Family Business of the Year Winners Announced
The Cox Family Enterprise Center at Kennesaw State University has announced the winners of the 2002…
Georgia (Feb 19, 2002) — Family Business of the Year Winners Announced
Staff
Abstract
The Cox Family Enterprise Center at Kennesaw State University has announced the winners
of the 2002 Family Business of the Year competition.
McStatts' Printing of Cartersville won the small business category. The finalists
were English for Internationals of Roswell and Katz Home Fashions of Columbus.
The Brunswick News of Brunswick placed first among medium−sized businesses. PBD Inc.
Worldwide Fulfillment Services of Alpharetta‚ and SleeveCo. Inc. of Dawsonville were
finalists.
Hayes Dodge‚ Jeep‚ Chrysler and Chevrolet of Lawrenceville won the large category.
The finalists were The Paradies Shops of Atlanta and Wheeler's Building Supply of
Rome.
Plant Telecommunications of Tifton won the Cox Century Award‚ which goes to a business
that has been owned and family−operated for more than 100 years.
"In a time when trust in both family and business is more important than ever‚ these
businesses embody the best Georgia has to offer‚" said newly−appointed Cox Family
Enterprise Center Director Joe Astrachan‚ who holds the Wachovia Chair of Family Business.
"The winners and finalists in this competition have great reason to be proud‚" added
Cox Center Founder Craig Aronoff‚ who holds the Dinos Eminent Scholar Chair of Private
Enterprise. "They share a bond that will strengthen their families‚ businesses and
communities."
The winners and finalists will be honored at a luncheon on Wednesday‚ April 3‚ at
11:30 a.m. in the Cobb Galleria. The keynote speaker will be John A. Fentener Van
Vlissingen‚ the founder and CEO of BCD Holdings N.V.‚ which has more than 8‚500 employees
in eight countries‚ and roughly $5 billion in global sales. Based in the Netherlands
Antilles‚ BCD Holdings is the parent company of three national travel companies and
two financial services companies. Its U.S. headquarters is in Atlanta. In addition
to being chairman of WorldTravel BTI and Park 'N Fly‚ Van Vlissingen is chairman of
Business Travel International‚ the world's largest alliance of business travel management
companies.
The sponsors of the Georgia Family Business of the Year competition include Wachovia
Bank N.A.‚ J. Smith Lanier & Co.‚ Grant Thornton LLP‚ myCFO and the KSU MBA for Experienced
Professionals program.
Winner‚ Cox Century Award: Plant Telecommunications‚ Tifton‚ Ga.
Plant Telecommunications began in 1895 with one magneto telephone line between the
home of Ben and Lula Gleaton of Doles‚ Ga.‚ and the farm home of Lula's parents. After
they strung a second line to Ben's commissary‚ neighboring farmers expressed an interest
in having access to the utility. The Gleatons strung more lines and set up a switchboard
at the commissary. By 1929‚ there were still only 49 lines in operation. By 1980 Plant
Communications would be serving more than 10‚000 customers over 875 square miles.
It also provides Internet service‚ including free service for the local schools‚ chambers
of commerce‚ libraries‚ the United Way‚ local police departments and the YMCA. Seven
of the 69 employees are family members. The family is now in it's fifth generation
of service to the region.
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The Cox Family Enterprise Center: Since the center was founded in 1986‚ it has been
a leader in family business research. Jack Dinos‚ former co−chairman and CEO of Southern
Tea Company‚ helped lay the groundwork for the center by endowing the Dinos Distinguished
Chair of Private Enterprise‚ held by Craig Aronoff. The center assumed the Cox name
in 2001 in appreciation of the support given by Atlanta's Cox family‚ which owns the
Atlanta Journal−Constitution‚ WSB−TV and media outlets across the nation. The center's
programs include the Family Business Forum‚ in which business people confront issues
important to the survival of their families and businesses; the Family Business Academy‚
which helps train new generations of family business owners; and the Georgia Family
Business of the Year Awards‚ which honors the state's best family−owned businesses.
Kennesaw State University‚ a progressive‚ comprehensive institution with a growing
student population of 14‚100‚ offers more than 50 degree programs. Out of 34 institutions‚
KSU is the sixth largest in the University System of Georgia.
Winner‚ Small Company Category: McStatts' Printing Company Inc.‚ Cartersville‚ Ga.
Two generations of the McStatts family work long hours to sell‚ design and produce
printing jobs and marketing materials. Anthony and Alice McStatts founded the company
in 1968. Though the second generation has taken the reigns‚ the founders still spend
most of their time at work. The company's goal to "under promise and over deliver"
has won them many loyal customers. These days‚ when there seems to be a print shop
in every strip mall‚ it is difficult to imagine that a Cartersville‚ Ga. printer would
expand into Texas‚ but the abundance of customers in The Lone Star State prompted
the family to make Dallas the location for a second store. The business aims to be
Georgia's best printer‚ and eventually the largest privately−owned printing company
in the Southeast.
Finalist‚ Small Company Category: English for Internationals Inc.‚ Roswell‚ Ga.
