UNC Asheville’s Family Business Forum will host a workshop on "Getting Started: The Process of Creating Happier Families and More Successful Businesses" with family business expert Stan Mandel from 8-10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10, at UNCA’s Owen Conference Center. The program is open to Forum members and their guests; a limited number of seats are available for family business owners interested in membership.

Mandel is the executive professor and founding director of the Angell Center for Entrepreneurship at Wake Forest University’s Babcock Graduate School of Management. Prior to joining Wake Forest, Mandel served as director of the South Dakota Family Business Initiative and headed the startups of three family businesses. Mandel, who holds a doctorate from Texas Tech University, is a certified public accountant and engineer.

UNCA’s Family Business Forum, the first program of its kind in the region, was developed to enhance the continued viability of family-owned businesses in the Asheville area. Membership in the forum is open to firms that have a family member with controlling interest in the business and at least one family member currently employed in the business. In addition to seminars and workshops, members will receive current research and articles on family business issues, a quarterly newsletter, and the opportunity to network with other family-owned business members who face similar challenges of perpetuating a family business.

Registration for the workshop is required. For more information or to register, call Richard Lasher at 828/251-6797, voice box 8003.

Media Contacts:

• Richard Lasher, Family Business Forum Director, 828/251-6797, voice box 8003
• Jill Yarnall, UNCA Public Information Assistant, 828/251-6526