Family Business of the Decade

Advertising Supplement to the Business Courier
August 28, 2009

GOERING CENTER FOR FAMILY & PRIVATE BUSINESS, FAMILY BUSINESS OF THE DECADE
More than one hundred years ago, Albert Steinhauser started Steinhauser, Inc. as a small printing company in his garage. Today, led by brother Trevor Steinhauser and his sister Tara Steinhauser Halpin, the company has successfully been transferred through four generations of family members. Despite being a small business, with only twenty-two employees, Steinhauser, Inc. has the capabilities and knowledge to compete with bigger competitors, bringing in sales close to $7 million in 2008.

Steinhauser’s mission is to “ensure its future success and existence by contributing to the success of our customers by providing them with state-of-the-art Technology, Customer Service, Craftsmanship and Quality; creating a healthy and secure work environment for our employees; following the best practice principles of our industry; and being a charitable and environmentally responsible corporate citizen.

Steinhauser considers its greatest accomplishment over the past decade as having a successful transition from the third generation. Today’s generation is the first to have two owners. However, according to Trevor Steinhauser, “having multiple directors really hasn’t changed the dynamic of the company. My sister and I get along well – we have good communication and the same goals and objectives.”

Despite being the fourth generation of the Steinhauser family to run the business, Trevor claims there was really no pressure growing up to be involved in the business. “We were always involved in working in it, but choosing to work here was always what we wanted to do.”

Mr. Steinhauser believes that the business managed to survive for over a century because of the company’s values, integrity, and common goals, along with having good succession and transition planning. “This has never been a place for dictatorship. We foster teamwork. There are a lot of people who you can learn from in the business world, and we have learned a lot from opening doors to our employees,” he states.

Trevor and Tara lost their father to cancer in 2006. With the help of their outside Board of Directors and the Goering Center, they managed to overcome their loss and focus optimistically on what’s next for Steinhauser, Inc. As co-presidents of the company, they sold a non-profitable division of their business and now focus on premium packaging solutions for the health & beauty, food & beverage, and household industries. In the future, the firm plans on having multiple children involved for the fifth generation. They also hope to see their business double in the next five years.

Recognized as a corporation that is committed to supplier diversity, Steinhauser, Inc. is certified as a women’s business enterprise through the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the nation’s largest third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women in the U.S. Tara has also served as President of the Episcopal Church Women’s Group for the past four years while Trevor is an active member of the Ft. Thomas Lions Club.