UofL Family Business Center

Please Note: Our Family Business Center office will be closed June 15–19 as our team heads out to connect with fellow FBC leaders from across the country.

We’re excited to exchange ideas, learn best practices, and bring back fresh insights to better serve family businesses in our region. We’ll do our best to share a few moments from the week - keep an eye out!

Did you know June 23 is National Family Owned & Operated Business Day? Join us as we celebrate the incredible impact of family businesses in our community at a special FBC social event hosted at Schiller Architectural Hardware. Come learn more about this outstanding family business and help us honor the legacy, resilience, and innovation of family-owned companies everywhere.

We encourage family businesses to share your story online that day and tag us so we can celebrate you!

👉 Register for our upcoming social event today: https://app.glueup.com/org/uoflfamilybusinesscenter/events/

🌟 Call for Nominations! 🌟
Do you know a remarkable family business or leader making an impact in our community? Now’s the time to recognize them!

Submit your nominations for the Family Business Awards by July 3rd in the following categories:
✨ Generations of Excellence
✨ Emerging Family Business Innovator
✨ Legacy Builder
✨ Round Table Luminary
✨ Commonwealth Credit Union Excellence in Community Impact
✨ Family Business Community Catalyst
✨ Family Business Legacy

🏆 A special thank you to Commonwealth Credit Union, our presenting sponsor, for supporting this celebration of family business excellence.
👉 Submit your nomination here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=Sm4k3TRUFU6K45Gtl5eyCR3GAU0Ap4RMmKnLP6gjP15UN0VWMTZBMTVKR1k5MUczVTA1TE80RTg2Mi4u

And don’t forget—join us for the Family Business Awards & Summit on August 25th at The Galt House!
🎟️ Register now to save your seat: https://app.glueup.com/event/2026-family-business-awards-summit-181003/

Let’s celebrate the businesses and leaders shaping our region!

✨ Member Spotlight: BIG Solutions ✨
We’re excited to highlight BIG Solutions, a family-owned business with a strong legacy and a bright future. With 28 years in operation and a team of nearly 50 employees, the company continues to grow and evolve. Formerly HR Affiliates, Byrne Insurance Group and HR Alliance, the three have merged to form BIG Solutions - a move that, as Lisa Bottorff shares, has allowed them to operate as “a stronger, united company.”

At the heart of BIG Solutions’ work is a deep appreciation for the role family businesses play in the community. Lisa notes that “family businesses bring so much to the community - they employ, are involved as leaders, give back to nonprofit organizations, support community endeavors, and continue to grow from within to carry on the legacy.”

Their connection to the Family Business Center has also evolved over time. What began as involvement as a professional advisor group has grown into something more meaningful as they embraced their identity as a family-owned business. As Lisa explains, “we feel it is important to give back to our community, and this is a valuable way to do this.”

That sense of connection is exactly what she encourages other family businesses to experience. Lisa emphasizes that “peer and mentor support provided to family business members is crucial,” adding that “you get to learn from other organizations different from your own,” which brings fresh perspective and insight.

For BIG Solutions, that engagement has paid off in relationships and shared learning. Lisa reflects that one of the biggest benefits has simply been the opportunity to connect- “I get to meet and connect with some great family business members and others who commit time to this wonderful organization.”

We’re proud to have BIG Solutions as part of our community and appreciate their commitment to growth, connection, and giving back. 👏

📣 Want to be featured in our Member Spotlight series?
We’d love to highlight your story! Share your information with us here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=Sm4k3TRUFU6K45Gtl5eyCR3GAU0Ap4RMmKnLP6gjP15UQVNSNkNFR0ZBMURDRDlKREQ0V0RWV1pLUi4u

Reminder: our call for presenters for 2026-2027 is currently open. We will accept submissions until June 30th. We are looking for topics for family business leadership - current and rising generations.

If you feel you have a topic that may be of interest, please submit using this form: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=Sm4k3TRUFU6K45Gtl5eyCR3GAU0Ap4RMmKnLP6gjP15UM1RBSU00S1Q3MlIxMUUwWkZNTDNLUVBGVy4u

Topics are selected by our education committee, which is comprised of current members. Interested in being part of the committee? Reach out to us at [email protected] for additional information!

