Family Business Connection

Family Business Connection

Family Business Connection is a Prairie Family Business Association podcast where we lift up the stories behind family businesses who thrive for generations. We explore the topics our family business members request most often: Communication, Culture, Innovation, Leadership, Strategy, and Succession by hearing from the family business leaders who are solving problems day-in and day-out while building a legacy for their businesses and their families.

Episodes

Pass the Torch with Purpose | Scott Stern of Stern Co.

September 3, 2025 • 32 mins
Scott Stern of Stern Co. shares how stepping back, empowering a non-family CEO, and mentoring his children fuel the company’s next generation. Scott Stern, second-generation leader of Co., reflects on nearly 50 years of family business history and the lessons that come with passing leadership to the next generation.  After decades in the business, Scott recognized the moment had come to step back — not because he didn’t care, bu...
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Leaving a Legacy Through Employee Ownership | Scott Sletten of JDS Industries

August 20, 2025 • 32 mins
Scott Sletten of JDS Industries shares how employee ownership is shaping his company’s future and why legacy mattered most to his succession plan. Scott Sletten shares how JDS Industries, a thriving wholesale business, started as a local trophy shop, owned and run by his father. In the 1990s, Scott and his father transitioned from retail to wholesale, developing JDS Industries into the 13-warehouse international business it is tod...
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Plan Like a Pro, Lead Like Family | Toni Sandin of Sandin Law

August 6, 2025 • 43 mins
Toni Sandin of Sandin Law shares how proactive planning, outside facilitation, and tough conversations help families achieve long-term success.  Toni Sandin shares powerful insights on the unique challenges of balancing business dynamics with family relationships. As an estate attorney, CPA, business owner, and second-generation member of her family’s business, Toni understands the value of sound succession planning and its impac...
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How to Be a Great Board Member | Michaela Bearden & Angelika Olsen of Inner Will

July 23, 2025 • 31 mins
Michaela Bearden and Angelika Olsen of InnerWill share how board members can support family businesses through relationship, humility, and hard questions. Michaela Bearden and Angelika Olsen of InnerWill share actionable insights on how to be a strong board member in a family business. They highlight the power of disagreement, why objectivity matters more than loyalty to individuals, and how long-term thinking helps steward a fa...
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Build from the Ground Up | Abby Woodford of Interim HealthCare

July 9, 2025 • 32 mins
Abby Woodford, Vice President and COO of Interim HealthCare, shares how leadership, culture, and communication facilitate effective succession planning. Abby Woodford has lived every phase of her life alongside Interim HealthCare, from doing childhood chores in the office to leading a thriving care team across multiple states. In this episode, Abby opens up about what it’s like to work with siblings and parents, how to build a bu...
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Building a Legacy Together | Megan Green of Weiler

June 25, 2025 • 36 mins
Megan Green, CFO and General Counsel at Weiler, opens up about returning to her family’s heavy equipment manufacturing business after nearly a decade as a corporate attorney. In this candid conversation, Megan explains how she and her siblings took on unexpected roles—not based on title, but based on where the business needed them most.Her reflections on leading with humility, learning the company from the inside out, and earni...
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Family Business Connection Season 2: COMING SOON!

June 18, 2025 • 1 min
Season 2 of Family Business Connection is here! Join host Stephanie Larscheid as she shares real stories from family business owners and next-gen leaders navigating the challenges of working with family—while building lasting legacies. From first-generation founders to fifth- and sixth-generation stewards, each episode delivers insights, operational tips, and encouragement for those in the thick of family and business life.  Wh...
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Nearly 100 Years of Free Ice Water | Rick and Sarah of Wall Drug

January 15, 2025 • 37 mins
In this episode, we’re joined by both Rick and Sarah Hustead of Wall Drug, a family-owned and operated family business headquartered in Wall, South Dakota. Famous for their free ice water billboards around the world, Rick and Sarah describe how the family expanded the drug store into a landmark roadside attraction through Rick’s grandmother’s advertising suggestion during the Great Depression.  They also discuss how they’ve managed...
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Water Tanks, Employment Policies & Innovation | Parker Jones of Maguire

