Five years ago, we were preparing to celebrate ReGENERATION Partners’ 25th anniversary with our colleagues, clients, friends, and family with a gala event at the Perot Museum.
We all know what happened in March 2020, when the World Health Organization labeled COVID-19 the first worldwide airborne pandemic in 100 years. Suddenly, our silver anniversary celebration seemed ill-timed and out of place.
However, 2025 marks ReGENERATION’s 30th year as consultants to family-owned businesses. Although we are not planning a gala to recognize this milestone, we are grateful for and celebrate the incredible friendships, partnerships, and dedication of our clients and colleagues who have joined the ReGENERATION family.
1995 was a year of many firsts! I left my family business and opened ReGENERATION Partners in my sons’ playroom. It wasn’t long before I moved into an office building. Jeff Bezos moved his nascent bookseller, Amazon, from his garage into office space above a COLORTILE store in Seattle and sold the first book online, “Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies.” Similarly, Match.com and eBay began changing the way strangers interact with each other.
Apple was recognized in 1995 as the 123rd largest U.S. companies. Of the top 10 largest market cap companies today, Apple is the largest, and the other nine were either in the early stages or were still a dream. 1995 was also the year that Berkshire Hathaway gave shareholders a 57% annual return. If you were prescient in 1995 and purchased one share of Berkshire Hathaway for $20,400, that one share would be worth $709,138 today. Tom Hanks introduced us to Forrest Gump and took home the Oscar for Best Actor and Best Movie. 1995 was also when the jury announced a “not guilty” verdict in the O.J. Simpson trial.
In the last three decades, we’ve seen some pretty iconic moments in the U.S. It’s amazing how much things have changed in 30 years — but what hasn’t changed is our values.
During the past 30 years, we have assisted close to 300 families, from mom-and-pop to some of the largest family firms, with millions to billions in revenue, from families that can fit on a motorcycle to those that need several buses. We have been invited to present workshops to more than 250 organizations, more than 200 publications, and authored two category “bestselling” books.
Of course, we could take a bow if quantity were our ambition and passion. But it is not. After 30 years, our vision “to make a positive difference in people’s lives” and our founding mission “to increase shareholder value and improve communication in family firms” remain our driving principles.
Ironically, the joy of our work comes not from material accomplishments but rather on a very personal level. Our work has taught us much about the differences between family business success and failure. Putting this knowledge into work has positively impacted many people’s lives. This is the single most rewarding aspect of our work.
Although I could go on about ReGENERATION Partners, the purpose of this letter is to thank you. If it is true that every leader must occasionally look back to make sure that someone is still following, then for me, this is a look back. This is a memory of you being one of the people who believed in our mission and helped make the successful completion of 30 years in business a reality. Your demonstration of trust and loyalty helped form ReGENERATION Partners into the organization that it is today. Thank you for being a prophet of encouragement.
This anniversary is not only a celebration of time but also a tribute to every person who has partnered, encouraged, guided, applauded, supported, and helped shape REGENERATION Partners’ legacy. Here’s to the past 30 years of laughs, adventures, and even those difficult times that only strengthened us.
Elle Hanson, our Managing Partner, Mary Ann Zimmerman, our Senior Consultant, and I believe we’ve built something extraordinary, and we are proud to continue this journey into the future with you.
