And Grandma Makes Three - multigenerational family business sells items to aged and handicapped - Brief Article

Nation's Business, Feb, 1999 by Sharon Nelton

Reaching out across generations; taking steps to make sure the pie is divided evenly.

It usually takes three generations to create a three-generation family business. For Mature Mart, Inc., an Atlanta company, it took less than a year.

Alexis Abramson, a gerontologist, was just 28 years old when she founded the business in October 1995. Mature Mart sells products for senior citizens and people with disabilities--items such as easy-to-grip utensils, zipper pulls, and jumbo-print playing cards. The company grew out of Abramson's passion for helping the elderly live easier, more independent lives.

The business took off quickly because, says Abramson, "there was such a need for these products." Her mother, Phyllis Abramson--who has a nursing degree, a doctorate in psychology, and business experience as a consultant to medical practices--came to have lunch with Alexis one day in early 1996. "She realized that there was so much work and [the business] was moving so fast," so she never left, says Alexis. Phyllis, 58, is now executive vice president of strategic development.

By mid-1996, the third-generation member of the family was recruited. Rose Holtzman, Phyllis' mother, was pressed into service when she moved to Atlanta after having been a sorority house director at the University of Florida for 15 years. She is 86.

"Grandma Rose," as Holtzman is known to customers, answers the phone, sends out catalogs, organizes focus groups to evaluate new products, and writes articles that appear on the company's World Wide Web site, www.maturemart.com.

"She's basically our liaison to the customer," says Alexis.

A Formula For Succeeding

While Alexis won't reveal the company's annual revenues, she says they're "in the millions." In addition to the three family members, five other people are employed by Mature Mart, and many more are employed indirectly through outsourcing arrangements.

Although the three women never contemplated what it would be like to work together, they've done it now for nearly three years. And they think they know why they've been successful at it.

"We're very, very lucky because we are a close-knit family with a great deal of respect [for one another]," says Alexis.

A lot of that respect flows from Grandma Rose, adds Phyllis. "She's always been a real wonderful role model."

Distinct Strengths

The three respect one another not just as individuals but also for what each, as a member of a different generation, brings to the business. Grandma Rose epitomizes the business's target market--she understands the elderly customers, and they can relate to her. Phyllis represents the care-giving generation. And Alexis, who appears regularly as a guest expert on NBC-TV's "Today" show, pleases older viewers who are happy to see a young person interested in them.

Generational differences can result in disagreement, however. Initially, Alexis wanted to use the Internet and other forms of technology to sell the company's products. Her mother, being more traditional, wanted to distribute products through retail outlets. They compromised and developed a variety of selling venues, including catalogs, the Internet, home shopping channels, and retailers.

"We don't take a lot of things personally," Alexis says of the women's ability to get along. Other secrets: Patience. The ability to listen quietly. And, adds Grandma Rose, "I don't voice my opinion unless I'm asked." (But once she is asked, Alexis points out, Grandma Rose "doesn't hold anything back.")

How do they feel about being in business together? Phyllis says it has been an "enriching" experience. "It's brought me so close to both my mother and my daughter."

When you share a goal and a mission, she says, perhaps summing it up best for all of them, "the focus makes you such a strong team."