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Study Groups
Study Groups provide FFI members with local opportunities to network, share experiences and explore critical issues on an ongoing basis. If you are interested in starting a study group, please read the Study Group Guidelines. For first-hand information on forming a study group, please contact the FFI office or fill out the Study Group Interest Form.
Study Group contacts available for further guidance are:
Leslie Dashew
leslie@lesliedashew.com
Mary Jo DeJong
maryjodejong@comcast.net
Ellen Frankenberg
ellen@frankenberggroup.com
FFI Study Group Contacts
Boston Study Group
Contact: David M. Paradise
Newton Centre, MA 02459-1917
United States
Tel: 617 332-6690
Fax: 617 558-1206
Email: DParadFBRC@aol.com
This Boston Study Group meets quarterly at 8:00am. The format includes a discussion of an article or two and related materials in a cross-disciplinary fashion, with particular members taking lead roles at various meetings. The dates for the study group are: Wednesday, March 26, 2008; Wednesday, June 25, 2008; Wednesday, September 10, 2008; Wednesday, December 3, 2008.
Boston Study Group - North Shore
Contact: Douglas Baumoel
Beverly, MA 01915
United States
Tel: 978 925-5149
Email: doug@continuityfbc.com
The North Shore Study Group meets monthly at 8:00am to 9:30am at the offices of Metaxas, Norman & Pidgeon, LLP in Beverly, MA. Discussion topics are selected at each meeting and presented at the next meeting with a cross-disciplinary discussion following. This group was founded in May 2007 and our mission is professional development. Typical topics: How to make referrals stick; The How and Why of Business Valuation; Minority Shareholder Rights; Genograms; Family Business Conflict & It’s Impact on Our Client Engagements; Book/Movie reviews. We currently have 6 members and look to expand as North Shore FFI/NEC membership grows.
Boston Study Group - West
Contact: Andrew Hier
Belmont, MA 02478
United States
Tel: 978 270-9628
Email: ahier@ombiconsulting.com
The meetings take place every second month, 5 times a year from September through June in Newton. This is a very active, involved group. Each breakfast meeting is from 8 to 10 AM and consists of a presentation by a member on a topic of interest to the group with group discussion. Members also present information about their own work, their areas of practice and their interests in family business advising. All disciplines are represented in this group.
Cincinnati (OH) Study Group
Contact: Ellen Frankenberg
Cincinnati, OH 45231-3850
United States
Tel: 513 729-1511
Fax: 513 729-1022
Email: ellen@frankenberggroup.com
Study group meets on the 3rd Wednesday of the month from 12pm-2pm in downtown Cincinnati.. New members are welcome.
Connecticut Study Group
Contact: James A. Murphy
Greenwich, CT 06831
United States
Tel: 203 629-6500
Fax: 203 629-6547
Email: jmurphy@devisscher.com
The CT Study Group was formed in February 1999 by founding members Jim Murphy, Vivien Blackford and Paul Sessions to provide an opportunity to learn from fellow professionals in the various disciplines. Mission Statement: "To promote an active dialogue among an intimate group (10 to 12) of professionally diverse practitioners in the family business field to explore and share the systems, techniques and experiences that are of concern and interest to the group." Meetings are held occasionally and usually run from 8:30am-11:30am to allow thorough discussion of the agenda items. Recurring topics of discussion include: 1) collaboration and the desire to work with, as well as learn from, each other; 2) learning and support for the case study method as a means to achieve it; and 3) networking--admission that at least a part of the group's attraction is the opportunity to network together and strengthen working relationships.
Grand Rapids Study Group
Contact: Mary Jo De Jong
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
United States
Tel: 616 676-9055
Email: maryjodejong@comcast.net
The Grand Rapids Study Group meets once a month. The format includes outside speakers, case studies and book readings/reviews. Participants come from a mix of backgrounds encompassing the multi-disciplines serving and working with business-owning families.
London Study Group
Contact: Juliette Johnson
London, WC2R 0QS
England
Tel: 44 207 158-0769
Fax: 44 207 753-1011
Email: juliette.johnson@coutts.com
The London Study Group has reached the end of its inaugral year. Meeting once a quarter, the format of each session revolves around discussing and challenging a family business case study, either presented by one of our members or by a guest speaker from a family business. The discussions focus as much on the process and approach of advising families as they do on the various solutions available. Members come from a mixture of backgrounds and disciplines, which creates rich and challenging discussions, not to mention a strong and varied network that has been developed, which has proven to be an invaluable source of support and collaboration.
Midwest (Chicago) Study Group
Contact: David Lansky
Highland Park, IL 60035
United States
Tel: 847 266-1000
Fax: 847 444-0706
Email: dlansky@familybusinessinnovations.com
We are a diverse group of innovative professionals who trust and value one another’s experience, insightfulness and integrity. We challenge one another and rely on one another to give without expectation of immediate return. Thus, we work together to enhance our abilities to serve private enterprises and the families who own them.
New York Study Group
Contact: John C. Willert
Greenwich, CT 06831
United States
Tel: 203 625-0775
Fax: 203 625-0423
Email: jwillert@capitalpartners.com
The New York Study Group generally meets on the first Tuesday of every other month from 9:00am - 11:00am at the offices of Herrick, Feinstein LLP in New York. The group is interdisciplinary and meetings often feature interactive, case-based presentations led by individual members.
North Texas Study Group
Contact: John Kober
Two Turtle Creek Village
Dallas, TX 75219
United States
Tel: 800 406-1112
Email: jim@regeneration-partners.com
The North Texas FFI Study Group meets once or twice a year in Dallas. Anyone interested in attending, please contact Jim Hutcheson for meeting location and time. Non-FFI members are welcome.
Portland (OR) Study Group
Contact: Kay Wakefield Abramowitz
Lake Oswego, OR 97035
United States
Tel: 503 620-8900
Email: kwa@buckley-law.com
The Portland Study Group meets six times per year at the offices of Perkins & Co. in Portland. Membership is limited to 12 FFI members who may, from time to time, bring guests to the meetings. While the group is interdisciplinary, program topics tend toward the psychological and systemic issues of clients. A combination of case studies and special topic presentations are selected by group members for each meeting.
San Francisco Study Group
Contact: Lara N. Gilman
San Francisco, CA 94104
United States
Tel: 415 954-4913
Email: lgilman@fbm.com
The San Francisco Study Group meets quarterly. The meetings begin at 3:00pm and members have dinner together afterwards. The format includes a case presentation/discussion and a theme presentation.
Washington (DC) Study Group
Contact: Samuel Davis
Arlington, VA 23219
United States
Tel: 804 327-7572
Email: sdavis@relative-solutions.com
The Washington (DC) Study Group meets three times a year (winter, spring and at the FFI conference). Meeting times are 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Meeting locations rotate among Wahington, Baltimore and Richmond, although most of the meetings are held in downtown Washington.. The group and its organized discussions are inter-disciplinary. Case studies, presentations on special topics and professional updates by the members are components of every meeting. To ensure equal opportunities for each member to participate fully, the group limits particitpation to 15 members, although new FFI members are invited as guests to learn the value of FFI study groups.
