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.

Family meetings can do more than bring people together. They can help a business family move forward with more clarity.P...
06/23/2026

Family meetings can do more than bring people together. They can help a business family move forward with more clarity.

PFBA’s Family Meeting Agenda highlights several reasons these meetings matter.

▪️ They help keep the family’s values and vision central
▪️ Encourage participation from more voices
▪️ Create documentation of decisions and action items
▪️ And support long-term planning and succession discussions.

If your family would benefit from a more intentional way to meet, this free resource is a helpful next step.

Download the Family Meeting Agenda: fambus.org/family-meetings
Thrive for Generations.

For Trav’s Outfitter, standing out in retail has never been about being the biggest. It has been about service, relation...
06/18/2026

For Trav’s Outfitter, standing out in retail has never been about being the biggest. It has been about service, relationships, and showing up for the working people who keep their communities moving.

As the family business looks toward its second generation of leadership, founder Travas Uthe is thinking carefully about what it takes to build something that can last — not just for the business, but for the family and the communities it serves.

In our latest member spotlight, learn how Trav’s Outfitter is navigating growth, succession, and the realities of independent retail with the support of PFBA resources, peer connections, and next-generation programming.

Read the full article at bit.ly/4aTnUaA

Thrive for Generations.

06/17/2026

Is your family business halfway through the year’s goals — or halfway through the same unresolved conversations?

In this Family Business Insights segment, Executive Director Mason Van Essen shares a quick mid-year check-in for family businesses navigating transition, communication, and planning.

Many family business challenges do not begin with major conflict. They begin with unclear timelines, unspoken expectations, or a false sense of alignment.

The Family Business Checkup tool is designed to help business families identify where they are aligned, where they may not be, and what conversations need to happen next.

Thrive for Generations.
fambus.org/family-checkup

06/15/2026

Family businesses often need more than vision to move forward. They need structure people can actually work within.

That was one of the themes in our recent PFBA Family Business Webinar among family business leaders discussing EOS® and what it can look like in practice.

The conversation explored what to consider when deciding whether EOS is the right fit —including accountability, communication, leadership alignment, and what it takes to make any operating system work well in a family business context.

In this clip, hear how one family business began thinking through whether EOS was the right fit — and what shaped that decision early on.

Thrive for Generations.
fambus.org

Finding your place in the family business takes more than time. It takes preparation.For rising leaders, preparation is ...
06/10/2026

Finding your place in the family business takes more than time. It takes preparation.

For rising leaders, preparation is not just about stepping into more responsibility. It is about gaining the perspective, confidence, and communication skills to navigate family enterprise with greater clarity.

The PFBA Next Gen Retreat creates space for that kind of growth through practical learning, peer connection, and honest conversation about leadership, family dynamics, and the realities of carrying a business forward.

Save your seat at fambus.org/nextgen

“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.

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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