Will the Circle Be Unbroken?
Managing a Family Business Disaster
by Richard Narva
Principal Consultant, Genus Resources, Inc.
Sam and Jim were the boisterous and passionate owners and leaders of a thriving manufacturing company near Boston with 85 employees. They were also friends of mine. On the last Saturday in March, they went on a flight to Block Island, off Rhode Island. Their plane developed engine trouble and crash landed on Interstate 495, not far from their company, killing both men instantly.
Occurring just prior to the holiday season, this crash was especially agonizing for their families and friends. But Jim and Sam Snyder were also the owners, the board of directors, the CEO’s, and the leaders of Polymer Design, which they founded and grew from nothing to sustained success. More…