THE JOURNAL RECORDTuesday, Jan. 7, 2014 www.journalrecord.com Vol. 119, No. 4 • Two Sections

FAMILY-OWNED BUSINESSES

In my practice as a family/businesspsychologist, I often have discussionswith people who are struggling withtheir relationships.

In a year’s time, I have worked with afather whose son is in prison, a motherwhose son will not talk to her, a son whowants his business partner father to retireand leave and siblings who would just assoon be in a WWE match against eachother to see who gets the biggest office.

Our relationships define us, or rather,how we manage our relationships defineus. I recently worked with a family busi-ness couple whose son became veryangry with them and cut them off emo-tionally and physically. He does not callor correspond with them. Despite theirbegging and pleading, he has chosen tonot communicate directly. Indirectly, heis communicating plenty.

So the course of conversation with theparents needed to take a turn toward“Letting Go without Giving Up” on thisadult child. This concept is perhaps themost life-sustaining concept that parentsand people can learn.

Letting go has to do with acceptingothers and not being responsible ordependent on their behavior for our well-being. As we get older, often we make therealization that we don’t need others tobe a certain way so that we can feel OKabout ourselves. Sometimes, that realiza-tion doesn’t happen and the result is usu-ally a string of manipulations rangingfrom changing our wills to ostracizingothers to punish them. This is basicallythe childish remedy of kicking people outof our sandbox because they won’t playby our rules. In the case of family busi-ness, the sandbox can be ownership ofthe company or inclusion in the familycircle. I see it all the time in my work.

I am convinced that people reallydon’t want to resort to kicking theirloved ones out of the sandbox. They justdon’t know how else to manage theirhurt and anger.

Next month, in the second part of thisseries, we will explore the power of“Allow and Do Nothing” as it relates toothers’ behavior.

Alan Campbell is director of FamilyBusiness Resources. He works with profes-sional advisers to family businesses includ-ing attorneys, financial advisers and certi-fied public accountants.

GuestCOLUMN

AlanCAMPBELL

Letting gowithoutgiving up

BY DAVID PAGETHE JOURNAL RECORD

TULSA – When James Stevensonwas 14, he started working afterschool at a dry cleaning business inBroken Arrow.

After graduating from highschool, he started his own dry clean-ing business in the same town. Hesold that business in the 1950s andmoved to Houston, but did not staylong in Texas.

“He sold that business after aboutsix months,” said John Rothrock, Ste -venson’s grandson. “He did not likeHouston and did not like all the traffic.”

Stevenson returned to Oklahomaand in 1959 purchased Yale Cleanersin Tulsa with his brother-in-law,Barney Bebout.

“They had about $8,000 apiece toput into the business,” Rothrocksaid. “My grandfather ran the drycleaners, and my great-uncle ran thebusiness end.”

Yale Cleaners got its name becauseit was founded by James Hodges in1944 at 1110 S. Yale in Tulsa. It contin-ues operating today under the direc-tion of Stevenson’s family. Stevenson’sson-in-law, William Rothrock Jr., ispresident. Judy Rothrock, Stevenson’sdaughter, is vice president.

All five of William Rothrock Jr.’schildren – Stevenson’s grandchildren– are involved with the 12 locations inthe Tulsa area. William Rothrock III isOwasso location owner and operator.

Curtis Rothrock is treasurer and officemanager. Jim Rothrock is supply dis-tribution manager. Kathryn Williamsis in the marketing art department.John Rothrock is vice president.

“Each of them has their ownunique talents and abilities, and theyall have an important job,” WilliamRothrock Jr. said of his five children.“It is incredible to work with yourfamily every day.”

Since the purchase by Stevensonand his brother in 1959, Yale Cleanershas expanded, downsized andexpanded again to adjust to a chang-ing market, John Rothrock said.

When Stevenson and BarneyBebout purchased the business, it hadfour locations. By the 1970s, YaleCleaners operated one centralizeddry-cleaning facility and 22 drop loca-tions. Customers would drop off theirclothing and it was transported to thecentral facility, then the clean clotheswould be transported back to the sitesfor customers to pick up.

But in the 1970s, federal regula-tions for dry cleaners were changingand the market was changing, JohnRothrock said. And in 1979 Bar -ney Bebout retired. Jerry Stevenson, abrother of James Stevenson, joined thecompany. During the same time,William Rothrock Jr., James Ste -venson’s son-in-law, also began work-ing in the family business.

They realized that the businessmodel needed to be transformed,John Rothrock said.

