Purdue News

October 9, 1998 Family-business expert to give Eva Goble Lecture WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- A national expert on family-owned businesses will speak at Purdue University on Oct. 29 about family issues and business considerations that affect the success of family firms. Richard L. Narva, co-founder of Genus Resources Inc., will discuss "Family Business: The Money Tree or an Extra Mouth to Feed?" for the 1998 Eva Goble Lecture sponsored by Purdue's School of Consumer and Family Sciences and the Department of Child Development and Family Studies. The program will start at 8:15 p.m. in the North Ballroom of the Purdue Memorial Union. The lecture is free but seating is limited, so reservations should be made by Oct. 21 by calling 1-800-535-7303 or (756) 494-7890. The evening also will include a recognition of the fifth anniversary of the founding of Purdue's Center for Families. Narva contends that the economic impact of family-owned businesses is underestimated. "An absence of data on family businesses and a cultural bias toward individual entrepreneurs obscures the role family-controlled enterprises play in job creation and economic growth in America," he said. He is co-founder and principal consultant of Genus Resources in Needham, Mass., a consulting firms to family-owned businesses. An attorney specializing in corporate mergers and acquisitions, he is also president of Morton Shoe Co. He is the third generation in his family to head that company, which was founded by his grandfather in 1921. Narva pioneered continuing progressive education on family business topics. He was instrumental in founding the International Family Business Program Association, the international organization of university administrators and faculty in university-based business programs. This is the seventh Eva Goble Lecture honoring the dean emerita of the School of Consumer and Family Sciences and her contributions to the people of Indiana. Goble was dean from 1967 to 1973. Among her accomplishments, she maximized the Cooperative Extension Service's extensive network to better acquaint people across the state with Purdue. Goble also was instrumental in establishing the Twin Pines cooperative house. In 1972, she was the first recipient of Purdue's prestigious Hovde Award. CONTACTS: Narva, (781) 444-9200; e-mail, Rnarva@genusresources.com; or Cheryl Altinkemer, director of development and alumni relations for the School of Consumer and Family Sciences, (765) 494-7890 Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page