Van Vleck Ranch marks 160th year in business; Taylor Brothers Farms celebrates centennial

The Family Business Association of California today honored two of its member companies for celebrating 100 years or more as family-owned companies this year.

The Van Vleck Ranch in Rancho Murieta was founded in 1856 and is marking its 160th anniversary in 2016, while Taylor Brothers Farms in Yuba City is celebrating its centennial this year.

Robert Rivinius, FBA’s executive director, said the two major milestones demonstrate that even in an increasingly unfriendly business environment, well-run family-owned companies can stand the test of time.

“Family businesses are the backbone of our economy. Our state’s 1.4 million family businesses employ 7 million people and create three-quarters of all new jobs,” Rivinius said. “But only 30 percent of family businesses make it to the second generation and just 3 percent operate at the fourth generation and beyond. For Van Vleck Ranch and Taylor Brothers Farms to have beaten those odds and thrived for 100 years or more is a major accomplishment.”

Van Vleck ranch is now owned by Stan Van Vleck, the fifth generation of his family to own the historic ranch, which now specializes in super-premium beef for top-tier restaurants. Taylor Brothers Farms is co-owned by brothers Richard and John, the third generation of Taylors to farm the rich soils of Sutter County. The company specializes in organic prune products.

Rivinius also noted that two Bay Area family businesses – The Advisory Group, a San Francisco-based wealth management and 401k advisory company and Cal Color Growers of Morgan Hill, a wholesale plant nursery – are marking their 25th anniversaries this year (See press release here).

But he cautioned that ever-higher state and federal taxes and regulatory burdens are making it harder every year for businesses to remain family-owned. “

Too many politicians pay lip service to the importance of family businesses in our communities, but then vote to make it more difficult for families to pass these businesses on to the next generation,” Rivinius said. “Whether it’s proposing to boost estate tax rates or constantly increasing regulations on how businesses can operate, unless there’s a change in attitude in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., fewer and fewer family companies will be celebrating milestone anniversaries like these in the years to come.”

For more information about the family businesses being honored, visit www.vv-ranch.com, http://www.taylorbrothersfarms.com, http://www.advisorygroupsf.com, and https://www.facebook.com/Cal-Color-Growers-229724310487436/

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