Norma and David Hills and their staff of 37 teach English to newly arrived foreign
nationals. They have taught more than 5‚000 students since Norma opened the school
in 1991. They've had many connections to the international community over the years;
they once taught English to migrant workers in Wisconsin‚ and their son Mark‚ who
studied in South Africa‚ married Chiu Hea‚ who is Chinese/Malaysian. Most language
education is for young people‚ so the business is in a unique position to provide
this specialized service to adults. The slogan for English for Internationals is‚
"Teaching the World to Communicate." All of the Hills' children have worked for them.
Their son Brian is the school's administrator‚ and is in line to run the business
when his parents retire.
Finalist‚ Small Company Category: Katz Home Fashions‚ Columbus‚ Ga.
Ed and Susan Grifenhagen run the business that Ed's grandfather Sol Katz started in
1938 when he began selling slipcovers door−to−door for "A dollar down and a dollar
a week." Ed and Susan enjoy serving customers whose grandparents purchased home fashions
from "Poppy Sol." They believe the reason Katz Home Fashions is a success is the quality
of their employees. The staff works hard to do "101 little things to make customers
feel special." Ed calls this "majoring in the minors."
Winner‚ Medium Company Category: The Brunswick News‚ Brunswick‚ Ga.
The Brunswick News has been run by four generations of the Leavy family‚ and is now
in its 100th year. C.H. Leavy and his brother Louis founded the newspaper in 1902.
C.H. was the editor and manager‚ and Louis was city editor. Today C.H. Leavy IV is
president/editor and CEO‚ while his brother Vance Leavy is executive vice president
and COO. They retain the same passion for the family business as its founders. The
newspaper has survived two world wars‚ the Depression and natural disasters‚ and never
once seen an unprofitable period.
Finalist‚ Medium Company Category: PBD Inc. Worldwide Fulfillment Services‚ Alpharetta‚
Ga.
PBD provides warehouse‚ distribution and fulfillment services for professional associations
and book publishers‚ and is one of the top businesses of its kind in the country.
In 1976‚ James E. Dockter founded Professional Book Distributors Inc.‚ and worked
from his home. He and his wife‚ Rebecca and two of their three sons‚ Scott and Gregory‚
run the company. In 1992 they purchased the Georgia Book Depository and began to distribute
textbooks from 55 manufacturers to every school in the state. Their primary shipper
is UPS‚ where the Dockters' son James is in sales management.
Finalist‚ Medium Company Category: SleeveCo Inc.‚ Dawsonville‚ Ga.
SleeveCo‚ a premier supplier of stretch and shrink film labels‚ was founded in 1987.
David Johnston assumed ownership of the company in 1992‚ and brought in members of
his family‚ who had already proven themselves successful in other businesses‚ to help
manage it. SleeveCo now has full flexographic and rotogravure printing capabilities‚
and it serves the entire North American market from its plant in Dawsonville. In the
past five years SleeveCo's assets have increased by 250 percent‚ the number of employees
has doubled to 80 and sales have increased by 64 percent.
Winner‚ Large Company Category: Hayes Chrysler Dodge Jeep and Chevrolet‚ Lawrenceville‚
Gainesville and Cornelia‚ Ga.
A.D. Hayes bought an Atlanta gas station in the 1950s. It grew to become Hayes Auto
Service‚ and he welcomed his brother Donald and father C.A. Hayes to the team. A.D.'s
and Donald's sons now run the business‚ which includes automobile dealerships in Lawrenceville‚
Gainesville and Cornelia. Its mission is simple − to treat customers like family −
and it works. Customers and their children return to Hayes year after year. The family
is also committed to community − each store is a partner in education with two or
more schools‚ and Gwinnett County's Teacher of the Year receives a free convertible
to drive for the summer. Hayes donated $21‚000 to the Red Cross after the September
11 attacks‚ and its many charitable projects include Toys for Tots and the cancer
fundraiser Relay for Life.
Finalist‚ Large Company Category: The Paradies Shops‚ Atlanta‚ Ga.
The Paradies Shops were founded in 1960‚ when I.J. Paradies and his sons opened a
toy shop at Atlanta's Hartsfield Airport. The company grew to be a multi−million dollar
enterprise operating more than 300 shops in 57 airports in the United States and Canada.
It has more stores in more airports than any other company in the airport concession
industry. It employs almost 2‚000 people‚ and has exclusive licensing agreements with
the PGA Tour‚ Brooks Brothers‚ Sharper Image‚ CNBC and others. After the tragedy of
September 11‚ the company adopted a new business focus that allowed it to produce
operating results similar to the previous year‚ even though airport traffic dropped
20 percent. The company is deeply involved in the community‚ and has raised funds
for many charities including‚ Toys for Tots‚ Hands on Atlanta‚ United Way and others.
Finalist‚ Large Company Category: Wheeler's Building Supply‚ Rome‚ Ga.
In 1949‚ Tom Manis bought half interest in a hardware store for his oldest son Wheeler.
Wheeler eventually bought out his partner and started opening new building supply
stores‚ including one of the first drive−through cash and carry warehouses in the
nation. Wheeler's sons Mark and Jim joined the business in the 1980s. Today Wheeler's
is a contractor−oriented building materials manufacturer and distributor with 16 locations
in Georgia and Alabama. Mark is now the CEO‚ and Jim is the president. Wheeler's has
500 employees and steadily increasing assets.
A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 41,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia and the second-largest university in the state. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the region and from 126 countries across the globe. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.
