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In the first issue of 2026, FFI Practitioner features insights from Debbie Bing, President of CFAR and Chair of the FFI Board of Directors. It explores the origins of the family enterprise field, FFI’s growth from a small founding community into a global organization, and the expanding impact of research, practice, and education over four decades. Go here to watch the video and learn more about the early days of FFI.
As the Family Firm Institute begins its 40th anniversary year, Debbie Bing, President of CFAR and Chair of the FFI Board of Directors, reflects on the founding of the field, its global influence, and aspirations for the future of the organization. The family enterprise field has grown from an emerging idea into a mature, global discipline. As families and enterprises become more complex, the work ahead requires continued collaboration across research, practice, and education. Watch the video, learn more about the early days of FFI and explore ways to participate in this milestone anniversary year.
Early Years of FFI: A Timeline (1986-2000)
1986: Family Firm Institute was founded. Barbara Hollander was the first president.
1987: First conference was held in Provo, Utah.
Today the “field” has actually developed, the knowledge base has increased tremendously and we have new learning, understanding and tools to apply.
FFI has evolved from the kitchen in Pittsburgh to the board room and it has changed, maybe like all family businesses that survive and grow… As with all families and organizations, change is inevitable, something precious is always lost and something new is hopefully gained.”
– Ruth McClendon, Founding member
(Source: FFI: The First 25 Years, 2011)
1988: First issue of Family Business Review (FBR) was published. Ivan Lansberg was the first FBR Editor.
“It is with great affection and pride that I look back on what FFI has become over the past 25 years. The opportunity to witness first-hand the process by which ideas in people’s heads evolve into thriving organizations was a huge gift to me personally. I was a 28-year-old newly anointed assistant professor when Dick Beckhard and Barbara Hollander recruited me to work with them.
My task was to conceive a professional journal; theirs was to do the heavy lifting necessary to launch a new organization. I remember to this day the exhilaration I felt staring at a blank yellow pad and brainstorming the topical sections that would eventually become FBR. Just like with one’s children, it is a remarkable thing to see how organizations, once born, forge a synthesis of the values, dreams, and personalities of the many who have nurtured them.”
– Ivan Lansberg, Founding member and Editor, Family Business Review 1988–1994
(Source: FFI: The First 25 Years, 2011)
1989: First awards for Best Doctoral Dissertation and Best Unpublished Unpublished Research Paper.
1992: First Achievement Award created in honor of founder, Richard Beckhard.
1993: Barbara Hollander Award created in honor of founder and first FFI President.
1995: Body of Knowledge Committee was founded and FFI launched its first website.
1999: Two additional Achievement Awards were created: International Award and Interdisciplinary Award.
2000: The FFI Certificate Program was created. This was originally called the Body of Knowledge program and later became what is now the FFI Global Education Network (GEN) in 2012. Learn more about certificate programs here.
To celebrate this milestone year, consider writing for FFI Practitioner, submitting a proposal for the 2026 FFI Global Conference, making a tax deductible contribution to FFI, enrolling in a certificate program, or gifting an FFI membership.
Founding members:
Richard Beckhard
Barbara S. Hollander
Elaine Kepner
Ivan S. Lansberg
Aaron Levinson
George Raymond
Robin Raymond
Jeffrey Barach
Fredda Herz Brown
Rod Correll
Nancy Drozdow
Gibb Dyer
Tom Hubler
Amy Lyman
Ruth McClendon
John Messervey
Edith Perrow
Ernesto Poza
Mathilde Salganicoff
Steve Swartz
John Ward
Kathy Wiseman
About the Contributor
Debbie Bing is President and Principal at CFAR. Debbie is also a member of CFAR’s Board of Directors and co-leads the firm’s Family Enterprise and Owner-Led Business practice. As a second-generation owner of CFAR, she draws on personal experience in working through the dilemmas of strategy and succession. She is the Chair of the FFI Board of Directors.
View this edition in our enhanced digital edition format with supporting visual insight and information.
