For Business Leaders

Bringing the family enterprise community together.

Family businesses form the backbone of the American economy, and this is especially true here in St. Louis. Our community has been eager to engage in Koch Center gatherings of business leaders and academic specialists with unique insights into the dynamics specific to family enterprise. Being based at a university, the Koch Center offers neutral, credible sources of information in ways that a for-profit consultancy cannot, creating a critical bridge between WashU and the local business community.

Our active network of engaged business leaders helps ensure that our research is relevant, our insights resonate, and our students are prepared for the realities of the marketplace. The center shares these insights at in-person events in St. Louis, including the annual Olin Family Enterprise Symposium and two bespoke executive education programs, and more broadly through The Owner’s Box podcast, featuring owners and experts from around the country.

Very few universities in the United States devote as much time and energy to family-owned businesses as Washington University does. Family businesses often feel like they operate on an island, and that they are the only ones confronting the issues unique to family enterprise. To combat this and to provide needed thought leadership, the Koch Center provides excellent programming through symposiums, research, and connecting family businesses to each other.
—Michael J. Dierberg, Chairman of the Board, First Bank

If you’re interested in getting involved, sign up for the Koch Center’s Family Enterprise newsletter.

The Owners Box Podcast

The Owner’s Box Podcast is in its third season! Our guests include thought leaders, seasoned family business owners, and industry experts like Katie Ford, Anna-Lisa Miller and David Stine who share their insights and advice on navigating the complexities of what it means to be a strategic owner. The best way to stay up-to-date on these episodes is to sign up for our Substack, which you can find here.

The Owners Box

15 episodes of The Owner's Box since the first episode, which aired on March 26th, 2024.

Explore Episodes

Community Events
The Koch Center elevates the conversation around strategic ownership and long-term enterprise stewardship through immersive events including our annual Family Enterprise Symposium and the Private Enterprise at Olin speaker series throughout the school year. See our calendar of upcoming events at the bottom of the page.

The highlight of 2025 was the 10th Annual Koch Center Symposium featuring Andy Taylor (Enterprise), John McDonnell (McDonnell Douglas), and Dave Whorton (Tugboat Institute). This evening at Energizer Park welcomed over 250 attendees from across the region who were eager to connect with their peers and gain insights from these trailblazers in the private enterprise space.

Highlights of past themes and speakers include:
- Continental Grain Company and the Innovation of Food Building and Evolving a Strategic Family Enterprise with Paul Fribourg, Chairman and CEO, and Jordana Fribourg, Chief Talent Officer of Conti, plus Conti Executive Team Dave Peacock, Chief Operating Officer; Bob Golden, Chief Strategy Officer; Ari Gendason, Chief Investment Officer
- Culture and Family Business with S. Ramadorai, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. and Lisanne Cape Dorian, Bacardi Ltd.
- Family Enterprise in Capital Markets with Bryon Trott, BDT Capital (Investment Banker); Chrissy Taylor, COO, Enterprise Holdings (3rd gen); John Kemper, President, Commerce Bank (6th gen); Todd Schnuck, President, Schnucks Markets (2nd gen)
Executive Education

The Koch Center brings together expert faculty, cutting edge research, and a robust network of owners and operators to create meaningful experiences for seasoned professionals who want to expand their impact.

Enduring Enterprise: Many in our Executive Education community—from founders and family business owners to senior executives—have asked for programming that goes beyond the event format to foster ongoing growth. Launching this November, Enduring Enterprise is a five-month cohort-based program designed for action-minded leaders focused on long-term stewardship, strategic ownership, and lasting impact. Over the course of three multi-day sessions featuring expert Olin faculty and established business leaders, connected by personalized coaching, participants will refine their ownership strategy and put it into practice. Learn more and register here.

PhilanthropyForward: In the fall of 2023, the center launched a bespoke executive education program that works with 10 philanthropic families each year to maximize the impact of their giving. This program acts as an incubator to bring small cohorts of private philanthropists together for a six-month journey during which they explore how to create an individualized giving strategy that aligns with their values, community needs and data-backed strategies for impact. Participants leave the program with individual five-year plans for their philanthropy. PhilanthropyForward is a partnership with WashU’s Chancellor’s office and the guidance of Initiative Director, Margaret Schnuck Rogers. The program marries together insights from distinct fields of philanthropy—measurement-focused models like effective altruism to trust-based philanthropy—and brings the resources of WashU to support individuals and families seeking to amplify their impact on the world. We hope it becomes a model of how places like Washington University can shape the world in new and distinct ways—a new way of being a university committed to impact.
Symposium

From the reflections of insights of business and philanthropic titans like Andy Taylor and John McDonnell to the call for evergreen leadership by Dave Whorton, our speakers elevated the conversation around strategic ownership and long-term enterprise stewardship.