The Austin Family Business Program is self-sustaining and exists because of the support of the family business community. Donors that have made a major impact include Ken and Joan Austin, the Coleman family, and Bill Lane. Since its inception in 1985, the Austin Family Business Program has been fortunate to receive funding from individuals, family businesses, foundations, and corporate sponsors.
Austin Family Business Program
The Program is named for Ken and Joan Austin, owners of A-dec, Inc. in Newberg, Oregon. Their generous gift of $1 million means that OSU will assist family businesses long into the future. They are joined by over one hundred donors who have contributed to our endowment and through annual gifts.
A.E. Coleman Chair in Family Business
The A.E. Coleman Chair in Family Business was established in 1999 to provide sustained leadership for the Austin Family Business Program. The gift, from sons Dick, Jim and John Coleman and their families, was presented in recognition of Alfred E. Coleman's (their father) unrelenting drive, determination, courage and integrity, which were exemplified during his lifetime and were the foundations of his success in business.
L.W. "Bill" Lane, Jr. Distinguished Lecturers in Family Business
Committed to providing exceptional learning opportunities to family business students, each year we bring one or more distinguished business owners to the classroom, in person or by satellite, to deliver a lecture and discuss their experiences. These lectures were initiated in 1990, when Bill Lane, former co-owner and publisher of Sunset magazine, spent several days in residence, teaching classes and meeting individually with students. Bill then generously provided funding to establish the Distiguished Lecture in Family Business series.
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