Family businesses in the juvenile industry

Staff -- Kids Today, 7/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

The juvenile/youth products industry is fortunate to have countless companies that have weathered the test of time and the demands of fickle consumers, and many of them are family-owned and operated.

In an effort to celebrate these incredible families, Kids Today kicks off a series of profiles on generations in our industry. For the next few months we'll bring you stories about companies, both manufacturers and retailers, who have two, three, four or more generations of family members working side-by-side.

Karl's, Philadelphia

Simon and Florence Richman opened Karl's in 1920. They sold children's furniture, toys and bicycles. Today the third generation carries on the tradition of impeccable service.

Karl's is a four-story brick and mortar store offering a full line of infant, children and youth furniture and clothing. The family owned and operated business is located in center city Philadelphia.

The store's history spans three generations. In 1920, Simon and Florence Richman opened Karl's based on the premise that the customer deserves unique merchandise and impeccable service. The Richmans sold children's furniture, toys and bicycles. Today the store carries furniture from companies like Morigeau-Lepine, Sweet Pea, Dutailier, Bratt Décor, Munire, Stanley, Bonavita, Berg and Pali; bedding from resources like Dwell, Brandee Danielle, Pine Creek, Kids Line and Nava's Designs; and gear from Bugaboo, Fleurville, Baby Swede, Maclaren and Skip Hop.

Forty years later, their son Alan, known to customers as "Uncle Alan," took over and added his own ideas, further expanding the business. The third generation picked up the reins in 1985. Adam is a buyer and is responsible for the administrative side of the business. His brother Brad oversees the operations of the business and brother Larry handles data/order entry responsibilities. Their mother, Bonnie, is a buyer and works in sales, and their uncle Herb also is a buyer.

"Each family member has a role that makes things work efficiently," Adam said. "We developed our roles over time."

Adam says the pros to working with family members is that you get to see your family every day and be together, and he said there are no cons. He said he hopes the third generation of Richmans can give the next generation the same opportunities afforded them.

Colgate

Colgate boasts four generations in the family business. Seated: Sol and Anne Wolkin; standing, left to right: Alan, Richard, Pepi and Brent Wolkin.

Atlanta-based Colgate Juvenile Products has been making crib mattresses in the United States for more than 50 years. Sol Wolkin founded the company when the juvenile business itself was still in its infancy and his goal was to make on better quality products at a good value. Sol focused his sales and marketing efforts specifically on the juvenile specialty stores and, in those early days, even helped many of them survive with his personalized service and willingness to work with and help the independent juvenile specialty store owner. Those beginning years saw Sol out on the road personally selling product and coming back to the factory to make the mattresses he just sold. His wife, Anne, handled all office and accounting functions while raising three children.

Today, Sol is retired but he still goes into the office regularly. Anne passed away last year. Colgate now is operated by Sol's sons, Alan and Richard, who consult with their father daily. Alan, who grew up spending summers and free time at the Colgate factory, is Colgate's president. Richard, vice president, holds a doctorate in microbiology but returned to the family business to help Alan prepare to take the company into the new century. Alan's eldest son, Dennis, who also grew up spending summers and free time in the business, officially came into the company a few years ago. Today he is Colgate's production manager.

The fourth generation of Wolkins, though still too young to join the day-to-day operation, is also involved. Dennis' young daughter, Debra, and his brother Brent's infant son, Ethan, have posed with grandfather Alan for company ads that have appeared in Kids Today and other juvenile specialty store publications.

Although not directly involved the daily business, Alan's wife Pepi helps at every trade show and office Christmas party. Also, Richard's daughter Amy helps on an as-needed basis with extra office and computer work.

The Wolkin family also considers the Colgate employees part of its extended family and many of them have been with the company for more than 35 years. Colgate and the Wolkins are proud to call the juvenile industry "home".

New Baby Products, Atlanta

New Baby Products is a third-generation retailer in Atlanta. Shown here are daughters Lindsay and Krystal with their mom, Linda Nelson.

New Baby Products is a third-generation retailer with two metro Atlanta locations and an e-commerce site, www.newbabyproducts.net. The stores carry everything from bedding, gear, clothing and furniture to gifts, accessories, room decor, toys and more.

The company was started nearly 40 years ago when Estel Howard sold Stroll-O-Chairs by appointment in customers' homes. When he acquired the position of official distributor for Georgia, he moved the family from Indiana to the Atlanta area and later opened his own store.

