About 300 family businesspeople and others were on hand Nov. 18 for the 11th annual Family Owned Business awards luncheon put on by the Business Journal and California State University, Fullerton at the Hyatt Regency Irvine. The event honored five family businesses based on size, growth potential and longevity. The honorees, some 40 other nominees and several hundred attendees got a look at a key challenge for family businesses: communication. The example came courtesy of Birtcher Development and Investment Co. Chief Executive Brandon Birtcher and his daughter Brooke Birtcher, vice president of leasing and property management for the real estate company. The Birtchers took seats on the stage and engaged in a father-daughter, boss-employee conversation. They asked each other questions about various aspects of their business, the effects of family ownership and the expectations they have of themselves and of one another. Brooke Birtcher posed a question of concern at some point for every family business, asking her 57-year-old father when he plans to step down from active management at the company, which is in its fourth generation of family ownership. Brandon Birtcher said he believes the worst of the economic downturn is over and the economy is approaching a recovery, adding that he’s “never seen a more opportunistic time” for the family business. “I’m here for the full next cycle,” he said.
