Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 35

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location, the old Ferd Heck Florist building, at 1135 N. 5th Street
in Reading. It must have been destiny as Dave often commented
that he bought his first floral arrangement in 1974 for Bonita, and
every floral arrangement thereafter, from Ferd Heck Florist.
Dave retired from the military in 2011 after 36 years of service,
and officially began his first commitment to full-time employment
with the Dave Zerbe Studio of Photography. He was, after all, the
sole proprietor of the business. With this renewed opportunity to join
his wife and son, the company began expanding services to include
photography and lab services for special events, families and children,
pregnancy and newborns, dance, gymnastic and sports, school and
program portraitures, corporate and identity headshots, and product,
web, environmental, architectural and engineering shots, in addition
to the continuance of weddings and school district work.
In 2015, Dave realized that it was time to look at his business
succession plans. The studio was in full swing, and his wife and son
were extremely integral to the continuation of the business. Dave
credited his work with the Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce
for helping him realize the importance of putting a structure and
plan in place for events that no one could ever imagine. By 2016
the company had restructured to an LLC, and Chad and Bonita
were finally included as corporate officers and business owners with
a clear path to business continuation.
Sadly, Dave passed away in early 2017, but the business remains
intact and fully functional as the family had done the hard work of
business succession and continuation planning in 2016. The many
challenging issues, such as equipment ownership, who owns the
receivables and expenses, and who has access to and ownership of
business banking accounts and relationships, could all have been
headaches in one of life's most stressful times. For Chad and Bonita,
the elements of business transition were in place.
As both noted in the days following their tragedy, it was a blessing
to know the business, and their livelihoods, would continue with
minimal business interruptions. The importance of working with
professionals who really understand business structures was critical
for their business transition in Dave's death, and would not have
been as smooth without the steady guidance and expert assistance in
succession planning from their accountant, Tony Mazzo, A Mazzo
Accounting, their attorney, Russell Farbiarz, Esq., Antanavage
Farbiarz PLLC, and their bankers, Scott Gruber and Lori Johnston,
Tompkins VIST.
As with the case of the Zerbe family, it's never too early to explore
and commit to transition planning.

Thinking about succession planning, but unsure where to start? Consider the Chamber's Family
Business Alliance (FBA), a program dedicated to providing resources and support for family
businesses. In 2016-2017, we hosted a series of events and discussions on succession planning,
and have many subject matter experts available to help your business start the decisionmaking and planning process. Give us a call to explore the many resources FBA can provide to
you and your business! Contact Kim Musko, Member Services Manager, at 610-898-7778.
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017