The Owner's Box @WashU Olin

Tactic's from the Owner's Box: Sustaining a Mission-Driven Media Company

The Washington Post just announced it was laying off 30% of its workforce. 300 newsroom journalists told to put down their pens, entire sections gutted. How did we get here? What does it take to sustain a mission-driven media company? At the Owner's Box, we are interested in how ownership shapes a company's behavior and nowhere is that more interesting than in an industry with a mission to provide a public good.

S3: E5: Balancing Ambition in a Culinary Portfolio with Nina Compton

Today we have an opportunity to chat with my friend, Chef Nina Compton, the owner of the acclaimed Compère Lapin in New Orleans. Nina's journey from cooking Christmas dinner for her family in St. Lucia to competing on Top Chef and winning the James Beard Award for Best Chef: South is remarkable. But what makes her story particularly interesting from an ownership lens is that she and her husband, Larry, have thoughtfully built a portfolio of projects, all while trying to live a life worth living. On today’s episode, Balancing Ambition in a Culinary Portfolio with Nina Compton. Special Guest: Nina Compton.

S3: E4: New Growth from Deep Roots with Tad & Ben Edwards

Today’s guests are a father-son duo who have been on a fascinating journey of growing up with the family business, exiting that chapter, and deciding to start a new one. Tad Edwards was part of a multi-generational family business in the financial services industry, A.G. Edwards, that was ultimately acquired by Wachovia and then Wells Fargo. Tad took the pen on the next chapter of the family legacy by starting the firm Benjamin F. Edwards, and is now joined in the business by his son, Ben. On today’s episode, New Growth from Deep Roots with Tad and Ben Edwards of Benjamin F. Edwards. Special Guests: Benjamin (Ben) F. Edwards V and Tad Edwards.

Tactics from the Owner's Box: The Family Mission Statement

In October, Juliet Chung of the Wall Street Journal wrote a piece titled "Wealthy Families Are Writing Mission Statements to Avoid Fights, Lost Fortunes." If no family – happy or unhappy– is simple, what does it mean for a family to be intentional? Today on the Owner's Box, the power and limitations of a family mission statement, and what lessons are worth mining from multi-generational family business owners.

S3: E3: 4 Hands & Voltron - Balancing Creativity with Commercialization

On today’s episode, we hear from the two St. Louis entrepreneurs who made this collaboration happen: Kevin Lemp, owner of 4 Hands Brewing Co., and Bob Koplar, who manages the Voltron franchise that his father created. In developing a special Voltron beer, they’ve launched a creative partnership that is both commercially successful and a whole lot of fun. In today’s episode, Voltron Beer and balancing creativity with commercialization. Special Guests: Bob Koplar and Kevin Lemp.