Sibling rivalries are tough enough when they play out over family get-togethers and holiday dinners, but the stakes are even higher when the family reunion is every day from nine to five.

Despite the risks, families all over the world chose to set those rivalries aside and go into business together. According to the Boston-based Family Firm Institute, family-owned businesses make up 80 percent to 90 percent of all enterprises in North America. They employ 62 percent of the U.S. workforce and contribute 64 percent of the gross domestic product.

But for most, keeping kin together for the long haul is difficult: Only 30 percent of family businesses survive into the second generation. Just 12 percent make it to the third generation and 3 percent into the fourth.

Central Ohio is home to family businesses of all shapes and sizes. Columbus C.E.O. talked with the owners of six of them-from fourth-generation Ray Insurance to the husband-and-wife team who run Signature Worldwide-about their successes and struggles.

For these business owners, working with family can sometimes be challenging, but it's always rewarding.

Converse Electric

After growing up in a family business, venturing out into nonfamily spheres can be exhilarating, but also frustrating. For siblings Chris Converse and Laura Haines, the experience only emphasized the advantages of working for third-generation Converse Electric.

"It was something, as a young kid, that I took for granted because the company was always around and I didn't realize the true value of it," says the 32-year-old Chris, vice president of operations. "It wasn't until I got outside of the company. É I did work in a corporate structure and I saw what that's like, and it makes you realize the value of working in family business."

"I think you can get more out of the day-to-day-even the little victories-in a family business than you can in a corporate setting. You can high-five anyone in this building about getting that small job, because we're all family," says Laura, 34, warehouse manager.

Converse was founded in 1960 by Chris and Laura's grandfather, Clark Converse, who had worked for another contractor, the now-defunct F.A. Davis & Sons Electric, for 27 years.

Clark's son Jerry, now the company's president, came on board in 1967 after a stint in the U.S. Army. At the time, the company employed just one other person. By the end of 1974, when Clark retired to Florida, the company had 17 employees.

Some workers were looking to take on more responsibility. "That was one of the main reasons I grew, because I didn't want to lose good people, so I could move them up," Jerry, 63, says. But, "My dad didn't like me growing, so we came to an agreement and I bought him out." Today, Grove City-based Converse employs about 100.

Both Laura and Chris worked with their father, Jerry, throughout childhood and high school. Laura did payroll and receptionist work after college, then worked in customer service at Mettler Toledo for five years before returning to Converse in 2006.

Chris moved to Dallas, working as a cameraman and editor for Video Works and a manger at Borders bookstore. He joined Converse in 2000, working his way up the ranks. "I was an electrician. I was a foreman. I was a project manager. I was a field supervisor. And I think I still have all those business cards. I worked my way through the company," he says.

Recently, Jerry transferred substantial control of the company to Chris-a transition the elder Converse says has been fairly easy. "Chris worked in the field and worked his way up, and he earned the respect of all the field people and he earned the respect of our clients," Jerry says. "In fact, I didn't even know what jobs he was on because I didn't assign him. Somebody else did."

"He had a well-thought-out succession plan, and starting me off and letting me work my way up was really the right way of doing it," Chris says. "I understand why people respect him and it's through work ethic and hard work. É There's probably not a major decision that I make-professionally or personally-that I don't think, 'What would my father do?' "

Jerry credits Chris for helping the company evolve into newer technologies. "My son brought us into the 21st century," Jerry says. "Our project managers take their computers out into the field now and they can be out there getting information right on the job site, which was never imaginable to me."

All three Converses prefer the warm, family atmosphere to a corporate workplace. "Laura greets me with a hug and a kiss every morning. She's always got a smile on her face, and it just perks up my day from minute one," Jerry says. "Having Chris take over É puts a smile on my face from ear to ear. I'm very proud of both of them. I can't imagine not working in that type of environment."

Dianne Lutsko, office manager and controller and a 15-year Converse employee, says she can't help but feel like a part of the family, too: "[Jerry] doesn't just hire people, he adopts them. Our well-being is very important to Jerry, and that's a mindset he has now passed on to his kids."

Heinzerling Foundation

Otto and Mildred Heinzerling launched the Heinzerling Foundation in 1959 after learning that the state of Ohio did not provide care for children under age 6 with severe and profound mental retardation. Hoping to meet the needs of those children and their families, the couple mortgaged their home and opened a 12-bed facility-then called Peck O' Wee Ones-on East Broad Street in Whitehall.

