When you think of dads passing down their businesses, most would immediately assume that the business is being passed down to a son.
It is becoming more and more prevalent for fathers to select their daughters as heir apparent to their thrones recognizing that capability, ability, and knack for success isn’t gender specific.
BlackEnterprise.com salutes these fathers who have recognized that daughters are bosses too. Check out these black business duos below.
- Father: Curtiss Harris
Daughter: Lynn Harris Farmer
Business: Milwaukee Black Business L.L.C. – Businessman Curtiss Harris teamed up with his daughter, business consultant and former Fortune 500 marketing executive, Lynn Harris Farmer, to launch Milwaukee Black Business, a digital directory to link consumers to black-owned businesses in the Milwaukee area.
- Father: Garth C. Reeves
Daughter: Rachel J. Reeves
Business: The Miami Times – Rachel J. Reeves is the current publisher of The Miami Times, one of the oldest black newspapers in the U.S. (founded 1923). The publication was passed down to Reeves from her father, Garth C. Reeves who took the reins from his father, Harry Ethelbert Sigismund Reeves. Rachel Reeves became publisher and CEO of The Miami Times in 1994 following the untimely death of her brother, Garth C. Reeves Jr.
- Father: John H. Johnson
Daughter: Linda Johnson Rice
Business: Johnson Publishing Co. Â – Linda Johnson Rice is the chairman of Johnson Publishing Co., publisher of EBONY and JET magazines and the parent company to Fashion Fair Cosmetics. The company was founded in 1942 by her father, John H. Johnson, who grew the company into becoming the largest African American-owned media company in the U.S. Daughter, Linda Rice became president of the company at age 29.
- Father: William DeBerry McKissack
Daughter: Cheryl McKissack Daniel
Business: McKissack & McKissack – Â Civil engineer Cheryl McKissack Daniel is the president and CEO of McKissack & McKissack, the oldest minority- and woman-owned design and construction firm in the nation. McKissack Daniel inherited the firm from her father, William DeBerry McKissack, who inherited from his father Moses McKissack, who founded the family business in 1905. As president and CEO, McKissack Daniel serves as Project Executive on all of her firm’s high profile projects.
- Father: Ephraim Benton
Daughter: Amber Benton
Business: Daddy Daughter Publishing – Amber Benton is the now 12-year-old co-founder and partner of Daddy Daughter Publishing along with her father Ephraim Benton. The two started the publishing company when Amber was 7 years old with stories to share. The duo began releasing books in June 2011.
There are more families changing the face of black business, we’re sure. Please do share in the comments below and let’s recognize those who recognize that a woman at the head of the boardroom table is exactly where she should be.