In just a few weeks we will reunite and reignite at The TMA Annual in Nashville. This will be a grand reunion and bring together TMA family from near and far. With that in mind, welcome to this edition of the JCR, which focuses on family businesses, a topic quite apropos as we approach The Annual.

The family business, often overlooked, is a specialty focus of many members of TMA. That focus is critical to an understanding of not just how these businesses function as businesses, but also the dynamics of how families structure hierarchy, succession, and protections designed to mitigate the emotional undercurrents and focus on solution-oriented business goals. This is no easy task.

The story of the family business that we journey into in this edition of the JCR will also be at the center of The Annual when Stephanie Stuckey, our keynote speaker, will tell the tale of an 80-year-old business that her family started and the rollercoaster ride that has brought it to the precipice of a storied comeback. For those who remember the days of the family road trip down I-95 or across the South, you know the iconic brand that was Stuckey’s. Its Pecan Rolls are infamous.

The Stuckey’s story started in 1937 when Stephanie Stuckey’s grandfather, W.S. Stuckey Sr., founded the company as a pecan stand in Eastman, Georgia. By the 1970s, it had grown into one of America’s most storied roadside convenience store brands, 350 stores strong.

The company was sold twice thereafter before Stephanie Stuckey, a 14-year Georgia state representative, bought the business with its three remaining stores with a goal of reviving her family brand. Now, with the addition of a pecan shelling and manufacturing facility, several new stores, and a B2B retail customer base, this turnaround is real.

This story of a family business, its troubles and resurgence, and the passion of a family member to turn it around and make it a next generation success story is one that is sure to resonate with our community and is the centerpiece of what will be an experiential Annual conference like none other. TMA is proud to present this story at The Annual and to showcase the often-overlooked issues that face family businesses, whose situations are most unique and complex.

We hope that you, too, will engage and experience the journey of Stephanie Stuckey and the many other experiential opportunities that define TMA Tomorrow, as we reunite and reignite in Nashville in a few weeks. Like the Stuckey’s story, the road to this Annual has had many bobs and weaves as we’ve navigated the pandemic and created solutions for our TMA family through networking, programming, and opportunities that elevated member value in innumerable ways.

This Annual, our TMA family reunion, promises to be one of our finest, not just because we get to reunite, but because when we do, it will be with opportunities of every variety, from education offerings that are actionable and interactive to networking that will engage and connect us all. We are TMA proud for the road we have traveled to get to this moment. And the family reunion we will all soon experience will be a marquee moment indeed.

I look forward to reigniting and reuniting with each of you in Nashville!

Scott Y. Stuart, Esq.
TMA Global CEO
sstuart@turnaround.org
@TMA_CEO