"That's how Otto and Mildred got the organization off the ground, because in Franklin County there was that immediate need for some families that had children whose needs were much more than they could handle at home," says Robert E. Heinzerling, the founders' grandson and executive director of the foundation.

Demand quickly proved greater than the Heinzerlings' space and resource limitations. Still, they managed to make room for 30 people. The couple hoped to build a larger facility, but they passed away-Mildred in 1967 and Otto in 1973-leaving that task to their son, Dr. Robert A. Heinzerling, who was appointed executive director after Otto's death.

The nonprofit's board of trustees had a decision to make: Would they take the organization to the next level or close the doors? "They decided to do some fundraising and develop plans to open the building we're in now," says 43-year-old Robert, the son of Robert A. Heinzerling.

Today, the foundation operates from a 22,400-square-foot, 104-bed facility on Heinzerling Drive in southwest Columbus. In 1982-three years after that building opened-the foundation opened a second site across the street for adult care services, also licensed for 104 beds.

"We're full almost all the time, but we do have the occasional turnover. And there's always a small waiting list of individuals waiting to receive services," Robert says.

While Robert is the only family member still involved with day-to-day operations, his mother, Kathryn Heinzerling, and sister Linda Heinzerling both sit on the board of trustees.

Kathryn, 76, a trustee since 1963, served as executive director from her husband, Robert A.'s, death in 1989 until her retirement in 2001. In the organization's early days, Kathryn-a former nurse and nursing instructor-and Mildred often made rounds together, discussing residents' medical situations

Linda, who works part time as a nurse at Nationwide Children's Hospital, says their medical experience can be an asset. "You understand when staff members come to talk to the board about issues. É As a nurse, it's helpful to have that background to discuss these issues and be able to troubleshoot some things or help design new policies or procedures they may want to use on a day-to-day basis," Linda, 46, says.

In the past, the board was more family-dominated. In addition to Kathryn and her husband, it included the founders' two daughters, Judyth Heinzerling Clarkson and JoAnn Heinzerling Buya, and JoAnn's husband, Wallace Buya.

Robert says the board has changed over the years to incorporate different perspectives. "It's very diversified, meaning we have a well-balanced professional group, and each individual has something to offer the board from his or her own professional experience," he says.

Despite growing and changing over the years, the foundation's fundamentals have remained the same. "It's a wonderful place for the residents, with nurses and staff just devoted to their care," says Dr. Willard Fernald, the foundation's medical director for 50 years. "A number of the nurses have been here for 25 years, and we all know the children very well. It's a joy to be able to work here."

That dedication to children started with Otto and Mildred, Kathryn says. "When [Otto and Mildred] started Peck O' Wee Ones, the only time we ever saw them was when we went out there on weekends. É [They] would stay out there overnight on weekends and they had cots in the closet they would pull out and sleep on," she says.

Their compassion has passed from generation to generation, Linda says. "I just remember that they loved my grandfather and he was always there-he really did care for those kids-and they would hold his hand or kiss his hand," she says. "Now, I'm seeing that with [Robert]. I think that a lot of the families feel comfortable leaving their children here because they know that the people here really care about them. It's not just a job, it's a calling."

Robert agrees: "Everyone who works here, especially those with a long tenure, are really grounded by family and have roots here. Everyone kind of feels like this is a family organization because we're taking care of people. We're taking care of other families' loved ones."

Northstar Cafes

Plenty of college students have pie-in-the-sky dreams about what their futures hold. Kevin and Katy Malhame, the husband-and-wife team behind Columbus's Northstar Cafes, took what could have been just idle chitchat and made careers of it.

The two met as freshmen at Washington University in St. Louis. Kevin studied English literature; Katy, a Columbus native, majored in management and human resources. "Everyone has dreams in college, and we'd have conversations about loving food and making it a career," Kevin says.

A few short years-and a wedding-later, they did just that. Post-graduation, both worked in the food industry; in 2004, shortly before turning 27, they opened their own restaurant, Northstar Cafe, in the Short North. "It took a certain amount of youthful stupidity to do this kind of thing," says Kevin.

