways in which companies, individuals, and foundations are helping strengthen their communities. The Madison Community Foundation, one of 30 community foundations statewide, has been connecting the donor community and area non-profits for over 75 years. Vice President of Community Impact Tom Linfield will share information about how community foundations work with donors and nonprofits, highlight some major grant projects that have made this area so special, and discuss the nonprofit climate during this challenging pandemic climate. He will share best practices in funding, describe the landscape of nonprofits, and offer examples of how your company can become more involved in the communities it serves and make sure your company’s legacy continue through generations.

Tuesday, March 30, 2021
Presented by Johnson Financial Group

Life After Lockdown: Lessons Learned and Topics to Consider After One Year of Pandemic Disruption

Hear from Johnson Financial Group Insurance experts about employee benefit and risk management ideas in an ever-changing world.

Wednesday, April 21, 2021
Presented by DeWitt Law Firm

Structuring an M&A Deal in 2021: Best Practices and Common Issues

Considering selling all or a portion of your family business to the next generation or a third party? Looking to expand into a new market or to acquire an existing company? Whether you are buying or selling, there are a number of issues to be addressed early on and throughout the M&A process. In this presentation we will take listeners through the stages of a typical M&A deal and address common questions, best-practices, and pitfalls for both sellers and buyers to consider.

Round Tables

November 19, 2020
Host: SVA

PPP and Your Loan Forgiveness Options

Join SVA for a virtual round table on one of the biggest topic's businesses are discussing right now – PPP loans! This is your chance to hear the latest information available on the Paycheck Protection Program and the loan forgiveness programs that go with it. We know there are many questions on the process, so this is your time to have a discussion with our expert who works with the nuisances of this program every day.

The discussion will be led by Nicole Gralapp, CPA, CEXP™, a Principal with SVA Certified Public Accountants.

January 21, 2021
Host: Johnson Financial Group

Seven Deadly Sins of Succession Planning

Join Johnson Financial Group for a virtual round table to discuss the seven deadly sins of succession planning. Planning is not easy in today's world of unknowns, but getting it right is critical to ensure the future success of your business. Whether your business will be passed down within a family, transitioned to existing management, or sold to an outside party, proper planning is essential to ensure a smooth transition and to avoid tax and cash flow issues, while assuring that current ownership is fairly compensated.

This is your chance to hear from Joe Maier, SVP Director of Wealth Strategy with Johnson Financial Group and how you can make the inevitable your masterpiece.

April 15, 2021
Host: Aspiriant

Family Business Succession Planning: Cover Your Personal Financial Bases to Hit a Home Run for Your Business

Please join us on Thursday, April 15 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. for a conversation on the key elements needed to confidently plan for the transition of your business. Whether you’re considering an outright sale or a transition to the next generation, learn how a process-driven approach to financial goal setting can give you confidence in your decision making. We’ll analyze real-life examples of how long-range cash flow projections provide peace of mind around achieving your lifetime goals. Gain an understanding of how a collaborative approach, drawing on the experience of your team of advisors, can enhance your succession plan’s effectiveness and simplify your financial life.

**Participate in the session for a chance to win Brewer tickets**

May 20, 2021
Host: BDO

The Future of Work

Bring your questions, ideas, and be ready to discuss: your top priorities for when business returns to normal; how you are dealing with questions about remote work options and what policies are you setting; are potential tax changes affecting your business decisions and more!

June 17, 2021
Host: Reinhart Boerner van Deuren

Lessons from Family Business Battles

Sometimes the owners of family businesses go to war with one another in the courtroom. At this roundtable event, we'll break down some of these breakdowns and discuss how they might have been avoided with different company policies, governance strategies, and estate planning approaches. Roundtable participants will be able to vote on how they would have made different decisions that could have kept the peace in these cases.

Socials

The Wisconsin Family Business Center is a vibrant community of family businesses and those individuals who serve them. Our members and sponsors are leaders in their communities and enjoy the advantages of belonging to our Center. The social activities, including our Fall Social and Spring Social, allow members to converse and enjoy each other’s company in a relaxed setting.