Our History

Since our founding in 1985, the Center for Family Enterprise has been dedicated to helping family businesses flourish and thrive. We are honored to have been integral to the family business community in the region for nearly four decades. Here are some of our proudest milestones:

1985

Joan Austin of A-dec, along with Dr. Patricia “Pat” A. Frishkoff, suggested that the College of Business create a family business program, which became the second such program nationally after the University of Pennsylvania. Frishkoff became the Austin Family Business Program’s first director. Her tenure lasted until 2002.

1986

The program held its first family business conference, featuring John Ward. The conference was the beginning of the program’s longstanding efforts to host educational events.

1987

We launched our family business workshop series, which featured topics including communication and women in business, and non-family managers in family business.

1993

Frishkoff created educational offerings for professional service providers who work with family businesses and through collaboration.

1998

OSU’s Fishing Families program and Frishkoff received the interdisciplinary Achievement Award given by the Family Firm Institute.

2003

Alongside the USDA and the OSU College of Forestry, the program helped create the Ties to the Land curriculum, which assists woodland owners in addressing the communication, emotional and legal aspects of succession planning.

2014

The program hosted the 10th annual Family Enterprise Research Conference in Portland.

2020

The Austin Family Business Program was renamed the Center for Family Enterprise, with expanded educational and outreach opportunities for family businesses and a research arm that puts us at the cutting edge of knowledge. Ted A. Paterson, Ph.D. is the center’s director. ​​