Staying humble is key to Shepherd Thermoforming && Packaging

One secret to the Shepherd family's business success has been that everybody essentially gets along when they go to work, according to the company's founder.

It was more than 30 years ago that Barry Shepherd started Shepherd Thermoforming & Packaging Inc., and his two sons, Todd Shepherd and Mark Shepherd now run the company.

“We do not have family disagreements. We discuss our plans and decisions in a businesslike manner. Like any business, financing growth is always a challenge,” Shepherd said.

“We're fortunate. We all get along. We hardly ever have a disagreement. And that's been for 30 years now,” he said. “I can't think of another company that I know of that's owned by a family that can compare to the way we communicate and get along and make decisions.”

At first, it was just Barry and his wife Denise Shepherd, but the two sons joined not long after. So everybody's been around the business for a long time now.

Part of the company's success, and peace, is that none of family members ever saw the firm as a way to finance an extravagant lifestyle, the founder said.

“We don't want to own big boats and huge houses. We're quite happy living comfortably. Nobody's got a big ego,” he said. “Neither one of us have huge aspirations of living the high life.”

Todd Shepherd handles the operations side of the business while Mark Shepherd handles the business side.

“We tend to rule by majority rather than minority,” Todd Shepherd said. “Neither of us is a big pound on the table [person]. We will often bounce things off each other if there is a shadow of a doubt.”

Mark Shepherd said that while family members get along with each other, they also tell it like it is. “With family members, you can be a lot more transparent. You know each other's feelings,” he said. “It's not offensive because it's my brother or my dad. So they know what I'm saying is not really offensive.

“Being able to be transparent and totally open is really what makes it work. We both have our strengths,” Mark Shepherd said.

Sure, there have been different points of view, Barry Shepherd said. But the founder added that if his children felt strongly enough, he would not push the issue. “Generally, if they disagreed strong enough, I came around to their line of thinking,” he said.

And if the brothers disagree, time usually takes care of that.

“If a decision doesn't have to be made at that moment, we're both OK with putting it off and thinking about it and trying to see each other's point of view,” Todd Shepherd said.

What drives this approach is the fact that all of the Shepherds simply have viewed the Brampton, Ontario, company as a way to support their families. Nobody wants to mess that up.

About 40 people work at Shepherd Thermoforming, including many people who have been with the company for more than half of the company's existence.

“That's our biggest asset. We treat them like family. That's the easiest way to say it,” Barry Shepherd said.

Both Barry and Denise Shepherd stepped away from operations at their business about five or six years ago, leaving the company in the hands of their children.

The founder admitted that the first couple of years were not so easy.

“I had to divorce myself from the day-to-day. I did. It wasn't easy. Especially the first two years. In fact, I probably hung around there more than I should,” he remembered.

Read an overview of family-owned businesses and find links to other profiles.