Sunday, June 15, 1997

Fathers have a lot to celebrate today.

Some Abilene fathers have a little extra. They are in business with their children.

Staff Writers Bob Bruce and Anissa Camp talked to eight father-child business teams this week. They look into the working relationships these special folks have.

Wilton and Milton Turnerhill

The smoky smell of sizzling meat drifts through the hot air at Turnerhill's House of Bar-B-Que as father and son slap some more ribs on the grill.

Working together for 12 years Wilton Turnerhill and his son Milton try to separate family from work.

"Once you walk in the door, you're employees," Wilton said.

Sometimes the employee relationship crosses with the family relationship, though.

"The dad has got to realize that the son is not three years old," Milton said.

Even though family ties are stretched at times both the Turnerhills agree that there are a few tricks to being able to get along in a crazy, fast-paced, lunch rush like the ones at Turnerhill's.

"There has to be a mutual respect among one another," said Wilton. "You also have to learn who is in charge and how to follow orders."

Even though Milton sees his father as the one in charge and Wilton accepts the role he prefers to be partners instead of employer and employee.

"I'd rather somebody work with me than for me," Wilton said.

The Turnerhills usually find themselves working on Father's Day but the day is still special and they still find time to celebrate.

"Over the years we have taken some time out to do something for Father's Day," said Wilton.

Frank and Don Fite

Communication. That's the key to success in a family business, says Don Fite, a partner with his father, Frank Fite, in Busch Jewelers.

"I'd go along with that," Frank said, then smiled as he added: "He's naming my weak spot - that I'm hard to communicate with."

Together for 27 years at the downtown jewelry store, the Fites say they get along very well, despite their differences.

"We are very different in the way we approach things," Don said. "I'm a lot like my mother. In some ways, we are complete opposites."

"We disagree, of course," Frank said, "but you slough it off and go on about your business. If you agreed on everything, you'd have a couple of idiots."

On this this they agree: they bring a good mixture to work - Don's fresh approach and Frank's experience.

"He sees things before they are about to happen. He throws up a red flag," Don said.

Who's the boss?

Frank pulled a "not me" look and immediately gestured in Don's direction.

In a more serious vein, Frank said, "We really don't have a boss. We like to think we work well together."

Carl and Lynn Ingram

Three generations of Ingrams have been taken to the cleaners, Ingram Cleaners that is, but only because they run the place.

Carl and Corine Ingram have been in the dry cleaning and laundry business for 35 years, 31 of those in Abilene. Last year their son Lynn joined their business and this summer Lynn's son Austin, 15, is also pitching in at the family business.

"We're a working team," Carl said.

With the diverse nature of the family relationships, running the business becomes a group effort and according to Carl everyone is involved.

"We've all got the same goals in mind," said Carl. "We are all looking for the best, most efficient way to run things."

Even with shared goals, when a problem arises, they all have different opinions about how to solve it. But in the end, the family sits down and talks it out.

"We all bring a different perspective," Carl said.

Austin is the newest family member to dip into the dry cleaning business but he said he is treated maturely because he takes on a lot of responsibility. He also said he values the work experience, which Corine thinks is very important.

Carl, Corine, Lynn and Austin are the only family members that work at the cleaners but they aren't the only ones close by. Ron Ingram, Carl and Corine's other son, owns the Four Season's Car Wash and Fast Lube located right behind Ingram Cleaners.

Even if the family wasn't so close in working relationships Father's Day would still be special according to Lynn.

"Every Father's Day is special," Lynn said.

Kenneth L. and Ken (Jr.) Burgess

On the corporate ladder, Kenneth L. Burgess and his son Ken Burgess Jr. are only one rung apart.

Kenneth is chairman of the board and CEO at Security State Bank while Ken is president there.

The five-year working relationship this father and son have has taught them some keys to getting along and making things work.

"We try to stay out of each other's hair," said Kenneth. "We both have distinctive jobs and the ability to handle our own duties."

The father-son relationship can't stop at the front door but they have both found ways of looking at situations to work out their differences of opinion.

"Being able to work through the differences in personality and the way we each look at things is important," Ken said.

Father figures can sometimes be overbearing but Kenneth said he tries to keep a business relationship with Ken.

"I've tried not to be overruling," said Kenneth. "The son has to have the guts to stand up for what he thinks is right."

As for who is boss, on a quick response, Ken pointed to his father as the boss but they both agreed that there is only one real boss.

"We really work for the stockholders and the board," Kenneth said.

For Kenneth and Ken, Father's Day is no different than before they worked together. Kenneth said, with a smile, that Ken was going to feed him for the occasion.

Jack, Allan and Lane Frizzell

Jack Frizzell's the boss at Enrich Oil Corp., but he's willing to listen to other ideas, say sons Allan and Lane, partners with their dad for more than 20 years.

"Jack is not insistent on his opinion being the only direction we take," Allan said. "He's willing to give credit to what Lane and I come up with."

