"Bush's Best: Ingredients for Multi-Generational Success" presented by Jim Ethier, Chairman and third generation owner of Bush Brothers & Company

Bringing friends and family together with simple goodness and homemade taste for over a century

It is no secret our families are at the heart of what matters most to us. So then why does the lifecycle of a family business often fall prey to its own ruin?
 
Bush Brothers & Company is the exception. It is a story worth sharing, a family worth following, and a legacy worth living. For what started as a modest tomato canning business at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains in 1908 became the nation’s No. 1 seller of baked beans. How did they do it, you ask?
 
On July 12, after a 45 year career, Chairman and third generation family owner Jim Ethier will reflect upon Bush Brothers & Company's 105 year multi-generation family business enterprise. Transitioning to 4th, 5th, and 6th generation ownership by descendants of A.J. and Sallie Bush has defied the adage of "shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations" by sustaining a legacy of values and family connection, stewarding their wealth, and empowering family members in each generation to leadership.
 
When grandson of founder A.J. Bush took the helm in 1992, the company was on the cusp of great change. Under Ethier’s leadership, the company developed its first formal strategic plan with the input of a new Board of Directors – the first to include non-family directors, implemented an aggressive marketing and product development campaign including the infamous Jay Bush and Duke national TV commercials, and founded a Family Senate while tripling the company’s market share in the baked beans category and multiplying sales on an annual basis.
 
Certainly, A.J. Bush’s vision set the stage for this company to become what it is today, but as Peter Drucker once said, “There is no success without a successor.” Marked indelibly by the company mission to be "a community making a difference by providing nourishing branded bean products,” employees and family members alike subscribe to the values of integrity, responsibility, trust, and caring as exemplified by their founder over a century ago. In effect, this “community of companions” has become the collective steward, caretaker, and successor of A.J. Bush’s enduring legacy.
 
The legacy lives on… “Roll that beautiful bean footage!”

(Note: Don’t worry. Duke is allowed to reveal this recipe. Consider it a gift from the Bush family to yours.)

Meet Our Speaker: Jim Ethier

Jim is a third generation member of the Bush family. “BUSH’S BEST” is the nation’s leading brand of bean products. Founded in 1908 by Andrew Jackson Bush, the company is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, and has production locations in Chestnut Hill, Tennessee, and Augusta, Wisconsin.

Currently, he is Chairman of the Board of Bush Brothers & Company after a career as Chairman & CEO from 2003 to 2009, and President & COO from 1992 to 2003. Prior to that Jim was the CFO. He has been with the company for 45 years.

Jim has participated in the food industry as a Board member of the Grocery Manufacturers Association and Board member and Chairman of the Food Products Association. He received the Guard Society Honorary Life Member Award for 2000 which recognizes individuals for their years of service and their contribution to the food industry. In 2005 he received the Distinguished Leadership Award from the Food Products Association. In 2012, Jim was the recipient of the Family Enterprise Leadership Award from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University.

Jim currently is active as a Board member for a number of business, educational, and non-profit organizations.

Jim received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and an MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University.

Jim and his wife, Melinda, live in Knoxville. He has three daughters, one son, and two grandchildren. In addition to civic activities, Jim enjoys golf and travel.

Coffee, light breakfast, and TLC served.