Soon, they were joined by Kevin's brother Darren, who left a position as a corporate litigator at a Washington, D.C. law firm. "Being a hired gun É wasn't something I was passionate about, and this is something that, four years on, I'm passionate about," he says.

Darren, 34, now serves as the business's executive director; Kevin and Katy, both 32, hold the title of founders. Another family member-Katy's sister Chelly Montgomery-served as benefits administrator until going on maternity leave late last year.

"The best thing about working with family is that it's easier to get candid, honest opinions. There's a level of understanding and trust that's unparalleled," Kevin says. "The biggest challenge may be-for me, at least-is that sometimes the way in which we communicate feels more like a family dinner table than a work environment. Defining the boundaries between work and pleasure is tough for us."

Darren says he enjoys being part of a family business "because I spend most of my working hours working with not just colleagues that I love, but family members that I love-that's a great feeling."

The downside, Katy says, is that they have to make a concerted effort to stop the shop talk. "Sometimes it's hard to turn it off, but that's OK. We just agreed we have to stop talking about work right before going to sleep."

The Malhames' extended family has helped model how family businesses can operate successfully, Darren says. His and Kevin's father, John, has long worked with their aunt Renee Merhige at MJM International, an insurance company; their older brother, Michael, also works at the company, which is Northstar's insurance provider. And Katy's mother, Betsy Fahrbach, helped out at the offices of her father, Jim Fahrbach, an orthodontist. Seeing such examples of success "gave me confidence that it works," Kevin says.

In the five years since opening their first restaurant, the Malhames have opened two more and will soon add a fourth. A Clintonville Northstar debuted in 2007; Third & Hollywood, a more sophisticated concept, opened in Grandview Heights in May. A third Northstar is in the works at Easton.

The restaurants employ about 150 people, including 20 or so at the management level. "Really, the vision of the business initially came from Kevin and Katy, and trying to improve on their vision really drives things and helps us to direct the day-to-day operations," Darren says. "They had-and continue to have-the guts to be unconventional in their thinking." For instance, the Malhames put a high priority on local, organic, sustainable and artisan-made food, categories that represent about 60 percent to 70 percent of what they serve; Darren is board president of the Ohio Ecological Food & Farm Association.

The Malhames are nearly as well-known for the aesthetic sensibility of their eateries as they are for the food being served up. Design of the Short North's Northstar was one of the first projects Andrew Rosenthal, principal of Gieseke Rosenthal Architecture + Design, took on when he set up shop. "It seemed super-exciting. It seemed cool. They seemed really smart and energetic, and it seemed different than things I had seen or heard of," he says.

Working with the Malhames is a "vigorous exercise É in a good way," says Rosenthal. "They are the most detail-oriented, hardest-working clients I've ever come across in 15 years of working as an architect," he says. "At this point, the results are so consistently good, it's hard to critique the way they run their business."

The Malhames say it's the people who push squeegees, make and serve the food, and ensure the restaurants run smoothly who deserve credit for the business's success. "It is truly a team," says Kevin. "Our kitchen and service are second to none; they're really amazing people with passion and enthusiasm." Says Katy: "Our No. 1 value as an organization is optimism. I think that helps, having a positive attitude."

Ray Insurance

The importance of client relationships is indisputable in the insurance business. But for Ray Insurance, an independent, fourth-generation agency in Upper Arlington, family relationships are even more important.

Started in 1923 by Joe Ray Sr., a former branch manager for Traveler's Insurance, Ray Insurance began as a simple, one-person concept, says Joe Ray III, vice president and grandson of the founder. The agency expanded when Joe Ray Jr. joined in 1946, selling primarily personal, commercial, property and casualty, life and health insurance.

The business has grown steadily over the years, adding depth with each new family member. Joe III joined in 1966, and his two sons came on board after college-Joe Ray IV, president, in 1995 and David Ray, a salesman, in 2005. Today, the agency has 10 employees and $7 million in annual premium volume.

"Because it is a relationship business, when you bring in producers and those producers have relationships, that helps to promote growth," Joe IV, 37, says.

Joe Sr. and Joe Jr. mostly operated independently, but today the agency is more collaborative. "It's much more of a team approach now because you have to leverage your time and your energies. As you add people, it becomes less of an individual effort," Joe III, 66, says.

