Angie McKuin is the Business Development Manager at PMS, Inc., a custom steel fabrication company serving industrial and agricultural businesses. She is a fourth-generation employee of the family business.

Family businesses face a unique challenge to honor long-standing legacies while evolving for future growth. Balancing tradition with innovation can feel like a gamble. How can the next generation bring new perspectives without disrupting what already works?

Fourth-generation employee Angie McKuin has brought diverse viewpoints and a customer-first mindset to her family’s industrial business. She emphasizes the importance of improving internal culture through enhanced employee benefits, fostering a family-like work environment, and embracing technology to double production capacity. By maintaining the company’s service-based mission while innovating for the future, Angie has created intentional change.

In this week’s episode of Industry Edge, Michelle Keckler chats with Angie McKuin, Business Development Manager at PMS, Inc., about blending legacy and leadership in a fourth-generation business. Angie discusses the value of patience in driving lasting change, how she learned to navigate a male-dominated industry, and the importance of building a strong internal culture.

Heather Stone, PhD, MBA, is the Founder and CEO of Practical PhD, a leadership consultancy that helps CEOs and their second-in-command executives build effective, scalable partnerships. As a four-time company president, two-time business owner, and award-winning instructor, she created the Getting the Right Hand Right leadership training program, which offers frameworks for executives to structure, measure, and manage the COO or VP role. Heather is the co-author of the upcoming book The Problem of Togetherness and the author of Getting the Right Hand Right.

Many business owners reach a point where they know they need support at the top, but hiring a second-in-command can feel risky, even threatening. Questions of identity, trust, and control hinder the decision, and leaders often misstep. How can you structure and manage a second-in-command role to strengthen your leadership?

Leadership strategist Heather Stone has developed a five-part RIGHT framework — responsibilities, interaction, governance, heads-up, time/place — to help leaders clarify expectations and build high-functioning partnerships. Rather than viewing delegation as relinquishing responsibility, she encourages leaders to reframe it as managing risk wisely, urging them to define their goals before hiring. The key trait in any right-hand leader is a genuine commitment to helping the CEO execute their vision.

Tune in to this episode of Industry Edge as Danielle Neely chats with Heather Stone, PhD, MBA, Founder and CEO of Practical PhD, about building effective second-in-command relationships for CEOs. Heather explains how to create clear role structures, time your hire appropriately, and customize the role to your growth stage.

Pete Hayes is the Branch Manager of The Hayes Company’s Nashville branch, Hayes Insulation, which provides insulation solutions for builders and homeowners. Before launching Hayes Insulation, he worked in the automotive industry at Nissan Motor Corporation. With eight years of experience in construction and a lifetime of exposure to his family’s business, Pete specializes in small business development.

Starting and scaling a construction business can be daunting, especially when facing the pressures of a family legacy, leadership, and limited resources. Many first-time entrepreneurs in this space struggle with burnout, maintaining cash flow, and building a team that shares their vision and values. How can you transform a family-owned business into a reputable operation while staying true to your principles?

After missing a crucial family milestone, construction professional Pete Hayes left the corporate sector to return to his roots and scale his family’s business. Throughout the process of launching a new franchise location, he learned the importance of hiring based on values, not just skills, and creating a workplace where employees feel seen and invested. Pete also encourages business owners to maintain transparency with customers and employees, delegate intentionally, and mentor team members to reflect the company’s vision.

Join Michelle Keckler in this episode of Industry Edge as she hosts Pete Hayes, Branch Manager of Hayes Insulation, to discuss his process for building a family franchise business from the ground up. Pete talks about balancing growth with culture, customer service strategies, and how to manage delayed payments from customers.