It is widely acknowledged that family businesses are the backbone of the American economy. The statistics prove this out: 80-90% of all businesses in the U.S. are family-owned, they employ some 60% of the workforce and contribute 50-60% of the country’s GDP.
But that’s the big picture. And that’s not what Greg Cowan was thinking about in 1984 when, in a gesture to “help a friend in need,” he started installing glass block windows and walls in homes around Kalamazoo. Greg was just trying to make a few bucks to support himself and his bride, Julie. But he found he enjoyed the work, appreciated the craftsmanship involved and liked the satisfaction he felt when a glass block wall came together.
Within a few years, Greg and Julie had formalized their little business, establishing Western Michigan Glass Block, familiar to many area residents as WMGB. Greg continued to do the installation work while Julie –company’s majority owner – ran the business side. At least, that was the plan. Julie thought differently, and soon was elbow deep in glass blocks, creating the designs and working side-by-side with Greg on installations. Julie eventually created a “glass block bible” filled with designs, specifications and installation procedures that are still followed today.
“She trained everyone,” says Greg. That includes Tim Willis, the company’s longest serving employee, who joined the team at age 18 and became a valued and trusted leader. The business slowly grew and expanded.
“We saw a need our customers had and tried to fill it,” says Greg. “We started working a little further afield, added products and services like egress windows and vinyl windows because people needed them. We started installing insulation for two reasons: it helped our customer save money on heating costs, and it keep our people busy when it was too cold to install windows!”
It was not always easy. Julie recalls the time when she refinanced an auto loan so that WMGB could buy advertising. “I’m not sure anyone else can claim they paid their ad invoices with money from a 1988 Pontiac sedan,” laughs Julie.
Making History, One Neighbor at a Time
As Greg and Julie focused on serving the region’s glass block (and egress windows, vinyl windows and insulation) needs, they did not have time to realize they were part of an American tradition of family businesses taking care of their neighbors. It is a pattern that stretches back to colonial times and is among the richest and most important legacies in America’s long history.
Family businesses like WMGB are an essential building block in every community. (No pun intended!) They provide employment, economic stability and continuity within the area in which they work. Perhaps most important, family-owned businesses reflect the values, principles and ethics of their communities.
Unlike the regional outpost of a “big box” national chain, local business owners like Greg and Julie are not concerned with making this quarter’s stock price rise. Instead, they want to make sure their neighbors’ homes are safe, warm and comfortable this winter. It is an important distinction, an attitude of service to others that is not part of the business plan of most large corporations.
“We work here, but we also live here,” says Julie. “We know that everyone’s home is their own ‘Taj Mahal,’ and we are entrusted to help them make it a little nicer, a little more comfortable. It is a privilege we take very seriously.”
Who Will Be the Next Generation?
Want another family business statistic that is not quite as rosy and optimistic as those cited earlier? Nationally, only 30% of family-owned business hold together into a second generation. The reasons are many – poor planning, younger family members who are not interested in the business, financial stress.
None of those apply to WMGB. There’s a next generation Cowan ready, willing and able to continue the legacy established by Greg and Julie over the past 40-plus years. And, like her mother before her, Emily Cowan pays no attention to any “glass ceiling” that once might have daunted a woman in the home services arena.
Starting with a part-time job in high school, Emily learned the business from the inside out, working in all areas of the process. “I’ve built my share of glass block walls, called on customers, cleaned out the corners of the shop,” says Emily, who worked for several years in marketing for the Detroit Pistons before joining the family business full-time. “It’s important that I understand every aspect of the operation if I want to lead our team successfully.”
Naturally, Emily has some plans to improve WMGB. That includes implementing a streamlined business operating system to create a stronger internal structure. But one thing she won’t touch is the company’s focus on customers.
“My Mom and Dad built this business by developing excellent relationships with their customers, their suppliers and everyone they met in the community,” says Emily. “That’s a great legacy and I want to continue it.”
That’s the kind of attitude that just might take this second-generation business into a third generation and beyond.
