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James Olan Hutcheson is Managing Partner and Founder of the family business consulting firm, ReGENERATION Partners. Mr. Hutcheson has more than 30 years of “hands-on” business management and family business consulting experience. As a consultant, Mr. Hutcheson offers the uncommon balance of experience in both the theoretical and practical applications of consulting.

ReGENERATION Partners is devoted exclusively to increasing shareholder value and improving communication in family enterprises. Since founding the firm, Jim has advised more than 130 families across a wide range of industries on how to resolve conflict, plan for and implement succession, increase operational performance, and put appropriate systems and structures in place to enhance operations and prevent problems. Additionally, Jim serves as a business coach through mentoring future leaders.

Jim’s family has owned and been actively involved in the daily management of two family businesses: Olan Mills, Inc., the world’s premier photographic company, and Peerless Woolen Mills, later a division of Burlington Industries.

Jim began his professional career with Olan Mills, Inc. in 1976 as a part-time telemarketer and resigned his position as President of Olan Mills Studios in 1995 to establish ReGENERATION Partners. During his 19 year career with Olan Mills, he developed and led the organization to over 15,000 employees and more than 1,000 locations throughout the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. During his leadership tenure the company grew at an annual rate exceeding 25%.

In addition to degrees in Psychology, Sociology, and a Masters in Business Administration, Jim has received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws. Jim belongs to The Family Firm Institute (FFI) where he has served on the board of directors, chair of the annual conference, and has been awarded Fellow status by his peers. Through FFI, Jim has been awarded the Richard Beckhard Practice Award, the highest recognition for practice within the field of Family Enterprise. Jim has been honored with the Outstanding Business Leader Award from Northwood University, where he also serves as a Trustee and Chairman of the Texas Board of Governors. Further, Jim and his firm, ReGENERATION Partners, have been awarded the Greater North Texas Business Ethics Award and were finalists for the American Business Ethics Award. During his professional life, Jim has served on the board, as a director or advisor, to more than 35 enterprises and as an interim CEO of three successful enterprises.

Jim is a frequent speaker at professional, university, and corporate-sponsored events. Additionally, Mr. Hutcheson writes for numerous publications and has been featured in national, and international media including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, International Herald Tribune, CNBC, MSNBC, PBS, Fuji TV, Entrepreneur, American Way, and Inc. Further, Jim is a past editor of Nation’s Business, the US Chamber of Commerce magazine, is the past family business columnist for Financial Planning and BusinessWeek.com, and a contributing editor for Family Business Magazine, and Families In Business.

Jim is the author of Portraits of Success: 9 Keys To Sustaining Value In Any Business (Dearborn Publishers, August 2002) and is a co-author of The Mentoring Handbook (Family Business Publishers, 2004), The Conflict Resolution Handbook (Family Business Publishers, 2003), and The Family Business Shareholders Handbook (Family Business Publishers, 2007), and The Family Business Succession Handbook, (2009).