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FBA-10 Hartford Business Journal • October 13, 2014 www.HartfordBusiness.com 2014 Connecticut Family Business Awards 1st Place Winner By John A. Lahtinen T he J.E. Shepard Companies has been doing business for quite some time – 126 years to be exact. In that time, the company has evolved from a small Connecticut River Valley tobac- co grower started by J.E. Shepard Sr. in 1888 to a multi-faceted South Windsor-based orga- nization with 250 employees and nine busi- ness locations covering real estate, tobacco, manufacturing, entertainment, and environ- mental sectors. Today, third and fourth generation members of the Shepard family man- age and work for the company, includ- ing J.E. "Kip" Shepard III, Charles "Tim" Shepard, and Anne King. "We have had a presence in South Windsor for over 100 years," said King, vice president. "I feel a great deal of pride in being part of this. We have grown beyond the Mom-and-Pop stage, so now the family part is not a guarantee. It is, however, a commit- ment to grow family members into valuable employees by using their skills and interests in appropriate positions. It also means that those family members active in the busi- ness have the responsibility to make decisions that are right for the health of the business." King's father, J.E. Shepard Jr., helped to develop a sheet product that could be used to make machine-made cigars and in 1955 he opened NuWay Tobacco Co., which is still producing wrapper and binder for machine- made cigar companies. Out of the process Shepard Jr. developed to produce sheet, NuFilm LLC was created, a company that produces water-soluble films for industrial and food markets. Other acquisitions have included Phoenix Environ- mental Laboratory, which performs testing of soils, water, sludge, and solids; Topstone Golf Course; Willow Brook Golf Course; and South Windsor Entertainment, a company comprised of Nomad's Adventure Quest, Revolutions Bowling, and Nomad's Outdoor Adventure. Although she didn't know her grandfather personally, King said she was blessed to have parents who instilled the values she tries to live by today. "It has been a wonderful legacy that the next generation is one step farther away from understanding and knowing," King said. "It isn't just growing up on the land anymore. Our companies have grown and developed, chang- ing what was a core business for my generation into something very different for the next. To keep this going takes passion and dedication." In the past year, companies under the Shepard umbrella have grown and received several industry accolades. In the June issue of Environmental Laboratory Washington Report, Phoenix Environmental was recog- nized as 17 th largest firm in the country and third for efficiencies. Willow Brook Golf Course was award- ed the Walter Lowell Public Golf Course Distinguished Service Award. The award, inaugurated in 2001 and presented by the Connecticut PGA, honors courses who best exemplify the standards for a public course's responsibility to its community to provide playing opportunities for all those who want to play and learn the game of golf in Connecti- cut and Western Massachusetts. In addition, Nomad's Adventure Quest expanded in June with the opening of Nomad's Outdoor Aerial Park, an aerial adventure park, featuring six courses of varying difficulty, obstacles, and challenges including bridges, tunnels, and zip lines. "Although we have several businesses, we function as a small company," King said. "We do have some titles in management, but they aren't used much except for filling out paperwork. Everyone's door is always open to any employee. Management is accessible, and everyone's job description is written in pencil. You do what needs to be done." Tom Kirby, Shepard's chief financial offi- cer for the past eight years, said the Shepard family has a fundamental approach to pro- vide outstanding service to customers, to treat vendors as partners in business, and to be compassionate about employees. "This balance of customer, vendor, and employees allows for the companies to focus on their core businesses providing clar- ity to our business objectives," Kirby said. "Through this consistent approach, the com- panies are able to compete in many competi- tive marketplaces knowing that wholesome business values will win out in the end." J.E. Shepard Companies: 126 years and still growing The third generation of Shepards — (from left), Kip Shepard, Anne King, and Tim Shepard — at the company's offices. J.E. "Red" Shepard Jr. in 1955 when NuWay Tobacco was built. The company remains at that location with the same sign. From a tobacco company to a conglomerate with multiple lines of busi- ness, The Shepard Cos. has employed four generations, now with J.E. Shepard IV, James King, and Doug Nation. Fourth generation Shepards — J.E. Shepard IV, James King, and Doug Nation -- at one of the company's newest business lines, an outdoor adventure park. STATS: Parent Company: The Shepard Cos. Location: South Windsor Industry: Manufacturing, Real Estate, Entertainment Founded: 1888 Founder: J.E. Shepard Sr. Generation Currently Running Company: 3rd Full-Time Employees: 210 Family Members Currently Employed at Company: J.E. "Kip" Shepard III (brother), Charles "Tim" Shepard (brother), Anne King (sister), J.E. Shepard IV (Kip's son), James King (Anne's son), Craig "Douglas" Nation (Kip's nephew) Company Websites: www.nufilmllc.com www.phoenixlabs.com www.nomadsadventurequest.com www.revolutionsct.com www.nomadsoutdooradventure.com www.topstonegc.com www.willowbrookgc.com CATEGORY: More than 170 full-time employees