The Daily Reporter | Contractors Handbook

The Bentley Co., Milwaukee, was founded in 1848. Considered the oldest family-owned construction company in the country, it has been passed on to five generations of Bentleys: From founder John to son Thomas R., from Thomas R. to sons Walter J., Jack, Arthur K. and Thomas H.; from them, the business was passed on to Thomas H. Jr., who passed in on to Thomas H. III.

When it comes to family businesses, sometimes the heir isn't all that apparent.

When Tom Bentley Jr. wanted to step down as president of the fifth-generation construction company in Milwaukee, he turned to Tom Bentley III to succeed him.

And why not? It seemed plausible that the younger Bentley, who had been working in the family business since graduating from college in 1969, would follow in dad's footsteps.

At least to dad, that is. His son gently turned down the chairman of the board - at first.

"One of the interesting things I did do when my father wanted me to be president," said Bentley, "is I declined unless I would have the authority a president would have. He stopped dead in his tracks."

Bentley said he told his father that, if he were to assume the presidency, he would want the power to invest, hire and fire - the authority presidents of other companies hold.

"'Why would you want to do those things?'" Bentley said his father asked. "He asked for more examples of what I might want to do. He came back and was basically confused, and we decided to wait.

"It was the smartest decision I ever made because we would have been fighting over those issues."

Smart, said Bentley, who eventually did take over the reins of the family business in 1983 after a six to nine month period of indecision, because family members' roles need to be clearly defined if a business is to succeed.

Dave Cullen, the vice president of the fourth-generation J.P. Cullen Construction Co. in Janesville, couldn't agree more.

He said not clearly identifying who does what has led to some difficulties. But those difficulties did not lie with his father, John Paul Cullen, but the two brothers with whom he owns the company.

"He had been very, very supportive of our work and our mentor," he said of his father. "You couldn't have a better situation."

But at one point, Cullen said, not all was ideal between him and his brothers Mark, who is president, and Richard, who is vice president of field operations.

The three, Cullen said, share equally in the company's ownership and they make strategic company decisions as one.

But deciding the company's vision is different from making operational decisions each day.

"We've had plenty of squabbles," Cullen said. "About 10 or 12 years ago, it became pretty apparent we had to make some changes in how we were operating."

Cullen said the three brothers sought the help of an outside consultant, went on a retreat and decided that Mark would be president.

"There was some tension up until that point about who's running the show," he said. "We came out of that with a clear vision of the company. The day-to-day, where the buck stops, is with Mark, the president."

Bringing a new family member into the business can pose as many trials as dealing with those already there.

Bentley's son, Todd, is a recent college graduate who might want to become involved in The Bentley Co. Right now, he's working at Delotte and Touche in Chicago.

"I think we sort of both agreed it would be better if he worked somewhere else for a couple of years," Bentley said.

Bentley said he and his son are "great buddies" outside work, and bringing his son into the company would be challenging for reasons such as when growing up his son's usual refrain was "I'll do it later" when asked to help out.

"Now you bring that into here, and I know he wouldn't perform up to what employees do," Bentley said. "I think you should always have them report to someone else. You should not have them report to you."

"They've got to know they'd treat the family member like any other employee - or harder," he said. "They should set the example, rather than trail the example."

J.P. Cullen & Sons Construction Co., Janesville, was founded in 1892. It has been passed on to four generations of Cullens: From founder John Patrick to Mark A., from Mark A. to John Paul, who passed it on to sons Mark A., president; David, vice president; and Richard, vice president of field operations.

Stripes vs. spots

Bentley said his own experience joining the family business dictates what will work best for his son, if he decides to as well.

"The challenges are multifold when you try to bring a son in or daughter," he said. "I got polite 'hellos' from other employees. They don't know what to do with you. You have stripes and everyone else has spots. They certainly don't know how to challenge you.

Cullen said those feelings of uncertainty are real for young family members entering the business.

"I think that's a common thing for a younger person," he said. "You may have some of those concerns like, 'Geez, am I going to measure up?' That goes away pretty quickly."

"The realities are, too, there aren't many businesses that survive generations," said Cullen. "There's a certain amount of pressure that goes along with that. Just because you're a Cullen, can you run this business?"

He said that between him and his brothers, they have 13 offspring - potential successors. To prepare them, Cullen said they're working on a prospectus listing expectations, including educational levels, they must achieve to earn a place in the company. Also, he said a family council has been formed to help train younger family members about the business.

Like Bentley, Cullen said he thinks it's important that younger Cullens work elsewhere first before signing on to the family business.

"We're also looking to them to spend three to five years working for someone else before working for this company," he said.

All in the family