Center for Family Enterprise

1985

• The Family Business Program, College of Business, Oregon State University, is suggested by Joan Austin of A-dec and the program is founded by director Dr. Patricia "Pat" A. Frishkoff (OSU President John Byrne and College of Business Dean M. Lynn Spruill). After Wharton School's at the University of Pennsylvania, the program is second in the world to be established.

1986

• First family business conference begins the program's educational events, held at OSU, featuring Dr. John Ward.

1987

• Family business workshop series begins. Topics include communication, women, non-family managers in family business (121 workshops held through May 2002).

1988

1989

• Business Contributions to Community Service by Patricia A. Frishkoff and Alicja Kostecka is published, supported by a contract with the U.S. Department of Economic Research, Office of Advocacy, Small Business Administration in Washington, D.C. This is the program's first research funding.
• The first Family Business Bibliography, an annotated collection of works published on family business to date, is produced by OSU's College of Business faculty and program staff for the Family Firm Institute.

1990

• L.W. "Bill" Lane lectures to OSU students, later establishes the Distinguished Lectureship series.
• Washington Business Succession Project of 24 seminars receives a grant: ultimately this leads the program to its outreach focus and workbooks. (Washington Business Succession Project continues through 1993.)

1991

• Succession Survival Kit and Preparing. . .Just in Case are AFBP's first published workbooks. (Financial Smarts ['98])
• Bonnie Brown serves as director while Pat Frishkoff takes sabbatical (1991-1992); Bonnie continues as director through 1993.
• Family Business Management course starts bringing to the classroom, via the L.W. "Bill" Lane Distinguished Lectureship, outstanding family business owners as distinguished lecturers, beginning with L.W. "Bill" Lane, Sunset magazine, Menlo Park, Calif. (Fifteen distinguished lecturers through May 2002.)

1992

• Family Business Initiative is launched to provide long-term funding base ($1.65 M) as state funds are cut by Measure 5.

1993

1994

• OSU's program is renamed the Austin Family Business Program after it is endowed by Ken and Joan Austin.
• W. A. Woodard Family Foundation Scholarship is awarded to its first five OSU scholars (20 by 2001).
• MassMutual begins its National Family Business of the Year Awards, modeled after AFBP's Oregon Family Business Award process.

1995

• Family Business Initiative completes funding to support AFBP in perpetuity.
• First 3-day, family business conferences are held, Rejuvenation Retreat in spring, Women in Family Business Summit in fall.
• AFBP goes on-line with its World Wide Web home page (www.familybusinessonline.org).
• Dr. Léon A. Danco, the grandfather of family business, delivers the keynote at OSU's celebration of AFBP's 10th Anniversary.
• Reser Family Scholarship awarded to its first OSU scholar (12 through 2002).

1996

• AFBP produces its first videos: "Women in Family Business" and "Couples in Business Together," hosted by Dr. Joyce Brothers, packaged in two family business learning kits with action checklists.
• Distance delivery is launched in COB when Pat Frishkoff teaches students throughout Oregon via satellite.
• Richard T. Harris Memorial Scholarship awarded to its first OSU scholar (19 through 2001).

1997

• Corporate Partnership with U.S. Bank expands outreach to family businesses.
• Charles W. Wentworth Memorial Scholarship is awarded to its first two OSU scholars (10 by 2001).
• Barbara Hollander Award, Family Firm Institute, is given to Pat Frishkoff for her exemplary work in family business.

1998

• Videos "Investing in People" and "Sustaining Values in Business Families" are produced.
• Audio cassette "Marketing Yourself" is produced.
• OSU's Fishing Families team, including Pat Frishkoff, receives the Interdisciplinary Achievement Award given by the Family Firm Institute.
• Kelly Family Business Scholarship awarded to its first OSU scholar (4 by 2002).

1999

• A.E. Coleman Chair in Family Business is established by brothers John, Jim, and Dick Coleman and their families to honor their father, a long-time Corvallis business owner.
• "Farm Succession Risk Management Checklist" is produced and offered on AFBP's website via a grant from the USDA's Risk Management Agency.

2000

• First interactive live web cast of a family business conference highlights Torrini in Florence, Italy; speakers John Ward and Stephen McClure. The conference also introduces live the Family Business Educational Theatre™, later on video.

2001

2002

2003

• MassMutual Financial Group awards its 2003 National Family  Business of the Year Award to HotchKiss Company, Inc., Burns, Ore., an AFBP 2002 Excellence in Family Business Award winner
• Portland Business Journal Forty Under 40 Award, honoring Portland's most successful and civic-minded individuals under the age of 40, is given to Mark Green.

2004

• MassMutual Financial Group awards its 2004 National Family  Business of the Year Award to Portland Transmission Warehouse, Portland, Ore., an AFBP 2003 Excellence in Family Business Award winner

2005

• AFBP hosts the first independent research conference in family business in North America - 2005 Family Enterprise Research Conference 

2008

• Robin Klemm, Ph.D., a former Wharton School faculty member and family business consultant, is selected as the new Director of the Austin Family Business Program
• AFBP hosts the first conference for students from family businesses
• A 20th reunion of all former Excellence in Family Business award recipients was held in Portland

2011

• Sherri Noxel, the former Associate Director of the Austin Family Business Program is selected as the Director

• Oregon State University is selected as one of ten North American universities to participate in the global Successful Transgenerational Entrepreneurship Practices (STEP) research consortium.

• AFBP launches its new workshop series and companion podcast, "Family Business 360"

• The Family Enterprise Research Conference (FERC) returns to Portland for it's 10th anniversary and is hosted by the AFBP

• The Family Firm Institute awards the 2015 Interdisciplinary Award to the AFBP
• The Austin Family Business Program celebrates its 30th anniversary since its founding in 1985

• The Austin Family Business Program offers a Family Business option as part of the Business Administration major in the College of Business.
• Students majoring in fields outside of business can now earn a minor in Family Business.

• The Austin Family Business Program is renamed The Center for Family Enterprise, expanding educational and outreach opportunities for family businesses, and creating a research arm of the Center that puts us at the cutting edge of knowledge.