LMU Family Business Conference: Lessons from 100-Year Family Businesses

What does it take for a family business to endure for generations?

Join family business owners, next-generation leaders, advisors, and entrepreneurs for a full day of candid conversations and practical insights focused on the realities of sustaining a business across decades, and, in some cases, more than a century.

This year’s conference will explore how multi-generational companies navigate leadership transition, family dynamics, innovation, governance, culture, and long-term stewardship while continuing to grow in a rapidly changing world.

Featured speakers and participating companies include:

Randel Carlock — internationally recognized family business expert, educator, and author

Dennis Jaffe — leading researcher and advisor on family enterprise and generational transition

Vroman’s Bookstore — one of the oldest and most respected independent bookstores in California

J.M. Huber Corporation — a sixth-generation family-owned global enterprise

Farmers & Merchants Trust Company — a longstanding family-connected financial institution with deep California roots

Gaviña Coffee Company — a multi-generational coffee roasting and hospitality business founded in Los Angeles

Maui Soda & Ice Works, LTD — Multi-generational Hawaiʻi company with a legacy of entrepreneurship and community leadership

Through keynote conversations, fireside chats, and peer networking, attendees will gain perspective on questions such as:

How do successful family businesses prepare the next generation?

What traditions should be preserved — and what needs to evolve?

How do families balance legacy with innovation?

What structures help businesses survive leadership transitions and economic change?

How can family businesses remain entrepreneurial after 50, 75, or 100 years?

The conference will bring together founders, successors, students, advisors, and executives from a wide range of industries for a uniquely honest and practical dialogue about continuity, leadership, and resilience.

Who Should Attend

Family business owners and executives

Next-generation family business leaders

Entrepreneurs and founders

Family office professionals and advisors

Students interested in entrepreneurship and family enterprise

Professionals working with privately held businesses

Registration includes conference programming, networking opportunities, breakfast, lunch, and evening reception.

Additional speakers and program details will be announced soon.