BBH Family Business Leadership Speaker Series: Trials and Triumphs of Family Office Startups

Trials and Triumphs of Family Office Startups

Thursday, December 5, 2024
6:00 PM
Reception to follow
Geffen 490

Explore the Journey of Building a Family Office: Challenges, Triumphs, and Lessons

As we close out an incredible year for the Global Family Enterprise Program, we invite you to our final session of 2024 of the BBH Family Business Leadership Speaker Series: Trials and Tribulations of Family Office Startups.

This session promises a compelling exploration of the fascinating yet challenging journey families undertake when building their own single-family offices after a liquidity event. The discussion will be facilitated by Michael McGrann, our newest adjunct faculty member in the Management Division, bringing decades of experience in family enterprise and governance.

Mike will be joined by families who have navigated the complexities of creating and managing family offices, sharing candid stories of their successes, missteps, and valuable lessons. This session is not just a presentation—it’s a dialogue. You’ll have the opportunity to ask questions, share your own perspectives, and gain practical insights into:

• Understanding the role of Family Offices as dynamic organizations.
• How families integrate Family Offices into their broader enterprise and wealth strategy.
• Lessons learned from challenges in governance, operations, and alignment with family values.

Why Attend?

• Learn from real-world experiences of families who have taken this path.
• Discover strategies to approach Family Office development as an integral part of your family enterprise.
• Engage with experts and peers to broaden your understanding and refine your own approach.

Networking reception to follow.

This event is part of the BBH Family Business Leadership Speaker Series. 

Speakers

Zach Cohen

President and CEO
AMZ Management, LLC

Zachary “Zach” Cohen is the President and CEO of AMZ Management, LLC (AMZ). Zach manages all aspects of the business which has a portfolio of 57 primarily commercial and industrial properties, owned and controlled by the Shevell Family, spread out across 15 States in the New England, Mid-West, and Mid-Atlantic regions. AMZ’s portfolio niche consists of industrial real estate tenants with long term Triple Net leases, allowing it to be currently 90% debt free.

Zach has been involved with all facets of The Shevell Group consisting of trucking, real estate and logistics companies from a very young age. He gained in-depth knowledge and experience in all areas of these companies including operations, sales, management, and finance. Following his full-time employment and through his hard work, Zach quickly moved up to the executive ranks of the business. Ownership’s confidence in Zach’s entrepreneurial skills and business acumen lead to his appointment as AMZ’s President and CEO in April 2019.

Along with managing all of AMZ Management's in 2022 Zach started his Family Office AMZ Holdings (Holdings). Holdings was created as a platform to diversify the family assets away from real estate and to have a platform to invest proceeds.
Zach earned a bachelor’s degree in Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises from Syracuse University's Whitman School of Business and a master’s degree in Real Estate Finance and Development from New York University.

Andy Unanue

Founder and Managing Partner
AUA Private Equity Partners

Andy Unanue is the founder and Managing Partner of AUA Private Equity Partners, an operationally-focused, lower middle-market investment firm with expertise in supporting and growing family-owned and demographic-driven businesses. Andy is a member of AUA Private Equity’s Investment Committee, and under his leadership, AUA has deployed over $600 million of capital to date.

AUA’s business model is driven by Andy’s own family background—he is a member of the Unanue family, which owns and runs Goya Foods, the largest producer of Spanish- and Latin-American foods in the United States. Andy’s grandfather, Prudencio, founded the company in 1936, and Andy’s father, Joe, was a legendary CEO of the company himself. Andy was a leader of Goya for many years, ultimately serving as its Chief Operating Officer before founding AUA.

Andy currently serves on several corporate boards including: Raymundos Food Group and Westminster Pet. Additionally, he serves on several not-for-profit boards including his family’s charitable foundation, The C&J Unanue Foundation. Andy is a member of the University of Miami’s Dean’s Advisory Committee, the New America Alliance and is on the Columbia University Medical Center’s Board of Advisors.

Andy received his M.B.A from the Thunderbird School of Global Management and his B.B.A. from the University of Miami.

Michael McGrann (Moderator) 

Adjunct Professor, Management Division
Columbia Business School

Managing Director
BBH Center for Family Business 

Mike McGrann is a Managing Director in the BBH Center for Family Business. In this role, he helps private business owners navigate issues at the intersection of family and business and is a trusted thought partner to owners as they manage complex issues around succession, growth, and legacy preservation. 
 
Prior to joining the firm, Mike spent over 25 years working with complex multigenerational family enterprises, families of wealth, and family offices around the world providing consulting services and educational programming. He was also employed by Fidelity Investments and worked as a micro-enterprise lender in the Dominican Republic. He is also a founder of the Telos Group and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses.
 
Mike received a B.A. in economics from Cornell University and an MBA and M.A. in international studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Mike is based in the firm's Philadelphia office.

About the BBH Family Business Leadership Speaker Series

Launched in 2016, the Brown Brothers Harriman Family Business Leadership Speaker Series at Columbia Business School welcomes global family business leaders to campus to share their unique perspectives and to interact with students and alumni. The series, supported with a gift from Brown Brothers Harriman, is open to students, alumni, scholars, and friends.