Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue I, 2013 | Page 74

Family Business
“The conversations can be heated and sometimes get emotional.
But at the end of the day, we respect each other, and the synergy
between us has allowed us to grow the business rather significantly.”
deal with employees?’”
As president, Holker has the ultimate say on business decisions, even though he and his sons each hold an equal 25 percent
ownership stake. Still, he prefers that his sons reach a consensus
among themselves, basing those decisions on what’s best for
the company. And when it comes to spending on marketing,
equipment, and other needs, a majority must approve, he says.
“We’re a four-way partnership,” says Holker. “Opinions are
wonderful, but you’ve got to back them up with something.
And if the numbers don’t back you up, you don’t have much
leg to stand on. As much as we can do it, we try to base things
on numbers.”
Once Holker, now 58, is no longer involved in the business,
he wants Luke to assume the top decision-making post. “He’s
the oldest, so the others tend to listen to him better anyhow.
But they don’t have to follow that sequence if they don’t want
to,” he says.
Family ties that bond

Before signing on as one of the first dozen Batteries Plus
franchisees in 1994, Jose Perez already had racked up a successful career in international business. After leaving a job as
a Spanish teacher at a high school in Illinois, Perez became a
sales rep for GTE Sylvania. Promotions Y