My parents were raised in a time that focused on family, in a place that was built by family. Their parents instilled in them the values of character, integrity and hard work, and my parents in turn instilled the same value system within their four children. This was a privilege I wouldn’t realize for decades, but I’ve become deeply grateful for it.
Our family spent years moving around the country for my father’s work, from far north in Michigan to deep south in Louisiana, ultimately settling in Oklahoma for the bulk of their time before returning to the same farm in southwest Kansas where my mother was raised. As their children, we were always in tow, learning the different cultures along the way. And also, as children have for millennia, learning about the world and how it works by watching our parents and absorbing what they taught us. We have become who we are today in part because of who they were.
That’s even more true when members of the next generation join the family business, and begin their livelihoods by building on the foundations set by their forebears. Kirk Fish Company, the Wynn family’s Sunshine Ace Hardware and Lipman Family Farms are all landmark presences in the Southwest Florida business landscape, and each is in at least its third generation, being overseen and guided by the descendants of its founders as a conscious next step in a shared legacy. Bill Wasinger looks at the stories behind these companies’ successes in “Generational Health” on page 28.
One especially adventurous example of multigenerational businesses could only have happened in a coastal community such as Naples — other folks might feel ties to wide-open ranches or timber-covered mountains, but the Julian family’s hearts are with the sea. In “A Legacy on the Waves” on page 38, Therese McDevitt embarks on an exploration of the mariners’ story in progress, one that has spanned five generations at sea so far and encompasses a consulting business to provide aquatic expertise to film and TV crews, as well as the popular Pure Florida Cruises based at Tin City. Thriving on the water as they have requires considerable effort, but a strong work ethic is as much a part of their trade as the decks beneath their feet.
Family seems a fitting focus for this joyous time of year — all of us at Gulfshore Business wish you and yours a happy holiday season, and the very best for the new year to come. We’ll see you in 2025.