Today Estel handles different aspects of advertising and wife Pat works in a part-time supervisory capacity.

"They are technically retired, but one cannot retire from one's own family!" said their granddaughter Kelly Nelson.

The second generation includes Linda Nelson, Pamela Holenstein and Brian Howard. The sisters and brother all are part owners and share in running the two stores. Linda also is the main buyer and Pamela is the clothing buyer.

Linda's daughters comprise the third generation of retailers at New Baby Products. They all work at the Atlanta location with Linda. Kelly Nelson handles customer service issues and writes a retailer blog, Customer Care and Beyond, for Kids Today; Krystal Eustice is the assistant buyer; and Lindsay Nelson is the company's Web manager.

When it came to deciding who played what role, Kelly said, "How do wolves decide who gets which piece of a kill? No, it's not really that dramatic. When a need arises, one of us steps in and takes up the slack."

She said working with family can be difficult, "especially when members of the same generation have conflicting ideas."

The biggest pro though is "that we get to spend time with the people we love doing what we love."

Kelly said that while "normal" families might discuss other aspects of life, it's not uncommon for her, Linda, Krystal and Lindsay to stay up late chatting about the business. To them, business is a huge part of their everyday lives.

"My generation strives to maintain the integrity that our business is known for," Kelly said. "Our goals, no matter what they may grow into, will never outgrow the ethical aspects of business."

Million Dollar Baby

Part of Million Dollar Baby's two generations left to right, John Kwok, Christopher Kwok, Julia Fong, Teddy Fong and Daniel Fong.

Daniel and Maryann Fong started Million Dollar Baby in 1990 just as their children, Tracy and Teddy, were outgrowing their cribs and transitioning to kid beds. At the time, Daniel was an account representative for an import export company. His real passion, though, was his kids, and helping new parents like himself navigate their way through early parenthood. Through that experience, he saw a real need for quality baby and kids furniture. The couple pooled their resources and bought a small two-employee furniture company in Southern California, and from there started to build the business with only one crib — the Jenny Lind.

Today the company carries more than a dozen collections and employs more than 50 people, some of which have been with Million Dollar Baby for 15 years.

"One thing that has kept us passionate and excited about this industry is my Dad's steadfast commitment to working with store owners and understanding their needs in the ever-growing baby business," Teddy said. "His vision for our company has always revolved around wanting to build a partnership with his customers and serving them so they can experience success with our products."

Daniel is the CEO; Maryann handles human resources for both the California and Georgia offices; John Kwok, Teddy's uncle, is the CFO; Julia Fong, his aunt, is the inventory manager; Tracy is in corporate sales and serves the company's e-commerce customers; Teddy handles the West coast accounts; and his cousin Christopher Kwok is a design team intern working on a project to make sure their customers have high quality product images.

"The role of each family member has definitely changed throughout the years," Teddy said. "We try to play to each person's strengths so they truly enjoy their role while being effective in their position. One of the reasons our business is so successful is because it's very much a team in this way, with everyone bringing their personality and skills into the mix. There is a lot of trust and respect for each person's ideas and abilities, and that allows us to be very effective at innovating and rolling with the punches. I think one of the main reasons why our family enjoys working with each other so much is because everyone is making significant contributions to the company while doing something they truly enjoy. Plus, lunchtime is a lot of fun!"

Teddy says one of the best things about working with family members is there are no office politics to deal with. The comfortable, familial environment also influences the employees who feel like part of the family.

Though Teddy says it's hard to imagine a negative side to working with family, in the beginning family members did wear multiple hats and had a lot of responsibilities to juggle, which comes with the territory when you're starting a business.

Million Dollar Baby's goals for the next generation are to continue innovating and growing the company and to see their customers' businesses grow as well.

"Those of us coming into the business now are already passionate about our products, in fact, my sister and I both use the convertible cribs as full-size beds in our rooms," Teddy said. "I have to give my Dad credit for really teaching us and giving us room to develop our ideas. We're seeing a different side of what a great parent he is in how much he guides our ideas and opens his business to positive change. He's also instilled in us a real commitment and desire to serve customers. As a family, we put a very high stake on loyalty and trust and we are learning from him how to bring that into every aspect of our business. I believe our job as stewards of his business is to continue that tradition and bring that service to more companies."