Local businessmen are looking to their daughters when handing over the reins to the family business.
Jim Burnley and his daughter, Michelle Rondinelli, are co-owners of Kitchen Kettle Foods, which is par
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Dana and Jay Chryst walk through the shipping warehouse at The
Jay Group's corporate headquarters in
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Kristen and Ray Hottenstein relax for a moment together in the kitchen at Olde Greenfield Inn.
It's not because they're daddy's girls. They've proved their mettle.
Michelle Rondinelli, 30, is co-owner and managing director of Kitchen Kettle Foods, part of Kitchen Kettle Village, founded by her grandparents.
She worked odd jobs at the tourist magnet in Intercourse since age 9, and studied business management and marketing at York College.
But even her degree and experience didn't guarantee her a spot on the payroll.
Her father, co-owner Jim Burnley, told her, "You're welcome to come back, but you have to find a way to pay for yourself," he said. "We're not just going to make a position."
He was rooting for her, though, and glad she met the challenge. "I hoped she'd come back," Burnley said.
Jay Chryst says he never had his daughter, Dana Chryst, in mind to succeed him at The Jay Group, which he founded in 1965.
He, too, gave his daughter a variety of jobs as she was growing up and insisted she work in his sales force rather than interior design after college.
But he wasn't "trying to build a family business, just a business," he said.
He admits he was surprised that in almost every job she showed talent. "I've been a pretty chauvinistic guy," he said.
He gave a speech to all employees in 1990, describing a dramatic change in management style and policies that were necessary for the company's future success.
After the speech, he realized he'd described a corporate culture that Dana could implement and lead. She was named president the following year and is now chief executive and principal owner.
Mike Mascuch didn't just hand over the keys for Mike's Radiator Aid to his daughter when he retired in 2003.
Shawn Mascuch bought the business as any other successor would. And she had the experience to run it.
"I always wanted it," she said. "But I had to earn it because [the automotive business] is a predominantly male world."
"I started with [my father] when I was 13 years old, when he taught me how to solder a radiator together," she said. Seeing a teenage girl in a red jumpsuit under a car hood was a curiosity to most people, she said.
Mascuch, who says her age is "29 forever," is now sole proprietor of the shop on Manheim Pike, which she renamed Mike & Daughter Radiator Aid.
Kristen Hottenstein's talent and enthusiasm have moved her up the ladder since making deserts in sixth grade at Revere Tavern, where her father, Ray Hottenstein was manager.
In 1991, Hottenstein and his wife, Sue, bought Olde Greenfield Inn, where their daughter continued her climb.
Kristen Hottenstein has done everything from bussing tables to loading catering orders to helping build the new bar.
She is controller of the company, which has a gross annual revenue of $3 million. And she's earned another promotion.
"This year, I'm going to take her in as a partner. ... I don't think she knows how much I trust her," her dad said. "She's the future of the company. I know she'll have success."
Though these businesswomen didn't get a pass for being daddy's girls, the family ties do have their benefits.
Having capable daughters on board keeps businesses progressive and interesting for their fathers, who say they aren't quite ready to retire.
And the successors are positioned for a seamless transition and reap the benefits of experienced counsel by sharing the driver's seat for a while.
When his daughter came back to Kitchen Kettle Village, "I had been in the business 30 years, and it started getting a little old," Burnley said. "But having her here makes it fresh."
"He has the history, yet I have the energy and the new ideas," Rondinelli said.
Kristen Hottenstein is reaching out to a younger market at Old Greenfield Inn. "We did the new bar to get that 30-to-45 age group to think about coming in here, and having drinks and appetizers, not just catering," she said.
She's also started "wine dinners" about every six weeks. The five- or six-course meals are complemented with wines and representatives from her wine distributors to educate the patrons. The last event drew 72 people.
Shawn Mascuch has expanded her father's radiator business to provide full automotive services.
"Times have changed. You've got to be more diversified," she said. "You can't be specialized."
And none of the daughters are chomping at the bit for their fathers' retirement. They are savoring the experience.
"You have a whole different level of relationship," Rondinelli said.
"What a gift it is to be able to spend this kind of time with my dad," Dana Chryst said.
Shawn Mascuch still goes to her dad for advice, even though he's stepped into full retirement. "I always want him to be a part of it," she said.
"My dad never thought that his daughter would be taking over his business someday," she said. "He's very proud that we could do that."
Jeannette Scott is a Sunday News staff writer. Contact her at jscott@lnpnews.com or at 291-8689.
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