Christopher J. Eckrich
eckrich@thefbcg.com
P: 260-450-1517
Areas of Expertise
- Next Generation Education & Leadership Development
- Succession & Continuity
- Conflict & Communication Management
- Family Council Development
- Alignment Around Policies/Family Constitutions
The most rewarding part of my work is helping families use their talents and skills to make huge gains in organization, communication and trust amongst the ownership group and management group.
Resources
- This is FBCG: Who We Are
- Welcoming Up and Comers of the Next Generation
- Let’s Get Together… but Not Too Close
- Uncommon Wisdom on Welcoming Newcomers to Enterprising Families
- The Family Constitution: A Foundation for Family Alignment
- What Do Family Councils Do?
- To Select or To Elect? Decision-Making Methods for Family Member Roles in Family and Business Governance
- Getting Unstuck
- Understanding Profitability in the Family Business
- 15 Lessons Family Councils Wish They Knew Before They Started
- Family Employment Policies: Best Practices
- Before “I Do!” Premarital Agreement Considerations Long Before Popping the Question
- Letting Go, Stepping Up: Leadership in Transition
- Should I Leave the Family Business? To Go or Not to Go
- Employing Family Members as Vendors and Suppliers
- It’s a Matter of Trust
- S Corps, Cash Flow and Shareholder Expectations
- Preparing the Board for a Non-Family CEO
- How Can We Have More Accountability in Our Family Business?
- Business Wisdom for the Family
- When Do We Give the Kids the Money?
- Family Education through Roles in the Business: Getting Buy-In From Key Non-Family Managers
- Because I Did
- Should Spouses Work in the Family Business?
- Sharing Family Resorts, Cottages and Lodges: Part 2
- How to Succeed in a Family Business
- Graceful Exits: The Art of Board Revitalization
- Accountability in Family Governance: A Key Variable for Building Trust
- Toward Greater Objectivity on your Board
- Sharing Family Cottages, Lodges and Resorts: Part 1
Christopher J. Eckrich
A senior advisor of The Family Business Consulting Group, Chris specializes in building leadership excellence and maintaining family unity in enterprising families. He provides family members with the skills and strategies to successfully manage working relationships and reduce the natural conflict that’s present when family members work together.
Chris’s commitment to the family business field began with his family history of entrepreneurship in meat processing and other industries. His clients include family businesses from a wide variety of business sectors and other asset-owning families.
He has presented at national conferences and regularly gives seminars and workshops on family organization and governance, succession planning, building leadership, managing relationships, and preventing conflict in business and asset owning families. He’s also served on several review committees for the Family Firm Institute.
Chris’s articles have appeared in academic and business publications. In addition, he co-authored The Family Council Handbook: How to Create, Run, and Maintain a Successful Family Business Council, a comprehensive resource for enterprising families who want to organize themselves to achieve long-term family and business goals.
As an adjunct faculty member at The University of Notre Dame, Chris taught Family Enterprise Strategy to both MBA and undergraduate students, and has been involved in alumni education activities. He also served as a founding advisor to a university-based education center for family business owners and their families, where he led the Next Generation Leaders group.
Honors
- Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award from the Family Firm Institute
Education
- B.B.A. in organizational behavior from Notre Dame
- Master’s degree and Ph.D. from Purdue University
Personal
Chris and his wife, Carol Ann, very much enjoy their work with their Church and reaching out to people who need hope and clarity about their futures. They live in Ft. Wayne and enjoy spending time with their three grown adult children and their families.