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w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m J u n e 2 0 15 • I NSIGH T | 19 at's when I truly began to understand the whole business." As much as the process was planned for the transition to her leadership, there were some bumps and challenges along the way. For starters, as she began moving into the executive positions, it became apparent Kim had a different management style than Bill. Both had to accept that not everyone would be happy with the change, nor could Kim try to do things the way Bill had done them. Kim would have to find her own style and understand some of the leadership team might decide it was time to pursue other opportunities. "Successors are constantly under surveillance to prove themselves," Kim says. In the end, though, the company did not lose anyone and when Kim was ready to take over day-to-day leadership, Bill was ready to let go. He had her moved into the executive office and had himself moved out. During the transition, there were times he disagreed with Kim's approach, but allowed her to pursue her own path and set her own style. For Bassett Mechanical, the results have beaten expectations. e company grew 30 percent in 2014. "Bill is an example of how to do it right," Kim says. "When the time came, he let me make the decisions." In an effort to help family businesses make a better transition to the next generation of leadership, the Wisconsin Family Business Forum will host a June 11 event about succession in family businesses at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Appleton Executive Education Center. For details and registration, visit wf.uwosh.edu. In Wisconsin, nearly 92 percent of all businesses are family owned. They employ nearly 60 percent of the workforce, produce 40-60 percent of the GDP, and utilize more than $2.4 trillion of investment capital. » 30 percent of all family-owned businesses survive to the second generation » 12 percent make it to the third generation » 3 percent survive to the fourth generation Family business: backbone of the economy www.pro1janitorial.com 800-938-8488 CommerCial Cleaning Professionals JANITORIAL Ask about our franchise opportunities! Statewide Coverage Fond du Lac Fox Cities Green Bay Janesville Kenosha Madison Manitowoc Marinette Milwaukee Racine Sheboygan Wausau • Post construction cleanups • Daily, weekly, monthly or one time services • Floor maintenance services S t r a t e g y A d v e r t i s i n g M a r k e t i n g D i g i t a l W e b P R When the strategy is on and all parts work together, the results are pretty sweet. Local and customized PR, digital, SEO, inbound, social media, advertising, ROI analysis … the whole honey pot, it's all here. Let's get busy. goelement.com A_EC13-1114 Buzz Ad_Insight_FINAL.indd 1 3/30/15 2:07 PM