2024 Iowa Family Business Conference

The University of Northern Iowa Family Business Center will host its fourth annual Iowa Family Business Conference on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at Krause Gateway Center in Des Moines. With a warm welcome from the Krause family, the UNI FBC is bringing together multigenerational families, industry experts and thought leaders to explore the power of family-owned businesses and their significant impact on the Iowa economy.

Enjoy lunch and a keynote presentation by Kevin Hancock, Managing Owner and Chairman of Hancock Lumber in Maine. Hancock has worked at the company since 1991 and is part of the sixth generation of his family to help lead the organization. In addition to Hancock, the family speaker lineup includes Mike and Cheryl Wells of Wells Blue Bunny (Wells Enterprises) and Heidi Vermeer-Quist of Vermeer Corporation. Attendees can also expect to connect with specialists in fields that support family enterprises like BrownWinick (law), Foster Group (wealth management) and RSM (tax).

Whether you're a current or future member of a multi-generational family business, this conference is your opportunity to gain expert perspectives, expand your family business network, discover innovations and celebrate family business success.

Speakers

KEYNOTE

Kevin Hancock

Sixth Generation, Managing Owner / Chairman 
Hancock Lumber, Maine

More about Kevin Hancock

Kevin Hancock is the Managing Owner / Chairman of our family business as well as an award-winning author and nationally recognized public speaker. For the last decade, Kevin’s written books, spoken nationally, and created content that fuels his website, The Business of Shared Leadership, where he invites any visitor to follow his blog for leadership inspiration. The mission of his personal website is to heighten RESPECT FOR ALL VOICES. If everyone on Earth felt trusted, respected, valued, and heard, what might change? Kevin believes that everything might change–and, most importantly, that the workplace can and must become a catalyst for this transformation.

Kevin is an award-winning author, speaker, and Hancock Lumber’s Chairman of the board. His first published book, Not For Sale: Finding Center in the Land of Crazy Horse won three national book awards. In 2020, Post Hill Press published his second book, The Seventh Power: One CEO’s Journey into the Business of Shared Leadership. Kevin’s third published book released in 2021 titled, 48 Whispers from Pine Ridge and the Northern Plains, and is a hybrid book of sorts—part photography and part thoughts for reflection, heightened self-awareness, and human advancement.

Kevin has worked at the company since 1991 and is part of the sixth generation of his family to help lead the organization.Throughout his career, Kevin has received the Ed Muskie ‘Access to Justice’ Award, the Habitat for Humanity ‘Spirit of Humanity’ Award, the Boy Scouts of America ‘Distinguished Citizen’ Award, and Timber Processing Magazine’s ‘Person of the Year’ Award. He is also a past chairman of the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association.

Kevin is a frequent visitor to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and an advocate of strengthening the voices of all individuals—within a company or a community —through listening, empowering, and shared leadership.

Kevin is a graduate of Lake Region High School and Bowdoin College.  He lives in Maine with his wife, Alison.  Together they have two adult children, Abby and Sydney.

HOST

Kyle Krause

First Generation, Founder and CEO
Krause Group, Des Moines

More about Krause Group

Krause Group is a family-owned parent company of a diverse set of businesses located in the United States and Italy. Significant holdings include Parma Calcio, an Italian soccer club; Vietti and Enrico Serafino, two wineries based in Piedmont, Italy; Krause+, a real estate development and property management company; Casa di Langa, a sustainable 5‑star resort in Piedmont, Italy; and Des Moines Menace, a US-based soccer team. Krause Group is also committed to USL Pro Iowa, an initiative to bring soccer to Central Iowa along with the construction of a multi-use stadium in downtown Des Moines.

The organi­zation draws on generations of business expertise, most notably 64 years of ownership of Kum & Go, a convenience-store with over 400 locations across 13 states prior to its sale in 2023. Krause Group Founder and CEO, Kyle J. Krause also has over two decades of experience in soccer team ownership.

The purpose of Krause Group is to enhance the way people experience the world by nurturing a family of brands while creating opportu­nities to do good. The organi­zation is committed to create a culture that actively fosters diversity, equity, and inclusion and drives innovation toward sustainability.

