FAMILY BUSINESS LEGACY TRUTHS

®

402.399.9233

1917

U nless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re aware of the frenzy around the series finale of “Succession” earlier this summer. The Emmy Award-winning HBO MAX drama chronicled ultra-wealthy and abusive patriarch Logan Roy’s cutthroat game to see which of his children, Kendall, Shiv, or Roman all entitled, self-interested, ethically challenged people would take over the family’s mega entertainment company, Waystar RoyCo, which has become a cesspool of toxic behavior and criminal activity. At times, the show was hard to watch for all the cruel behavior and obscenity, but like a terrible car accident, it was virtually impossible to look away.

In the real world, however, surveys suggest the vast majority of family-owned legacy companies do not fit the Waystar mold at all. In fact, they’re viewed as more employee-friendly, trustworthy, and customeroriented than the average business. Family owners are typically hardworking, more committed, and highly invested in the company’s success as well. The same things can be said of employee-owned businesses (ESOPs), which make up a growing number of legacy companies. Their longevity and success are directly linked to having created a respectful, collaborative work environment and owners having a “horse in the race.”

We feature several of these family- and employeeowned Omaha legacy companies in this issue of B2B, as well as profiles of inspiring and interesting professionals from other long-serving businesses in the metro…All Makes, Monarch Siding, Pinnacle Bank, Holland Basham Architects, to name a few. We honor their hard-earned success and thank them for their longtime contribution to our community. And in their case, we’re certainly glad life doesn’t imitate art.

EST. 1974 www.maxiwalker.com & www.maxiwalkeruniform.com

Since 1917, five generations of the Walker family have served the retail, and then the commercial, laundry markets in Omaha and the surrounding areas. We’re Dry Cleaners, but many Omaha business owners have also depended on our Uniform Rental Service since 1974.

AFTER HOURS | STORY BY KARA SCHWEISS | PHOTO BY BILL SITZMANN