Page 78 - Lighting Magazine June 2018

FAMILY FOOTSTEPS:
THE NEW GENERATION
Five lighting industry “kids” share their thoughts on growing up in the industry, and how they are helping to usher it into a new era.
BY HANNAH RACHEL CARROLL
What do you want to be when you grow up? is a question we all hear. Some people seem to have always known the answer, while others hope they’ll gure it out in time. For those who grew up in a family business, nding the answer may even be harder, as they must decide whether to follow their parents’ path or create their own destiny.
According to the Family Business Institute, few family businesses survive for the long haul. Roughly 30 percent make it to the second generation, just 12 percent reach the third genera- tion, and only 3 percent are viable into the fourth and beyond.
I sat down with ve people under the age of 30 who grew up in the industry and chose to stay. While their stories share similar themes – many recall a ernoons spent playing in warehouses or on showroom oors a er school – each journey to their place in the business is as unique as the individual.
76 enLIGHTenment Magazine | June 2018 www.enlightenmentmag.com