“My grandfather had some ideasand my dad had some ideas,” he said.“They transformed the businessmodel. We went from a centralizedapproach to a decentralized approach.”

It took about 15 years.All of the 22 drop-off stores

closed. A uniform company was soldin 2010.

Today, Yale Cleaners operates 12locations with the dry cleaning per-formed on-site. The company hasabout 150 employees.

“Our goal was to create and devel-op neighborhood dry cleaning plantsto better serve our customers,” JohnRothrock said. “We were able to offersame-day service. We were not trans-porting clothing.”

All 12 locations offer same-dayservice. A customer can drop off drycleaning by noon and it will be readyfor pickup by 5 p.m.

Yale Cleaners is now operated bythe second and third generations.James Stevenson retired in 1999 andJerry Stevenson retired in 2010.

While the business had changed,the challenges continue for the cur-rent generation, John Rothrocksaid.

“We have to work through thesame challenges every business hastoday – staffing, health care, technol-ogy and social media,” he said. “Wehave invested a lot in technology. Were-engineered our equipment our-selves. All that has helped us staycompetitive in the marketplace.”

JohnRothrock,WilliamRothrock Jr.and JimRothrock ofYale Cleanersat their BrokenArrowlocation. PHOTO BY RIPSTELL

Still pressing onFamily dry cleaning business going strong in third generation

Jeff LeBeau works on a boomerang in his shop at Big Daddy Boomerangsin Springfield, Mass. AP PHOTO/SPRINGFIELD REPUBLICAN, MARK M. MURRAY

Mass. family buildsboomerang business

BY KATHRYN ROYTHE SPRINGFIELD REPUBLICAN

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) – He hasn’tquit his day job yet, but a Springfieldengineer is hoping to grow his grass-roots boomerang business. JeffreyLeBeau, an engineer who started BigDaddy Boomerangs about a year ago,has involved his whole family in hisbusiness, with his three sons testing outhis new designs and his wife, KariLeBeau, painting designs on them.

Jeffrey LeBeau said he first discov-ered boomerangs, the curved-shapedlightweight devices that return to thethrower if thrown just right, when hewas a teenager. He was in a science mu-seum in Canada when he discovered abook on making boomerangs in the giftshop.

“I started dabbling in it, makingsome cross stick-type boomerangs,” hesaid. “I got them to work, and sharedthem with my friends at that time.”

He then didn’t pick up a boom erangfor years, until he was married withthree boys, and wanted to share his lovefor boomerangs with his children.

“My kids (ages 11, 12 and 14) calledme ‘Big Daddy’ growing up, so that’show I got the name for the business,”LeBeau said. “They are my producttesters. They’ll help me design differ-ent shapes and colors. It’s a family busi-ness.”

The boys and their mother paint thewooden boomerangs after LeBeaucarves them and tests them.

“The kids help out with some newideas for shapes,” he said.

Kari LeBeau helps with painting.Big Daddy will create custom paint de-signs by request for customers.

Kari, whose passion is throwingpottery, said she doesn’t love boom -erangs quite as much as her husbanddoes, but she enjoys contributing to the

artistic aspect of the boom erangs heproduces.

“I love painting and being a part ofthat process,” she said. “And he is agreat role model for our boys. Withevery fair, with every order, with everyminute he spends in his ‘boom shop,’ heshows our children it’s never too late tochase your passions.”

LeBeau’s sport wooden boomerangis made out of Baltic birch plywood. Hesaid it’s a good material for beginnerboomerangs, rather than competitionlevel boomerangs, which he hasn’t at-tempted yet.

“I really want to introduce peopleto the sport,” he said. “Teaching themthat they really work – that’s part of theexcitement.”

LeBeau said a boomerang can bemade out of almost any shape.

“The key is to have proper ratios ofwidth to length for the wing, he said.“(There’s also) the thickness of thewing and the air foil shape. There is alot of science to it. “

He said there’s a lot of trial anderror.

“I’ve had a bunch that don’t work,”he said. “I either abandon it or I re-toolit. But for the models that do work,which give me results I’m happy with,I make a template of. I use power tools,but they’re all hand shaped, unique anddifferent.”

In addition to Big Daddy’s woodenboomerangs, LeBeau created a boom -er ang that folds up and fits in a pocket.

“I came up with the idea because Iwanted portability,” he said. “I had adifferent product line with plastic andI can’t put it in my pocket. I wantedsome to carry with me while I’m outhiking, at the beach or at the park.”

He envisions the three-wing PocketBoom as a popular, new, backyardgame.

“Instead of playing Frisbee or lawn

FAMILY BUSINESSES