Owensboro Living
Subscribe
  • Features
  • Culture
  • Lifestyle
  • Flavor
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Owensboro Living
  • Features
  • Culture
  • Lifestyle
  • Flavor
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Owensboro Living
No Result
View All Result
Home Features

Taking Care of (Family) Business

by Owensboro Living
September 18, 2014
in Features
0
0
Taking Care of (Family) Business
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Though distinctly different, two local family businesses speak of a common bond — one of genuine love, hard work and mutual respect. That’s not to say that tempers do not flare occasionally, or that being in a family business is easy. It’s anything but that.

Tucked just off Highway 144 East sits one of the oldest family farms in Daviess County. Reid’s Orchard began with Billy Reid’s great-grandfather in 1873, and has evolved into an agritourism business. With the 94-year-old patriarch of the family greeting shoppers in the Apple House and the matriarch rocking in the morning sunlight on a nearby porch, the sense of family is ever-present. “We want this place to be the family farm,” said Valerie Reid Reel, who oversees all special events such as weddings, birthday parties, receptions and music festivals. Little did her mom Kathy know that in high school, Valerie’s friends were coming in the back road as she was leaving out the front. “I was just practicing (as the events coordinator),” Valerie said with an audible giggle.

The orchard is truly a family affair. Four separate Reid families run the 200+-acre orchard. To do that successfully, they have had to diversify. In addition to the “events” component, son Brad manages the satellite stores, and is learning the farm operation; daughter Katie uses her degree in business horticulture to oversee the production of the Proven Winners flowers (spring and fall), in addition to helping manage the Apple House’s retail sales and Farmers’ Market sales.

“They all play an integral part in the orchard itself. Without that, we couldn’t do all this. Billy (the dad) can only do so much,” Kathy said. They rely on word of mouth communication—not formal team meetings—and hard work. Brad and Billy start as early as 6 a.m. and work late, with Katie and Valerie arriving as early as 7 a.m. Although Billy is more “in the middle of what goes on than anybody,” Kathy said that she does what others don’t want to do, making the store pretty and sweetening it up with her fudge-making and management of the Apple Festival (Oct. 19-20). With a whopping 27,000 attendance over the two-day span, the 27-year-old Apple Festival acts as a community-wide family affair, attracting visitors from multiple states. Clearly, there’s not a lot of down time on the farm. The family pulls together and offers to do what needs to be done, regardless of whether it’s in their so-called job description or whether it’s the weekend.

The upside to all the hard work? “For me, my family is here…all my kids are here, all my grandkids are here at this point. We’re all together. If you need help, just make a phone call and someone will come running,” Kathy said.

Clay & Russ Wilkey
Clay & Russ Wilkey

About four miles east on Second Street (across from Famous Bistro, another family business) resides the Wilkey-Wilson law firm in which father Russ Wilkey and son Clay practice law. In 2011, Clay moved back to Owensboro, back into the home where he had grown up, and back to the yard that he once resented mowing. He had been commuting from Lexington to Frankfort where he served as a public defender. Clay asked his mom if she thought his dad would have room for him in the practice. “Oh, he would find room for you in a heartbeat,” said his mom (Amy). That he did.

Clay practices primarily in the areas of criminal defense and family law; Russ and his law partner Steven Wilson concentrate in bankruptcy, personal injury and social security cases. The upside of working with his dad? “He’s not a jerk,” Clay said emphatically. “Maybe not every father and son could work together, but Dad and I have always been close…we have lunch over there every Sunday. Anytime I need anything, if it’s personal, professional or otherwise, I know I can call my mom or my dad… ” Clay said.

Clay says that he’s probably not the most loyal of associates, and that his dad probably lets him get away with things he might not allow of another junior associate. Although he tries to not take unfair advantage, he chuckled as he said, “I probably do.”

If they need a vacation, they take one; if one of them needs a Friday off, they take it. That’s one of the sweeter advantages of working in a small family business. Steven and Clay are actually fourth cousins.
What is the upside of working with your son? “I’m looking for it. Maybe in the course of this interview, it will come out,” said Russ. Clay noted that sarcasm does not translate well in print.

It was not a given that Clay would come into the family business, although he had adopted his dad’s trademark bowtie and beard. So what is the secret to a family business? “Gosh, having a forgiving father,” said Russ, with gentle humor. More seriously, Clay said, “If the personal relationship stays intact, then the business relationship is going to follow.”

From a dad’s perspective, “The upside has to be that you get to spend time with someone you love… It was once observed that women work face to face; men work shoulder to shoulder. That’s how you relate to each other… out of those shared experiences comes a closeness that you value,” Russ said.

“Clay did not come in here with a sense of entitlement; he has worked very hard from day one.” That work ethic runs deep. “Both these guys (Clay and Steven) come in early, stay late, work nights and weekends…” Russ said. He underscored the necessity of an unwavering work ethic: “It would not do well for me to get here at 8 and Clay to stroll in at 10.”

Family businesses abound and seem to thrive in Owensboro. “We’re not the only father-son or parent-child relationship in the practice of law, the practice of medicine or practice of accounting,” Russ pointed out, while easily naming business upon family business within a stone’s throw of theirs. With retirement or semi-retirement in the not-too-distant future, Russ spoke to the heart of the issue: “You know that whatever you’ve built up gets carried on by someone who’s concerned about it, so you feel like you’ve created something that has a life beyond you.”

Next Post
Seeking Refuge

Seeking Refuge

The Bluegrass Roots

The Bluegrass Roots

Jack Wells is Building a Better City

Jack Wells is Building a Better City

FEATURED POST

The Eric Group Brings Big-Time Entertainment to Area

May 1, 2025

Blending big flavor, big dreams, and community connection

May 8, 2025

Bravery Beyond Bullets

May 8, 2025
Homepage

Best of Owensboro 2025

May 8, 2025

EDITOR PICK'S

Bravery Beyond Bullets

May 8, 2025

Rock Bottom to Redemption

May 8, 2025

Wynonna Judd 

May 1, 2025

All Aboard for Adventure

May 1, 2025

Blending big flavor, big dreams, and community connection

May 8, 2025

What We’re Eating Now

May 1, 2025

Brushstrokes of the Bluegrass

May 8, 2025

STAY CONNECTED

  • 1.7k Followers
  • 2.4k Followers
Facebook Twitter Youtube

Category

  • Culture
  • Events
  • Features
  • Flavor
  • From the Desk of
  • Lifestyle
  • People
  • Places
  • Senior Living
  • The Arts
  • The Buzz
  • The Dish
  • The Last Word
  • The Pulse
  • The Scene
  • The Style

Owensboro Living

2624a New Hartford Rd
Owensboro, KY
270-297-1600

About Us

OwensboroLiving.com is the companion to the bi-monthly FREE magazine, Owensboro Living magazine. Here, get news on your phone, tablet, or computer. No subscription is necessary!

Copyright © 2022 Owensboro Living Magazine, a Tanner Publishing Magazine. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • The Buzz
  • Features
  • The Pulse
  • The Dish
  • The Style
  • The Scene
  • Contact

Copyright © 2022 Owensboro Living Magazine, a Tanner Publishing Magazine. All Rights Reserved

 

Loading Comments...