Director Helena Karchere was part of the effort organized by Family Enterprise USA
Family business experts from around the country traveled to Washington, D.C., in May to speak with lawmakers and their aides about the societal and economic impact of family businesses, as well as the policy areas that concern them most.
Among the professionals invited to take part in the journey was Helena Karchere, director of the Bailey Program for Family Enterprise at the Daniels College of Business. The program was created in 2019 to guide family businesses through transitions, help them build skills and create connections among family members to ensure long-term success. It offers workshops, certificates and roundtable networking events for family businesses, family offices and family advisors.
“Being able to go to D.C. and meet with the legislators and their aides is key to getting across the stories and the data of what family businesses are facing, what they bring to the economy and their value, and also what’s troubling them when it comes to policy and taxation—economic policies and other things that affect them,” said Karchere, who met with the aides as part of a group that also included owners of family businesses and directors of other family business centers.
The trip was organized by D.C.-based Family Enterprise USA, a nonprofit that promotes generationally-owned family business creation, growth, viability and sustainability by advocating for family businesses with legislators in Washington. Members of the group will present data from its annual survey of family businesses at the Bailey Program’s annual dinner at DU in September.
“It’s vital that our representatives understand the impact and the significance of family businesses as they’re considering economic policy and taxation policy,” said Karchere, noting that family businesses account for 3.3 million jobs, or 59% of the country’s private workforce. “If they don’t understand that perspective, and they haven’t heard the stories and seen the data, they can’t keep that huge segment of our GDP in mind as they’re making those decisions.”
Family Enterprise USA also founded the bipartisan Congressional Family Business Caucus to educate lawmakers on the importance of American family businesses and to advocate for their interests. Attending a caucus meeting was another important part of Karchere’s trip. She is particularly proud of her successful effort to bring U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo on to the caucus.
“We went into her office, talked to her legislative aide, told him what we’re doing, and also mentioned that we have an upcoming event in Northern Colorado, in the Fort Collins-Greeley area, and that we’d love to have her there,” Karchere said. “We are very glad she decided to join the caucus and learn more from families in her area.”
Now in her second year as director of the Bailey Program, which was established in 2019 with a gift from the Paul T. Bailey estate, Karchere was happy to be invited on the trip and inspired to take part in further advocacy efforts.
“It was everything you want a trip to D.C. to be,” she said. “You get to see that there are real people representing and advocating for all sorts of issues and things that they’re passionate about, and they’re all walking around and meeting with representatives. It’s something I’d like to engage in more, and it also is an important reminder to engage with our representatives more when they’re here in the state and available to us.”