To the Straus family, Goldner Associates (asi/209800) is an heirloom – and that’s something they would know about considering how the business began.

Jim & Elise Straus with their children Laurie Straus Aronoff and Andy Straus (Elise is the daughter of Bill & Norma Neaderthal)

The Nashville company, founded in 1951 by Fred Goldner Sr., started as a jewelry business. As the story goes, it was his son-in-law, Bill Neaderthal, who noticed a lot of their corporate customers were buying engraved lighters and pens as employee gifts. In the early 1950s, Goldner transitioned into promotional products, and the company was eventually taken over by Bill’s daughter, Elise Neaderthal Straus, and her husband, Jim Straus, who came into the business in 1967. It was under the Strauses that Goldner expanded into engraved products like swim medals and direct importing of items like lapel pins.

Fast-forward to 2002, and Elise and Jim’s children – Andy Straus, a graduate from Tulane with a degree in accounting, and Laurie Straus Aronoff, who graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a marketing degree – joined the company, both complementing the business nicely with their individual skill sets.

“We figured out where we were going to put each one,” Jim Straus says. “One of the most important things you learn is that you have to give them separate responsibilities. You know – their own job, their own titles, and you don’t want somebody to come in every day and say, ‘What do you want me to do?’ It worked out great. Andy was really in sales, and Laurie took care of all the marketing.”

Elise & Jim Straus with their grandkids: Anna Straus, Lexi Straus, and Dillon Aronoff (Anna and Lexi are Andy’s daughters, Dillon is Laurie’s son)

For Andy and Laurie, the business was like another family member – it was just always there. They knew it intimately and it’s been a part of their lives since they were born. So, when the time came to step into their own leadership roles, they understood the importance of it all – and that it wasn’t necessary to change everything.

“If it’s not broke, don’t try to fix it,” Andy Straus adds. “Understand where things are working well and really do analysis before change. I don’t think either of us came in and said, ‘Oh, we want to put our thumbprint on this business and make all these changes.’ We’ve continued to make tweaks as needed to grow and steer, but nothing dramatic, because we were coming into a situation that was already successful.”

Fred Goldner Sr. (left); Bill & Norma Neaderthal (Norma is the daughter of Fred Goldner Sr. who started the company)

For Laurie Straus Aronoff, one of the primary concerns was making sure all staff members, i.e. the rest of the big family, understood their goals. It was necessary for Laurie and Andy to be of service to everyone, not just their blood relatives. “We wanted to make sure that we had the respect of all of the other employees, too, and not make it seem like, ‘OK, the next generation’s coming in and they’re taking over,’” she says.

“We appreciate what we have in a family-owned business.”Andy Straus, Goldner Associates

Now that their own places in the company are firmly cemented, their thoughts turn to the next generation and how they can maintain Goldner’s identity and values going forward, same as their parents and grandparents did before them.

Norma & Bill Neaderthal

Laurie says the first thing is to set examples of honesty in business. “That’s one of our core values, and we carry that through with our relationships with our employees, vendors and customers,” she says. “Having that core value of honesty is so important. And also communication, keeping the doors open with our employees, and knowing that we’re all on the same team and want to be there to help.”

Goldner Associates is a two-time member of the Counselor Best Places to Work list (including this year), and the Strauses recognize the need to be of service to their business family with policies like flexible time off and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

“We appreciate what we have in a family-owned business,” Andy says. He counts five other instances of husband and wife (not related to the Straus family) working at the company at the same time, not to mention parents and children or projects when employees will bring siblings and cousins in to help. Andy adds: “We’re always trying to think about family.”