Joe Sr. continued to work into his 80s and retired in the 1970s, while Joe Jr. retired at age 70 in 1991. Their descendents' career paths were influenced by the examples these first two generations set. "I looked at my father and I thought, 'Oh, this is a good job. He plays a lot of golf, he goes on vacation and he seems to make enough money to pay his bills,' " Joe III says.

"I could say the same thing," Joe IV says. "I wanted to be an available father for my kids. I wanted to be able to coach Little League and participate in my kids' school activities. Working for yourself allows you the freedom to do that."

Might a fifth generation one day take over Ray Insurance? "I think when that time comes, we will have a good business here still if they want to choose this path," Joe IV says.

Even in the Internet age, the Rays believe clients continue to value a strong, personal relationship. "Studies show that most people, even people of the younger generation, still prefer to buy from an agent," David, 27, says.

"To actually buy insurance without someone there who you trust to help you make the right decisions and the right choices-it's probably too scary for most people to just go online, push a button and hopefully you made the right picks," Joe IV says.

Receptionist Sally Moore, a 10-year Ray employee, worked for 25 years as an insurance agent with Koch Insurance Agency. When her father, John Koch, died, she sold the business to the Rays. Two years later, her doctor advised her to get out of the house and find a job. "I came back to a familiar occupation and people," Moore says. "Family businesses are unique, there's a lot of camaraderie. It's more relaxed than a big company where nobody's related to anybody. É It just makes us a little closer."

David agrees. "I think a family-operated company sort of instills family values in everybody who works here. We're flexible with employees' needs when they have a family issue arise," he says.

"I think as bosses, because we appreciate the value of those things, we're sympathetic and flexible with our employees in the same way. I think people who work here would say that we create the kind of atmosphere that values family," Joe IV says.

Signature Worldwide

Becky Wolever didn't plan to stay at Signature Worldwide for long. Instead, she intended to work at the company co-owned by her husband, Steve, and then-partner Don Farrell as a stopgap arrangement while she coped with her own job loss and the illness of a family member. That was in 1994. "I just ended up staying," she says. "I was enjoying what I was doing."

Signature was founded by Farrell in 1986 as a sales and marketing consulting company for the hotel industry. Steve came on board in 1990. When Farrell left in 2007 to start Fresh Revenues, a consulting company for entrepreneurs, the Wolevers bought him out and became majority shareholders. Steve, 63, is president and CEO and Becky, 61, is chief operating officer of the 250-employee company.

Today, Dublin-based Signature provides customer-service and other business solutions, including "secret shoppers," to clients-nearly 70 percent of whom are in the hospitality industry.

The company's big break came in 1995, when it landed a contract with Hampton Inns to provide sales and customer-service training. That snowballed into relationships with other hotels and extended Signature's reach across the globe, to eight licensed offices in 56 countries.

Certified public accountant Matt Yus-kewich has worked with Signature since 1990. He says the Wolevers have been good about not just listening to advice, but acting on it-such as hiring executive staff who can run the business in their absence and bringing on an outside advisory board. "A lot of businesspersons, entrepreneurs don't want to let go of that," Yuskewich says.

"We wanted to create the kind of company we could be proud of, and I think our children benefited from watching that," Becky says. However, she always discouraged the five Wolever children-sons Mike, 43, Brett, 32, and Christopher, 25, and daughters Amber Kellner, 35, and Heather Syrett, 34-from working there. "I tell them, 'If you work for us, you'll have to work twice as hard as anyone else in the company-I don't know why you'd want to do that to yourself,' " she says.

Becky once fired Heather when the then-college student overslept for a training session. Undeterred, Heather applied for another job with the company. After college, she worked at a health insurer before coming back on board. "Just working at another business made me appreciate how nice it is to work at Signature," she says.

Heather worked for the company full time until giving birth to daughter Gretta, now 8, and continued to work part time until 2008, when she earned a master's in school counseling. Her husband, Brian, 35, is an account executive who has worked for Signature since 1996, when the two were dating. What's it like to work for his in-laws? "There's a unique culture at Signature where I think a lot of the employees feel closely connected with the company, so I don't know that it's much different for us," he says.

Signature's employee roster also includes siblings Amber, who works part time in the information services department, and Mike, the director of sales who's worked there since 1990. Ultimately, all of the Wolever children but Brett have worked for the company, though his wife, Phyllis, a school psychologist, is a part-time secret shopper.

