Family Business Initiative
A Collaborative Initiative of the Tepper School of Business and the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship
Family businesses are the foundation of the global economy – representing the majority of enterprises worldwide and serving as one of the most enduring sources of community wealth and leadership. Studies consistently show that family firms outperform and outlast non-family businesses, yet managing the intertwined dynamics of family and enterprise presents unique challenges.
Launched in 2022 by Meredith Meyer Grelli, Faculty at the Tepper School of Business and Interim Executive Director and Managing Director of the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, the Family Business Initiative connects and supports family business owners and leaders throughout the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Mellon and Pittsburgh communities, and increasingly, across the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ global network.
Through programming, peer learning, and thought leadership, the Initiative helps family business leaders navigate the complexities of growth, succession, governance, and innovation.
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Become a part of the 2026 Cohort
Program starts November 6, 2026.
Family Business Initiative Programs are free and open to the public, thanks to donors' generous support.
Thank you to our sponsors!
Team
Alex Grelli
Director, Family Business Initiative
Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Entrepreneurship
agrelli@andrew.cmu.edu
Leif Johnson, Jr.
Program Manager
leifj@andrew.cmu.edu
Leonard Caric
Adjunct Faculty
lcaric@andrew.cmu.edu
Sonya Ford
Program Manager
Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship
sonyaf@andrew.cmu.edu
Allyson Hince
Program Manager
Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship
ahince@andrew.cmu.edu
Aleksandar Petkov
Sr. Program Manager
Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship
apetkov@andrew.cmu.edu
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Family Business Leadership Speaker Series
Our flagship public series features C-level family business leaders from diverse industries who share insights on strategy, innovation, and generational leadership. Each event attracts 200–300 attendees from ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Mellon and the regional business community.
2026-27 Family Business Leadership Speaker Series
The Everywhere Millionaire: Who Is Really Rich in America? A Conversation with Co-Author Eric Zwick
Co-author of The Everywhere Millionaire
Joel F. Gemunder Professor of Economics and Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Thursday, November 12, 2026
12:15 - 1:30 p.m. EST
ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, Tepper Quad, 3rd Floor, 4765 Forbes Avenue
Lunch will be served at 12:15 p.m., followed by the program from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
When we picture the American rich, we think of tech founders and Wall Street, but millions of Americans have quietly built fortunes running unglamorous businesses close to home, many of them started, bought, or inherited within families.
Presented by the Family Business Leadership Speaker Series, Eric Zwick, co-author of The Everywhere Millionaire and Joel F. Gemunder Professor of Economics and Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, will share findings from a decade of research on who America's hidden millionaires are, why hands-on experience and early exposure to family business matter more than elite credentials, and how their wealth shapes policy and the future of Main Street.
2025-26 Family Business Leadership Speaker Series
Family Entrepreneurship by Design (Not by Accident)
Michael Bernstein
Managing Partner, Woodland Management and Partners Edge Fund
Board Chair – Tree of Life, Inc.
Thursday, March 12, 2026
12:00 - 1:00 p.m. EST
ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, Tepper Quad, 3rd Floor, 4765 Forbes Avenue
Dark Territory: Leadership Across Generations on the Inspiring, Bold Trip of Railroad Development Corporation
Ida Posner & Henry Posner III, Railroad Development Corporation
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
12:00 - 1:00 p.m. EST
ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, Tepper Quad, 3rd Floor, 4765 Forbes Avenue
2024-25 Family Business Leadership Speaker Series
An Entrepreneurial Journey on the Road Less Traveled
Stuart Weitzman
Founder, Stuart Weitzman Shoes
Monday, September 16, 2024
5:30 - 6:30 p.m. EST
ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, Tepper Quad, 3rd Floor, 4765 Forbes Avenue
Family Business Leadership Speaker Series Hits the Road in San Francisco, CA
Bart & Barb O'Brien
Founders and Owners, O'Brien Estate Winery
January 8, 2025
6:00pm - 9:00pm PST
Hotel Zetta San Francisco, 55 5th St, San Francisco, California 94103
Kristy Knichel, CEO & Owner, Knichel Logistics
Friday, March 21, 2025
12:00 - 1:00 p.m. EST
ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, Tepper Quad, 3rd Floor, 4765 Forbes Avenue
2023-24 Family Business Leadership Speaker Series
It’s How We Play The Game: How DICK’S Built Its Business From a Small Bait and Tackle Shop to America’s Largest Sporting Goods Retailer
Edward W. Stack
Executive Chairman, Dick's Sporting Goods
Wednesday, November 29, 2023
5:30 - 6:30 p.m. EST
ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½, Simmons A, Tepper Quad, 4765 Forbes Avenue
Managing a Multi Cultural and Intergenerational Family Business
George Tong (MSIA '90)
President, Gemini Food Corporation
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
12:30 - 1:30 p.m. EST
ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, Tepper Quad, 3rd Floor, 4765 Forbes Avenue
Helen Hanna Casey, CEO, Hanna Holdings
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
12:30 - 1:30 p.m. EST
ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, Tepper Quad, 3rd Floor, 4765 Forbes Avenue
2022-23 Family Business Leadership Speaker Series
Success and Innovation at Giant Eagle
Laura Shapira Karet
Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Giant Eagle, Inc.
David S. Shapira
Chairman Emeritus, Board of Directors, Giant Eagle, Inc.
Chairman, David S. and Karen A. Shapira Foundation
December 1, 2022
12:30 - 1:30 p.m. EST
ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, Tepper Quad, 3rd Floor, 4765 Forbes Avenue
From Mississippi Dirt Roads to the Obama Presidential Center: Building Generational Success
Stephanie Hickman
President & CEO, Trice Construction Company
Tuesday, February 7, 2023
5:30 - 6:30 p.m. EST
ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½, Simmons A, Tepper Quad, 4765 Forbes Avenue
Emily Sheetz, VP of Strategy and IT , Sheetz, Inc
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
12:30 - 1:30 p.m. EST
ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, Tepper Quad, 3rd Floor, 4765 Forbes Avenue
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Family Business Peer Advisory Groups
Now entering its third year, this hybrid-format program brings together annual cohorts of ~20 family business owners for facilitated, confidential discussions led by Tepper faculty and experienced moderators each month. Each session centers on a member’s real-world challenge, fostering deep peer advising and long-term relationships.
Academic Courses
Tepper students can deepen their understanding of family enterprise dynamics through courses such as:
- 45-819 Family Business
- 45-817 Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition
- 45-807 Commercialization & Innovation Strategy
- 45-918 Fundamentals & Future of Real Estate
- 45-816 Entrepreneur’s Playbook: Leadership for Growth
Thank you to our Swartz Center Patrons
