By: Madeleine Faircloth
Staff Writer
St. Bonaventure University Family Business Club members added more connections to their lengthening list this past weekend as the club traveled to Constellation Brands, Inc.’s headquarters in Victor, New York, for a tour.
The club was started five years ago by students with family business ties and teaches students hopeful of becoming involved in a family business what challenges to expect and the proper paths to take, according to the club advisor, Dr. Carol Wittmeyer. The goal is for students to gain insight on the business and family aspects separately while making connections that will hopefully lead to mentorships and internships with the family companies they interact with.
One success of these trips comes from senior marketing major David Richenberg. He is not part of a family-owned business, but he has interned for Constellation Brands, a publicly traded international producer of beers and wines, for the past three summers, according to Richenberg.
Despite Constellation Brands being a publicly traded company, the family feeling is still strong, Richenberg said.
“Family businesses aren’t just limited to mom and pop shops in small towns. There really is no limit to how large a family business can become,” Richenberg said after the trip.
Wittmeyer works with the student members to secure speakers and plan trips such as the one that took place Friday. Constellation Brands was the second of two trips the club took this semester, Wittmeyer said.
The club’s typical semester involves one trip and one guest speaker. According to Wittmeyer, the student involvement this semester created the idea and reality of more than one tour. In late October, the club toured a manufacturing company in Waverly, New York, and a winery in Hammondsport, New York.
“I’m pretty happy with how we are a leader in this area. Other schools around don’t get as involved with family businesses as we do,” Wittmeyer said.
Most members have some type of involvement family businesses, whether it be direct, historical, current or future plans, Wittmeyer said.
Sophomore business management major and new club member Joe Anello hopes to begin his own woodworking company with his father after graduation. He grew up with a family-owned pharmaceutical business in Cincinnati, Ohio, where his cousins and uncles planned to continue the friendly family environment for generations to come.
After attending the trip in October, Anello recalled how much he learned about specifically opening a business right out of college. The CEO of the manufacturing company the club visited emphasized the importance of getting your feet wet before jumping into your own business, Anello said.
“This club has helped me so much by actually seeing how family businesses operate and how they become successful,” Anello said.
The Family Business Club and its trips are open to any student interested in the field of business. There is also a new minor being offered with specific family business classes catered to starting a family company, firm or business. Contact Dr. Wittmeyer with any questions at cwittmey@sbu.edu.