Celebrating 8 years of Krause Group and nearly 100 years of entrepre­neurial spirit and business ownership by Kyle and members of his family, the purpose-driven organi­zation has a commitment to community engagement and corporate social respon­si­bility, donating at least 10% of profits to the communities it serves each year.

Ryan Boyington

Third Generation, President
Storey Kenworthy, Des Moines

More about Ryan Boyington

Ryan is a partner and has been with the company since 2014. He previously led the SK Supplies Division as well as the company’s Performance Excellence strategy and now leads the operations groups across all divisions. Ryan jokes that since he is part of a family company there is no option to ever leave, but he can’t imagine working anywhere else and has always been amazed at how many long tenured employees the company has. There is no better proof for how great the SK team really is. Ryan spends countless hours in the outdoors and claims he once willingly went ice fishing in Canada when it was 70 degrees below freezing. 

Christian Comito

Third Generation, President & CEO
Capital City Fruit, Norwalk

More about Christian Comito

Christian Comito is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Capital City Fruit, Inc. He is the 3rd generation CEO and assumed the title in January 2004. He joined Capital City Fruit full-time in June 1994 and has held several positions in the company in Sales, Purchasing and Information Technology.  Prior to joining the family-owned and operated produce business located in Norwalk, IA, Christian worked at Boys Hope, Girls Hope in St. Louis, Cincinnati and Chicago, an organization that helps academically capable and motivated children-in-need to meet their full-potential, as a volunteer house parent.

He attended Boston College before receiving his B.S. in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame.  He has previously served on the Board of Directors for the Montessori Children’s House and recently accepted the opportunity to serve on the board again. He has also held positions on the NationFresh LLC Board of Directors, a supply chain partner of fresh fruits and vegetables.

In 2006, Christian was nominated and awarded the Produce Business 40 Under Forty honor, which recognizes the produce industry’s top young leaders.

Lauren Doll-Sheeder

Fourth Generation
Doll Distributing, Des Moines

More about Lauren Doll-Sheeder

Lauren is a managing partner and part of the third generation of family leading Doll Distributing. She joined the family business in 2014, and was most recently the sales and marketing specialist before becoming a managing partner in 2022. Lauren has a degree from Iowa State University and is active with the National Beer Wholesalers Association and their BREW (Building Relationships & Empowering Women) program, along with IBAT (Iowa Businesses Against Human Trafficking). She lives with her husband and three children.

Family Enterprise USA

Pat Soldano, President
Russ Sullivan, Outside Council

More about FEUSA

Family Enterprise USA promotes generationally owned family business creation, growth, viability, and sustainability by advocating for family businesses and their lifetime of savings with Congress in Washington DC. Since 2007, Family Enterprise USA has represented and celebrated all sizes, professions, and industries of family-owned enterprises and multi-generational employers. It is a bipartisan 501.c3 organization.

About Pat Soldano

Pat Soldano spent over 30 years providing family office services as owner of Cymric Family Office Services, and then as Managing Director of Western Region for GenSpring for 5 years and then a Family Office Consultant.

Currently she is President of Family Enterprise USA; its mission is to promote the growth of generational owned family businesses in the US, and President of Policy and Taxation Group, which she formed in 1995, that works to reduce onerous tax and economic policies for successful families, family offices and family business.

About Russ Sullivan

Russ Sullivan is chair of the National Tax Policy Group at lobbying and law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, providing unparalleled insight into the legislative and regulatory risks and opportunities related to tax policy. Russ is a Capitol Hill veteran who spent 14 years with the Senate Finance Committee, including nine as staff director. He leverages his vast network and industry expertise to devise and execute complex strategies for both nonprofit and for-profit clients on a broad range of issues, including health care, pension planning, trade, economic development and tax policy.

During his time at the Senate Finance Committee, Russ worked directly on policy matters related to the estate tax. He served as chief tax counsel under Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) when the committee passed legislation repealing the estate tax in 2001. A decade later, as committee staff director, Russ worked with a bipartisan group of senators to make a reduction in the estate tax rate and an increase in the exemption amount permanent.

Over his career on Capitol Hill, Russ developed an extensive network, managing over 600 staff members and policy professionals – many of whom currently serve in senior government positions.

