Prairie Family Business Association

Prairie Family Business Association We are the premier resource for helping family businesses thrive for generations. Visit fambus.org

Prairie Family Business Association is the premier network of resources to help family businesses thrive for generations. We provide family businesses with the tools to grow, engage, transition, and prosper through high-quality education, networking, and collaboration. Founded in 1992 as an outreach center to the University of South Dakota Beacom School of Business Professionals, the Prairie Famil

y Business Association helps family businesses throughout the United States navigate the complexities of being in business together. Our membership offers a unique opportunity for all generations to learn and connect with family business experts and other enterprising families through our distinguished annual conference, ongoing educational programming and webinars, networking events, and affinity peer groups. Learn more about our work and how we support your family business success at fambus.org.

“The Prairie Family Business Association Next Gen Retreat exceeded my already high expectations.”For rising leaders in a...
06/04/2026

“The Prairie Family Business Association Next Gen Retreat exceeded my already high expectations.”

For rising leaders in a family business, that kind of experience can make a real difference.

Held just once every two years, the PFBA Next Gen Retreat is designed to help next generation family business members grow in confidence, strengthen leadership and communication skills, and better understand their place in the future of the enterprise.

It is also a chance to connect with peers who understand the opportunities, responsibilities, and questions that often come with this path.

Register to join this year’s retreat at fambus.org/nextgen

06/02/2026

Family businesses need space to talk about more than day-to-day operations.

Regular business family meetings can help create clearer decisions, stronger communication, and a more consistent way to talk through goals, challenges, and long-term plans.

PFBA’s Family Meeting Agenda is designed to bring structure to those conversations and help families meet with more purpose.

If your family business has been meaning to make these conversations more intentional, this is a practical place to start.

Download the Free Family Meeting Agenda: fambus.org/resources

Thrive for Generations.
fambus.org

What do family businesses need most right now?The best answers often come through conversation.Through recent member vis...
05/29/2026

What do family businesses need most right now?

The best answers often come through conversation.

Through recent member visits in Mitchell and Sioux Falls, PFBA Assistant Director Mason Van Essen continued connecting directly with family business leaders to hear what they are building, navigating, and planning for the future.

Recent visits included:

• Josh Paulson of Paulson Air Heating & Cooling in Mitchell, SD
• Ryan Patzer and Amanda Neppl of Patzer Woodworking, Inc. in Mitchell, SD
• Ammon Snyder of VIKOR in Sioux Falls, SD

These conversations help PFBA stay close to the real opportunities and challenges facing family businesses across our region, from growth and leadership to continuity, culture, and long-term planning.

Every visit strengthens our understanding of how to better support the family business community.

Learn more about PFBA membership at fambus.org/membership

Thrive for Generations.

For next-generation family business leaders, stepping into a larger role often comes with questions that can be difficul...
05/28/2026

For next-generation family business leaders, stepping into a larger role often comes with questions that can be difficult to ask at home.

▪️How do you start succession conversations?
▪️ How do you build trust with the leading generation?
▪️ How do you understand your role before ownership is clearly defined?
▪️ How do you lead with confidence while still learning?

These are the kinds of questions many rising leaders carry, and they are part of why spaces for peer learning and honest conversation matter in family business.

The PFBA Next Gen Retreat creates room for those conversations with others who understand the realities of working in, owning, or preparing to lead a family business.

Participants gain practical perspective on communication, leadership, enterprise roles, and continuity, while also building connections with peers who remind them they are not navigating this path alone.

The next generation is not just preparing for the future of the family business. They are already helping shape it.

Read the full article at bit.ly/4300dcE

Is EOS the right fit for a family business — or does it create challenges of its own?In this upcoming PFBA webinar, fell...
05/26/2026

Is EOS the right fit for a family business — or does it create challenges of its own?

In this upcoming PFBA webinar, fellow PFBA members Scott Stern and Kaitlyn Reinesch of Stern Company will share their experience using EOS, what challenges can come with implementation, and what questions to ask before deciding if it is the right fit.

This is a valuable opportunity to hear how other family business leaders are approaching the decision and what they have learned along the way.

Save your seat at bit.ly/4ssY0Rg

Thrive for Generations.

Each stage of family business leadership and succession brings opportunity—and its own set of blind spots.Right now, PFB...
05/21/2026

Each stage of family business leadership and succession brings opportunity—and its own set of blind spots.

Right now, PFBA member families span from first-generation founders to sixth-generation owners. The average member business sits at 2.6 generations.

That range matters.

The questions facing a founder aren’t the same ones sibling partners wrestle with. And those differ again when cousins enter the picture. As generations expand, ownership, leadership, and communication grow more complex.

Wherever your family business stands today, you don’t have to navigate it alone.

Learn more about PFBA membership at
fambus.org/membership

Thrive for Generations.

📢 The latest edition of Family Business Pulse is dropping now!Inside this issue:✅ Celebrating champions of family busine...
05/20/2026

📢 The latest edition of Family Business Pulse is dropping now!

Inside this issue:
✅ Celebrating champions of family business
✅ A quick hello from our new Executive Director
✅ Member Spotlight: Steffes Family
✅ Save the date for the 2027 Annual Family Business Conference
✅ Upcoming events not to miss
.. and more!

Consider this your quarterly dose of insights, events, and tools built just for family businesses like yours.

Sign up to read this edition and future releases at bit.ly/FamilyBusinessPulse.

Is EOS right for your family business?Hear directly from fellow PFBA members Scott Stern and Kaitlyn Reinesch of SternCo...
05/18/2026

Is EOS right for your family business?

Hear directly from fellow PFBA members Scott Stern and Kaitlyn Reinesch of SternCompany as they share their experience with EOS and what it has meant for their business in practice.

This candid conversation is designed for family business leaders who are thinking about structure, accountability, communication, and alignment — and want perspective from peers who have worked through those questions themselves.

June 10 | 10am | Live via Zoom

Read more at bit.ly/3P1EPQV
And save your seat: bit.ly/4ssY0Rg

What happens when family business leaders come together?At the 2026 Annual PFBA Family Business Conference – Beyond Busi...
05/14/2026

What happens when family business leaders come together?

At the 2026 Annual PFBA Family Business Conference – Beyond Business, it looked like honest conversations, shared challenges, and practical insight that leaders can take back into their families and businesses.

Thank you to our sponsors, speakers, attendees, and partners who made this year’s conference meaningful.

This is part of what makes PFBA meaningful to family business leaders: a place to learn from peers, engage important questions, and gain perspective from others navigating similar opportunities and challenges.

🗓️ SAVE THE DATE: April 28-29, 2027.
We hope you’ll join us next year.

Being part of the family does not automatically prepare someone to lead the business.When rising leaders are given the c...
05/11/2026

Being part of the family does not automatically prepare someone to lead the business.

When rising leaders are given the chance to learn, engage, and build confidence over time, families are often better positioned for stronger communication, smoother transitions, and long-term continuity.

That is why preparation matters before it is critical — and why PFBA creates space for next generation family business leaders to learn from peers, gain perspective, and grow into their roles with greater clarity.

Scroll through for a closer look.

Learn more about our 2026 Next Gen Retreat at fambus.org/nextgen

Thrive for Generations.

Address

Sioux Falls, SD

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+16052749530

Website

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