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KENNESAW, Ga. | Apr 29, 2026

The year was 1991. Fifty-year-old Hank Picken had moved to Georgia from New York to run a small industrial cleaning chemical company after leaving a career in marketing with one of the world鈥檚 leading household product manufacturers, Colgate Palmolive.

Two years in, he was ready to start a business of his own. One day, while browsing a hardware store aisle, a can of air freshener caught his attention. Reading the label, he noticed it was made in Peachtree City, Georgia. Curious, he called the phone number on the back and asked the owners if they would consider selling the company.

The answer was 鈥淵es.鈥�

That phone call marked the beginning of what would become Beaumont Products, a Kennesaw-based manufacturing and distribution company supplying air fresheners, cleaning products, laundry detergents, and specialty items to major retailers nationwide, including Publix, Kroger, Walmart, and Target.

Decades later, as Beaumont Products grew and Picken neared retirement, he faced a challenge familiar to many family-owned businesses: handing the reins to the next generation.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot like handing your child over to someone else to raise,鈥� said Jeff Picken, who succeeded his father as Beaumont鈥檚 CEO. 鈥淎t the same time, the second generation is trying to step into leadership while still being seen as the child.鈥�

To help navigate that transition, the Pickens turned to 黑料网鈥檚 Family Enterprise Center, an institution that provides specialized support to family businesses in Georgia and beyond.

Founded in 1987 by Craig Aronoff, then a professor of management and chair of private enterprise in the Michael J. Coles College of Business, the center began as a small peer group where family business owners could learn from one another.

That initiative evolved into the Family Business Forum.

At a time when Kennesaw State had just about 5,000 students enrolled and was little-known, the Family Business Forum quietly began attracting attention.

The team at the Family Business Review journal, then based at Yale University, learned about the innovative program and traveled to Georgia to interview Aronoff.

鈥淭hey asked, 鈥楬ow did you do this? Why did you do this? How did you make it work?鈥欌�� he recalled.

The exposure from that article sparked interest from institutions across the country, with colleges and universities reaching out to ask how they could replicate the model.

鈥淪omewhere between 100 and 150 colleges and universities adopted the framework, which became known as the 鈥楰 Model,鈥� the K of course was for Kennesaw,鈥� Aronoff said. 鈥淲e became the model for how to do family business education for the country and to some extent for the world.鈥�

The momentum grew further when The Wall Street Journal published a story highlighting business schools that were paying closer attention to family enterprises and named the top places to study the field as 鈥淗arvard, Wharton and Kennesaw State.鈥� For a once little-known college, being mentioned alongside elite institutions was validation.

Over time, the Family Business Forum grew into the Family Enterprise Center, one of the world鈥檚 leading institutions dedicated to family enterprises. Its mission is to provide tailored support that addresses the unique challenges family businesses face, particularly those tied to navigating family dynamics alongside business demands.

One of the most common challenges is succession planning. An estimated 85% of U.S. businesses are family-owned, yet only about 30鈥�40% survive into the second generation, with an even smaller percentage making it to the third.

For the Picken family, the center鈥檚 guidance helped reframe difficult conversations.

鈥淭hey helped us understand that what we were experiencing wasn鈥檛 personal failure,鈥� Jeff Picken said. 鈥淚t was a very typical first-to-second generation transition. Once you realize there鈥檚 a science behind it, you can take the emotion out of the conversation.鈥�

The center is also preparing Picken鈥檚 niece Brittany Jolle, the current vice president of sales, who is in line to become the third-generation leader at Beaumont.

鈥淭he biggest thing the Center has taught us, is keeping things separate,鈥� Jolle said. 鈥淔amily time is family time, and work time is work time. We try to silo the two. It鈥檚 not always perfect, but we make a conscious effort not to let work spill over into our personal lives. If we鈥檙e not getting along at work, that doesn鈥檛 need to affect Christmas dinner.鈥�

Since its inception, the Family Enterprise Center has spent nearly four decades shaping how family-owned businesses not only grow, but also last.

鈥淔amily businesses are not simply businesses owned by families,鈥� said Aronoff. 鈥淭hey are systems where family, ownership, and management overlap. If you don鈥檛 understand those dynamics, you don鈥檛 understand the business.鈥�

Today, under the leadership of Director Sara Davis, the center blends research with practical application, offering programs that support both established and next-generation leaders while remaining deeply connected to the local business community.

鈥淓verything we do is grounded in education, connection, and support,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淭hat includes peer groups, panel discussions, monthly meetings, and hands-on workshops designed to help family businesses grow intentionally while preserving their legacy and navigating complex family dynamics. That balance is critical.鈥�

Families like the Filers, who operate the human resource consulting firm Innovative Outsourcing, have found guidance through the center. When Matt Filer first approached his mother, Cindi Filer, about joining the company, her immediate response was no鈥攏ot because she doubted his abilities, but because she feared it could strain their close relationship.

鈥淲e saw family business as something that was mostly dysfunctional,鈥� Cindi said. 鈥淚 had been running the company for almost two decades on my own, and I didn鈥檛 want to risk our family dynamic.鈥�

Around that time, Cindi was introduced to Gaia Marchisio, then executive director of the Family Enterprise Center, and turned to her for guidance. Marchisio encouraged Cindi and Matt to meet with the rest of the family, including Cindi鈥檚 husband and daughter, to openly discuss concerns. From that conversation came one clear rule: no work-related discussions during family vacations or gatherings.

鈥淢att brought so much to the company, knowledge and skills I didn鈥檛 even know we needed,鈥� Cindi said. 鈥淪ince he joined eight years ago, our gross profit has grown by more than 200 percent. We鈥檙e incredibly grateful to the center for helping us navigate that transition.鈥�

For Matt, one of the most impactful experiences was the Family Enterprise Center鈥檚 Mini MBA for Family Enterprise Next-Gen Leaders. The nine-month program brought together business owners and next-generation leaders from various industries for full-day monthly sessions that combine expert instruction, peer learning, and real-world problem-solving.

鈥淚 was one of the youngest participants, surrounded by leaders with decades of experience,鈥� Matt said. 鈥淭he relationships I built have lasted well beyond the program. Years later, I鈥檓 still learning from people I met in that room.鈥�

His advice to others considering the center is simple: don鈥檛 wait until something goes wrong.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e thinking about succession, leadership transition, or even improving communication, this is the place to start,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檒l connect you with the right resources and people who truly understand your challenges.鈥�

The Family Enterprise Center has done more than offer guidance. It has helped ensure that the enterprises shaping local economies and communities can continue for generations.

鈥淔amily businesses carry the values, history, and identity of the people who built them,鈥� Aronoff said. 鈥淲hen you help a family business succeed, you鈥檙e not just helping a company. You鈥檙e preserving a legacy.鈥�

This article also appears in the .

鈥� Story by Christin Senior

Photos by Darnell Wilburn

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, 黑料网 offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 51,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university's vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.