At Brownstein, Russ has represented a number of taxpayers who operate family-owned businesses and has advanced their interests during critical times. For example, as policy debates unfolded over the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017, he worked on behalf of numerous clients to develop a robust 20% deduction for pass-through businesses to lower the effective income tax rate on entrepreneurs, farmers and ranchers, and family-owned enterprises.

Russ is passionate about fostering at-risk youth, serving as the legal or designated guardian for 22 teenagers over the past two decades. He has continually fought for an increase in the adoption tax credit.

Joe Riley

Second Generation, CEO
Feed Energy and Riley Resource Group, Pleasant Hill

About Joe Riley

Joe Riley is an accomplished business leader and CEO of Feed Energy and Riley Resource Group, with a track record of leading impactful businesses, including Countryside Tank (Iowa Steel Fabricators) and Rantizo. He holds a degree in business with a concentration in entrepreneurship from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN, and studied family business at Loyola University’s Quinlan School of Business in Chicago.

Joe believes in empowered leadership and continually raising the bar on what is achievable. With a scientific mind focused on exploring possibilities, he is also grounded in the practicality of getting things done for the benefit of the customer, the business, and the community. Passionate about building businesses that make a positive impact, Joe is dedicated to leaving the world better than he found it.

Outside of work, Joe enjoys traveling with his family, hunting, fishing, and spending time outdoors, along with enumerable activates and adventures with his wife and 4 sons.

Emily Sukup Schmitt

Third Generation, Chief Administrative Officer & General Counsel
Sukup Manufacturing Company, Sheffield

More about Emily Sukup Schmitt

Emily Schmitt is in the third generation of family active in Sukup Manufacturing Co., the largest family-owned, full-line grain drying and storage equipment manufacturer in the country. She serves as General Counsel for the company, which employs more than 600. Emily earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Iowa State University in 2008, and went on to earn a Juris Doctorate from the University of Iowa College of Law with high honors in 2011. As general counsel, she manages a wide variety of legal issues including intellectual property, litigation, public policy, and human resources. Emily spends significant time promoting and speaking on the Sukup Safe T Home®, a hurricane-proof home the company manufactures and has placed nearly 300 homes in Haiti (www.SafeTHome.com). She also serves on numerous boards of directors at the local and state level. Emily and her husband Andy reside in Clear Lake, Iowa, with their two daughters.

Heidi Vermeer-Quist

Third Generation, Vermeer Corporation, Pella
Owner, VQ Consult, Pella

More about Heidi

Dr. Heidi Vermeer-Quist is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. She and her husband, Chad Quist, transitioned the Pine Rest Des Moines Clinic to Heartland Christian Counseling in 2018. She has provided psychological assessment and psychotherapy to people struggling with depression, anxiety, relational conflicts, trauma recovery, unresolved grief and adjustment, and personality disorders. In addition to her clinical training, Heidi also has obtained specialized training and extensive experience in Organizational Psychology and Family Business Governance. She has served Vermeer Corporation in various family governance roles, including establishing and Chairing the Ownership Counsel and serving on the Board of Directors. She continues to provide clinical services through Heartland Christian Counseling, as well as, family business and organizational consulting services through www.vqconsult.com. Heidi currently serves on the Iowa Board of Professional Psychology. 

Heidi also serves as a peer group facilitator for the UNI Family Business Center.

Mike & Cheryl Wells

Third Generation, Retired
Wells Enterprises, Le Mars

More about Mike and Cheryl

Mike and Cheryl Wells have been married for 47 years, they have 4 children and 13 grandchildren. Mike started working in the Wells family business in 1977 as a route driver while working his way through college where he earned a BS in Business Administration from Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. Mike’s career spanned over 45 years and he retired with the sale of the business in January of 2023.

Early in their marriage Cheryl also worked to support their family, and in 1998 opened The Living Center, a community ministry center in Le Mars, and additionally Habitue coffee house and bakery in 2010.

Today Mike and Cheryl own and operate Side By Side ministries, Habitue coffee house and bakery, and Red Shed enterprises, a development company focused on creating unique spaces in Le Mars to live, work, play and visit.

Mike and Cheryl have a shared passion for their community and are partners with the Le Mars Betterment Foundation, Library, Arts Center, Alzheimer’s Association, and the Floyd Valley hospital Foundation as well as being named past Le Mars Chamber of commerce citizens of the year and Community Impact award recipients.