"The last job I applied for [at Signature], I didn't even tell my parents," says Amber. "We've been brought up to understand it's our choice, but it's going to be harder because we're family." So why do it? Credit a belief in Signature's mission. Emphasizing customer service "is either something you get, or you don't," Amber says. "It's just a better way to treat people and businesses."

Mike agrees. "I have pride in what we do. It really offers a great product and a great service, and the culture here is good. It's kind of hard to walk away from that."

Becky and Steve say their relationship has been a complementary one both in and out of the workplace. Steve manages Signature's international growth, business development and some areas of sales; Becky handles operations, overseeing the company's training program, client relationships, client delivery and human resources strategy.

Despite different responsibilities, the Wolevers "have a very common vision and a clear vision of how we wanted the company to be," says Becky. Steve credits her as "pretty much my counterbalance," he says. "She fills in where my weaknesses are; and then you've got somebody you know absolutely you can count on."

The Wallick Companies

Nearly 15 years have passed since Jack Wallick's death, but his influence on the company that bears his name remains strong. "He was someone of great integrity, who was hardworking and cared deeply about what he did," says Wallick's daughter, Julie.

Wallick formed Wallick Construction Company in 1966 to uphold the commitments of his former employer, an out-of-state contractor who had stopped working in Ohio. Soon, Wallick and colleague Sanford Goldston built a business that found its raison d'tre in the world of federally subsidized affordable housing construction, management and development. Today, the Wallick Companies operates three divisions: Wallick-Hendy Development, Wallick Construction and Wallick-Hendy Properties.

Julie and her brother, Howard, worked for Wallick for decades-he got started in property management special projects in 1979, while she joined in 1982 as a property supervisor. However, they didn't become owners until May 2006, when a trust that controlled the company stock was dissolved.

Extricating the company from the debt-ridden trust was of critical importance. "It had come to the point where the company was having some problems; it needed a change in leadership," says Howard. Wallick, he says, had strayed too far from its core business of managing affordable housing. "We had to make a choice. We wanted our father's legacy and the company to survive," says Julie.

So the Wallicks-both company principals, licensed real estate brokers and members of the advisory board and board of directors-looked for someone to put the business back on track. They found Tom Feusse, who had run a consulting company, taught at Ohio Wesleyan University and was a senior vice president at the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company. After consulting for a year (and getting advice from Goldston prior to his death in 2008), Feusse was named CEO and took on a 10 percent ownership stake. The Wallick siblings hold the remainder.

"The good news for me is they understand the business and the industry very well," Feusse says. Howard and Julie "are both intelligent, they're quick studies, and the ability to make sound and good judgments is there as well. É I'm very fortunate in that they get along really well and respect each other." Indeed, says Julie, "We work together incredibly well. We both have strengths in completely different areas and we have an incredible respect for each other."

Feusse credits three factors for the company's resurgence: the fact that multifamily affordable housing hasn't been hit as hard as the rest of the economy; a 2008 merger with Stern-Hendy Properties of Cincinnati, which beefed up its portfolio 50 percent to more than 12,000 units under management; and attitude. While other companies are looking to "just muscle through, we said, 'To heck with that.' The question was not just how do we survive, but how do we get stronger," Feusse says.

As a result, Wallick has refocused on its core business in the Midwest. Early in the decade, it expanded westward; the company still retains properties in Arizona. Wallick's 5 percent market share in Ohio makes it the largest player in the state in terms of affordable housing; Feusse is optimistic that the company can grow that percentage without reaching outside its core business. Wallick's focus, too, has shifted from building new apartment communities to managing and renovating existing properties, most of which were constructed in the 1960s to 1980s. "Really, our goal is to become the No. 1 service provider in our industry," Feusse says.

Though the Wallicks no longer live in Columbus-Howard, 52, lives with his family in Brooklyn while Julie, 50, moved to Reston, Va., three years ago-they remain heavily involved through telecommuting and making monthly visits to Wallick's Reynoldsburg headquarters.

Jack Wallick's legacy is that of doing the right thing above all else, says Howard. "I think that comes ahead of profit-we want to do the right thing by our employees and our residents. É And we share that with Tom Feusse-he's a sensational business manager, and I think he knows what our values are and he shares them."

Michelle Davey is an editorial assistant and Jennifer Wray is a staff writer for Columbus C.E.O.