Cornell Case Competition for Family Ownership Supporters

At Banyan, we believe in the power of effective family ownership. We work with the full group of owners of shared family assets (family businesses, family offices, and family foundations) to help them navigate critical decisions they face, such as during a generational transition. We recognize family ownership situations are complex and emotional, and we understand family owners can feel “stuck”. We help our clients uncover how their family business system works, clarify decisions, and understand their options and implications We are based in Boston, but we advise clients all around the world. Our team at Banyan has decades of hands-on experience who bring complementary skills in business, law, organizational behavior and development, negotiation, tax, and finance. Because we have worked closely with so many owner groups over the years, we’re constantly learning and evolving our practice to best advise owners on the difficult choices they face. We help owners make good decisions together.

By the early 1980s, Sam Seltzer came to recognize the need for undergraduate education in business skills, specifically for those young people wishing to join family enterprises or for those willing to make the commitment and take the risks to start their own businesses. Thus, he became the founding chairman of Cornell PEP (Personal Enterprise Program); a program that began with one course in Business Planning, quickly grew to over 35 courses, mostly at the undergraduate level, and eventually merged into Entrepreneurship at Cornell (Entrepreneurship at Cornell). Continuing to serve on the Entrepreneurship at Cornell Advisory Council, Sam Seltzer has provided consistent leadership and financial support for this program.

Succession Strength is a global business transition planning firm that helps owners and investors maximize value and ensure continuity through succession, sale, or strategic transition. Through succession readiness assessment, next-generation leader development, and exit strategy planning, the firm addresses the operational and leadership risks that create 20-30% valuation discounts and cause 70% of transitions to fail. Services include comprehensive diagnostic evaluation, succession plan design and execution, strategic growth initiatives, and operational due diligence for investors assessing target companies. The firm specializes in family business transitions, navigating the complex intersection of family dynamics, ownership structure, and business requirements to preserve both enterprise value and family relationships.