Family enterprises navigate more than strategy - they navigate relationships. When personal identity and business roles collide, the impact often shows up as miscommunication, slowed decisions, and strained trust.

Join us for an upcoming session, graciously hosted by Dean Dorton, where we’ll explore a neuroscience-informed communication approach designed specifically for family business dynamics.

Led by Heather Yerrid, this interactive session will help you:
✔ Recognize identity dissonance and its hidden impact
✔ Spot “cognitive drift” before it derails conversations
✔ Practice the TRUE framework (Tune • Reframe • Understand • Examine)
✔ Strengthen alignment, agility, and cross-generational collaboration

This session is designed for family business leaders, next-gen successors, and non-family executives navigating complex relational dynamics.

📌 Member-only event | Early registration required
🔗 Register here: https://app.glueup.com/org/uoflfamilybusinesscenter/events/

We had the best day at our event today, featuring some of the incredible members of our Stewardship Circle! It was a powerful reminder of the wisdom, experience, and storytelling that make this community so special.

A heartfelt thank you to Steve Diebold, Dan Rechter, Randy Koetter, and John A. Zoeller for sharing their insights and to Jocelyn Deamer for expertly facilitating such a meaningful discussion.

We also hosted a new and prospective member orientation, where several of our members generously shared how they stay engaged and helped answer questions about the Family Business Center. Thank you to Patrick Murphy, Foster McCarl, Seth Pennington, and Natalie Nash for lending your time and perspective.

And a special thank you to our hosts, Mister "P"​ Express and Parnell Commercial Driving School, for welcoming us into your beautiful space. We’re so grateful for your hospitality.

Days like today remind us how fortunate we are to have such an extraordinary group of members. Thank you all for everything you do to make this community what it is!

✨ Nominations Are Open: 2026 UofL Family Business Awards! ✨
Do you know a family business that exemplifies leadership, legacy, and community impact? Help us celebrate the organizations that make our region stronger.

🏆 Submit your nominations by July 3 for the 2026 UofL Family Business Awards, presented by Commonwealth Credit Union. These awards honor excellence in family business operations, continuity, innovation, philanthropy, and the enduring legacy of family enterprises.

👏 We extend our sincere thanks to Commonwealth Credit Union for their continued support of family businesses and our community.

🔗 Submit a nomination: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=Sm4k3TRUFU6K45Gtl5eyCR3GAU0Ap4RMmKnLP6gjP15UN0VWMTZBMTVKR1k5MUczVTA1TE80RTg2Mi4u

🎉 Registration is also open for the
2026 UofL Family Business Awards & Summit - Rooted in Excellence: The Legacy Continues
📅 August 25 | 11:30 AM – 4:00 PM
📍 The Galt House

Join us for an inspiring afternoon featuring:
• A leadership summit on navigating growth, change, and generational transition
• Keynote speaker Matthew Nix on “Honoring Legacy and Embracing Change”
• A panel discussion with family business leaders
• And a celebration recognizing this year’s award recipients

🔗 Register now: https://app.glueup.com/event/2026-family-business-awards-summit-181003/

Special thanks to our Summit sponsor, Axiom Financial Strategies Group as well!

Let’s honor the past, engage in the present, and celebrate the future of family business.

☕ Join us for a Morning Coffee Social!
Start your day with meaningful connections and inspiration at our upcoming networking event, featuring the family business story of Schiller Architectural Hardware.

We’re especially excited to gather on National Family Owned and Operated Business Day (June 23) - a perfect time to celebrate the impact and legacy of family businesses in our community.

✨ What to expect:
Informal networking over coffee
Insights from a multi-generational family business
Opportunity to build new connections

📅 June 23
📍 11525 Blankenbaker Access Dr., Louisville
📝 Registration required | Guests welcome
Reserve your spot today: https://app.glueup.com/org/uoflfamilybusinesscenter/events/