Wilkes University’s ENT 395 Research in Entrepreneurship: Family Business in the 21^st Century students present preliminary findings from a mixed-method study conducted in 8 counties in NEPA. This project collaborated with Dr. Morgan Clevenger, Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship; Dr. Jeffrey Alves, Dean and Professor of Entrepreneurship; Dr. Ellen Newell, Assistant Professor of Psychology; and Lanie Jordan, Executive Director of the Family Business Alliance (FBA).

This research combines online and hard surveys using the Dillman, Smyth, and Christian (2009) mixed-mode method and face-to-face interviews. Family-owned business participants had to have 2 or more full time employees and $10,000 or more in capital investment; the study excluded franchises and national brands. A 15-question1:1 interview of FBA members, lapsed members, and prospects was conducted in Fall 2014 in ENT 201 Nature & Essence of Entrepreneurship. Additionally, a survey was sent to 10,000 randomly selected businesses. Pre-liminary results share interesting findings dealing with organizational culture, family dynamics, and generational transfer.