About Us
Historically, family business owners have relied on their own entrepreneurial skills and prowess for success. In instances where they have need for specific expertise, they have sought out traditional advisors (e.g. CPAs, attorneys, bankers, and/or financial planners). Due to their relatively narrow focus, such specialists alone are insufficient for many family businesses because they fail to recognize and deliver solutions that address issues beyond financial or technical components.
Your long term success requires a well-balanced look at not only the typical financial structures of the family business, but also the structures which deal with operations and management of the family owned business and how well or poorly people in the system function together. Our experienced consultants take a unique, collaborative approach that focuses on balancing interpersonal, operational, and financial issues to help family and closely held businesses achieve breakthrough success.
Our Team
WAYNE RIVERS
Wayne Rivers is the co-founder and President of The Family Business Institute, Inc. He has authored four books on the subject of business families the latest of which is Our Family Business Crisis and How It Made Us Stronger. Wayne has appeared on the Today Show, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, "BusinessWeek: WEEKEND" and on the Retirement Living Network. Wayne is a Wall Street Journal Expert Panelist and has also been honored as a Fellow of the Family Firm Institute.
KEVIN ALBANESE
Kevin Albanese has a lifetime in construction having grown up in a three-generation family construction business. Kevin specializes in working with executives and their leadership teams on complex issues such as strategic planning, succession planning, corporate governance, and labor relations.
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MARY ALSTON
Mary is the Administrative Assistant to all the FBI consultants. Prior to FBI, she spent 20 years with Macy's in New York City in various roles.
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FRED AMPOLINI
Fred Ampolini has three decades of business, manufacturing and engineering expertise and has lived the engineering adventure of a lifetime! Fred's skillset includes strategic planning, forming high functioning teams, leadership development, process analysis and improvement, coaching, and high level business analysis and improvement. As an inventor, he holds more than 35 US and international patents.
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BILL BABB
Bill Babb is a family business consultant who has devoted his 31 year career to helping successful business owners sort through the intricacies of advanced wealth management.
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DENNIS ENGELBRECHT
Dennis Engelbrecht is a family business consultant who has devoted his life and career to creating, improving, building, and coaching entrepreneurial pursuits and business success. He has seven successful business ventures of his own to his credit.
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MIKE FLENTJE
Michael Flentje is a highly accomplished business and military leader with over four decades of delivering high value impact to organizations while serving in leadership roles as a business practice leader, management consultant, and nuclear submarine officer.
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TRAVIS HENDRICK
Travis Hendrick is an experienced construction professional with over 20 years in industry management and leadership roles. Travis has worked in estimating, engineering, project management, finance, and accounting positions.
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ROB HOOVER
Rob is an experienced business consultant who specializes in executive coaching, facilitation, and change management strategies to help clients reach their full potentials. His areas of expertise include team building, high-quality project deliverables, business modeling, strategic planning, and crucial conversations.
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CHARLOTTE KOPP
Charlotte is the Business Development Manager at The Family Business Institute. She started her career as a middle school teacher before electing to stay home and raise her children. During that time, she created a catering business which allowed her to enjoy her passion of cooking while simultaneously gaining sales and marketing experience.
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JOHN MAYES
John Mayes grew up working in his family's business. He learned firsthand about the commitment and dedication that it takes to operate a successful family-owned business.
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DOUG MCCRIGHT
Doug McCright has an extensive business background. He grew up on his family's farm in Iowa, graduated from Southern Illinois Magna Cum Laude, and embarked on a career in agribusiness. He has experience in agribusiness, construction, the food sector, franchising and other industries.
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MOLLY MCDANIEL
Molly McDaniel is a CEO Roundtable Project Leader and has the responsibility for managing The Contractor Business Boot Camp processes. She loves people and enjoys being a part of the mission to build better contractors.
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KAREN MCKEE
Karen McKee was FBI's first employee after its founding. She has filled pretty much every role in the company as it has evolved.
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SARA OLSON
Sara Olson is a tremendous asset serving as a CEO Roundtable Project Leader and as FBI's Financial and Office Manager. She truly enjoys working with FBI's clients, helping improve their businesses, contributing to their meetings, and working with their teams.
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BILL PROVETT
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SHARON REECE
Sharon Reece is one of FBI's talented peer group leaders. She enjoys the rewarding experience of watching the lives of construction company owners and their teams improve with every peer group meeting.
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JOHN STUMP
John Stump is a Performance Roundtable Facilitator and Family Business Consultant. He most recently served as the Chief Operating Officer for LMG Holdings, a Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock company with operations in 47 states and Canada.
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JOHN WOODCOCK
John Woodcock is a Performance Roundtable Facilitator and Family Business Consultant. An experienced executive with nearly thirty years in the building and contracting industries, John's business expertise is practical and extensive and includes strategic planning, business operations, risk management, finance, and business development.
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Recent Posts
Dispute Resolution is Critically Important in Construction
No contractor wants to end up in the headlines because of a dispute over a project gone bad. And yet Dennis found three separate instances in one week where parties had disputed over various contractual provisions. No one wins when disagreements over contracts end up...
Pressure Is a Privilege
Around Labor Day, Wayne was watching the U.S. Open tennis tournament and caught sight of an engraved plaque that competitors walked by upon their exits to the stadium court. It said, “Pressure is a privilege.” That’s a curious statement… Where did it come from, and...
Is It Good to Have Partners in Business?
FBI’s Doug McCright says that every decision in business is a trade-off. There are no perfect answers – only trade-offs between better or worse. Having a partner(s) in business has many pros, but it also has cons. Please tune in this week as Dennis examines the up-...