"It's an organization where everybody knows what to do without any real structure involved," Jack said. "All that requires a great deal of trust."

Jack is quick to praise his sons. Allan, like his father, is a geologist, while Lane is the engineer.

The father has believed in giving them a free hand and the opportunities to do things for themselves.

"Allan is getting to be a pretty good oil finder," Jack said. "These boys have better training and they're able to handle these computers."

Jack and Pat Frizzell moved back to Abilene from Denver in 1972 so Allan could join the family firm upon graduation from Texas Tech University. Lane came into the company in 1976.

Does each know what the others are thinking?

"Most of the time I know what Jack is thinking," Lane said. "We do separate things but generally there's pretty good focus."

Allan characterized his father this way: "Dad's a natural teacher. He wants to show someone something all the time. He's very widely read. He has a lot of respect among his peers. He's a natural scientist."

"I work harder than they do," Jack said, laughing.

And Lane sized up the relationship this way: when you work with your dad, every day is Father's Day.

Herb and Ken Roberts

Herb and Ken Roberts have a good focus on business at Roberts Studio.

"It's a great team," said father Herb. "We seem to work well together, whether it's getting a group together or getting a baby to smile."

"Herb taught me. I kind of know what he likes," Ken said.

"There's a bond here. We have a good relationship," Herb said. "We think alike but he's an individual."

Ken's the boss now, his father says, after growing up in the family business and learning the details by working in the darkroom. Ken joined the business in 1974 after graduating from Texas Tech University.

Herb says that Ken is well-grounded in his profession. "The darkroom is where he learned good lab techniques."

The forte at Roberts Studio is photographing people - portrait work - along with the reproduction of old photos.

"I've learned the basics from him," Ken said. "Times have changed and trends have changed and I've tried to keep up. Herb has stood back and let me make my decisions."

"He has completedly remodeled the studio," Herb said with pride.

And Ken says that he respects his father's advice.

"He's been in the business a long time. I owe a lot to him."

Bill, Scott, Steve and Sydney Senter

"Anytime we get together, there are no quiet moments," Bill Senter said, smiling and gesturing toward his three children.

"We all have plenty to talk about and we're all interested in each other's success," Bill said.

The board of directors' meetings are quite interesting, too, said Bill, who formed Senter Realtors 40 years ago.

With Bill in business today are his two sons, Scott and Steve, and his daughter, Sydney McKinney.

"We enjoy each other," Sydney said.

Their corporate positions look like this:

-- Bill is president of Synergism Inc., a real estate holding company, and president of Chaparral Management Co., a real estate management firm.

-- Scott is president of Senter Realtors Residential and president of Senter Realtors Commercial.

-- Steve is a partner in CBS Insurance, which stands for Chitwood, Beard and Senter.

-- Sydney is vice president of Chaparral Management.

"Scott's really the front man. Senter Realtors is the front company," Bill said.

Scott has been with his father since 1980 while Steve joined him in 1984 and Sydney six years ago.

Scott noted that, in four decades, Senter Realtors has participated in the sale of more than 9,000 homes totaling more than a half-billion dollars in closed residential transactions.

Bill praised his children, calling them hard workers.

"They're all into it. It's nice to be able to work around each other all the time. It's fun to be around them, to pick their brains and see what they think."

Scott said he "marvels" at how well his father was able to handle the separate companies - in effect keeping all the balls in the air at the same time.

Bill responded in turn with a compliment: "By specializing, each one can do it better than I could."

What are their secrets to success? Each had an opinion:

-- Scott - "Employees and communication."

-- Sydney - "Mutual respect."

-- Steve - "Having an open door policy and the other parties listen to other ideas. And having a good leader in the first place helps."

-- Bill - "Appreciation of each others' abilities."

Dale, Byron, and Evan Long

Even though everyone at T's 2 Please has a different skill they all have the same last name.

Dale Long and his sons Byron, 21, and Evan, 16, run a custom T-shirt design shop, and although they work toward a common goal they contribute in different areas.

"We all have our own skills," said Dale.

Dale works on marketing their designs and dealing with customers and giving price estimates while Byron does most of the actual T-shirt design and proofing. Evan and Dale both close out the process by handling the printing preparation and screening of the T-shirts.

The Longs have been working together since the shop opened four years ago and the fact that each of them has a distinct talent makes it easy to work together without crossing into someone elses territory, Dale said.

Even though Dale is the boss, Byron and Evan still have a say in how things go, Byron said.

"We work real good together because my dad is pretty open minded," Byron said.

Dale said he enjoys working with his sons rather than hiring someone else.

"I probably put more into teaching them than I would anyone else," Dale said.

The Longs won't be in the office on Father's Day, but they won't be at home either. Byron designed the T-shirts for the Abilene Sunburn races at the airport this weekend and most likely they will be out at the races selling their shirts.