December 18, 2024 • 27 mins
We welcome Parker Jones, Business Development Manager and third-generation family member of Maguire, a Sioux Falls-based water storage solutions leader with over a century of expertise in water tank and tower construction and maintenance. Parker discusses Maguire’s family employment policy, which fosters intentionality and clarity in developing a lasting business legacy through a shared mission rather than pursuing a quick profit t...
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Leading from the Right Lane | T.J. Russell of Cloverdale Foods

September 19, 2024 • 46 mins
We welcome T.J. Russell, the chairman and fourth-generation owner of Cloverdale Foods. The Mandan, North Dakota-based food company creates high-quality, flavorful meat products that include bacon, sausage, deli meats, and snacks.  In our conversation, we talked about how the 110-year-old company reached the Century Club and what lessons and philosophies have been handed down through generations. We also discuss how Cloverdale forme...
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A New Strategy for Fresh, Sustainable Food | Tim Meagher of Vanguard Hospitality

August 21, 2024 • 42 mins
We welcome Tim Meagher, owner and Chief Operating Officer of Vanguard Hospitality, a family business behind some of the most popular restaurants in the Sioux Falls area including Minervas, Grille 26, and Morrie’s Streakhouse.  In our conversation, we talk about how the COVID pandemic caused massive changes to Vanguard’s food suppliers causing the company to pursue partnerships with local producers, most of which are family owned an...
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Family Councils & Married-Ins | Brittney Ray of E. Ritter & Company

July 17, 2024 • 41 mins
 We welcome Brittney Ray, a fifth-generation owner and chair of E. Ritter & Company, a portfolio of businesses in agriculture, telecommunications, fire and life safety, and information technology services across seven states. In our conversation, we take a deep dive into the Ritter family’s family council from her perspective as a married-in. You’ll hear Brittney describe how she’s navigated being a married-in leading the family co...
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Innovation as the Driving Force | Paul Steffes of Steffes

June 13, 2024 • 34 mins
On our episode ahead of Father’s Day, we welcome Paul Steffes, Founder and Innovation Advisor of Steffes Companies headquartered in Dickinson, North Dakota. In our conversation, we talk about family and business values and especially integrating innovation into all that Steffes does and stands for. We also discuss what Paul refers to as the OBM Model: Owner/Board/Management and how they all work together with each one’s unified voi...
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Leading as the Matriarch | Mary Jo Minor of Mills Property Management

May 8, 2024 • 31 mins
On our episode ahead of Mother’s Day, we welcome Mary Jo Minor, CEO of Mills Property Management, a property management company in Brookings, South Dakota. In our conversation, we talk about the similarities and differences between Mary Jo’s Gen1 to Gen2 transition and her current Gen2 to Gen3 transition. We also discuss how she approaches being intentional about leading both her family and her family business through values, work ...
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Championing Culture | Lorie Pope of Nexus Innovations

April 18, 2024 • 39 mins
We welcome Lorie Pope, co-president of Nexus Innovations, a management and technology solutions family business that empowers clients for success through strategic solutions. Though Nexus is an expert of innovation in the everchanging technology industry, in this conversation we hear how they are a champion of culture.    In our conversation with Lorie, you’ll hear how their technology business is all about relationships. Excellenc...
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How Key Non-Family Leaders Impact Succession | Jake Quasney & Becky Word of Lloyd Companies

April 18, 2024 • 32 mins
Jake Quasney and Becky Word of Lloyd Companies join Family Business Connection to discuss their roles as key non-family leaders in a family business. Jake is the Chief Operating Officer and Becky is the Chief of Staff of the Sioux Falls-based real estate company offering development, construction, property management, hospitality, and apartments.    We hear their unique perspectives relating to how the Lloyd family’s plan for succe...
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Growing Into Leadership | Jenn Barlund & Kyle Bender of Falcon Plastics

April 18, 2024 • 59 mins
In our first ever episode, we welcome both Jenn Barlund and Kyle Bender to Family Business Connection. Jenn is the president and Kyle is an executive vice president of Falcon Plastics, a plastic injection molding company based in Brookings, South Dakota. As Gen3 of Falcon Plastics, you’ll hear Jenn and Kyle’s stories of growing up in the business and how they grew from paper shredders as kids to key leaders today. They discuss the ...
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