In this episode, host Jacob sits down with Casey Lucas Szumigala, founder and owner of Click Pragmatics, to dive into the messy, emotional, and absolutely necessary communication that keeps family businesses alive. Casey unpacks how families can talk about the hardest topics: death, money, responsibilities, succession, and transitions.

Drawing on real scenarios, Jacob and Casey explore what happens when a family member dies and someone outside the business is suddenly asked to “come run it,” how to plan for succession before a crisis, and how to navigate grief while still keeping the business afloat. They also dig into money conversations (who gets paid what and why), how to address feeling undervalued in a family role, and why clarity around pay structure matters so much in a family context.

The conversation then shifts to communication styles and generations how to speak to different personalities (direct, diplomatic, deliberate, dynamic), why knowing your audience matters, and how to approach pay and responsibility conversations depending on who you’re talking to. How emotional and social intelligence can help keep relationships healthy on and off the clock.

Finally, Jacob and Casey look at multi‑generational family businesses: older and younger family members working side by side, the temptation to stereotype generations, and how to replace “you don’t get it” with curiosity, respect, and shared values. Casey argues that every generation has faced its own hard things—and that leveraging each group’s strengths can create something no single generation could build alone.

About the Guest – Casey Lucas Szumigala

Casey Lucas Szumigala is the founder and owner of Click Pragmatics, a communication consulting practice focused on helping people communicate more clearly, compassionately, and effectively at work and in life. She specializes in social‑emotional intelligence, communication styles, and practical tools for navigating difficult conversations—especially in complex environments like family businesses.

In her work, Casey helps individuals and teams understand their own communication style, recognize others’ styles, and build strategies to better connect across differences in personality, generation, and role.

Her approach is grounded, pragmatic, and deeply human, with a focus on getting through the “ick” of hard conversations so people can move forward together.​

Connect with Casey

• Website: https://www.clickpragmatics.com​

• Email: casey@clickpragmatics.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/casie-lucas-szumigala-75a98795/

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This podcast is sponsored by Zac Wild CFP, CEPA financial advisor with Edward Jones. Zac works for business owners who are interested in maximizing their investments in tandem with efficient tax strategies. this includes fully leveraging the benefits of 401k's, SIMPLE IRA, and other more unique tax advantaged accounts.

Strategic investment is turning Erie from a legacy manufacturing town into a modern innovation hub, and this episode dives into the people and partnerships making it happen.​

Today’s conversation spotlights the Erie Revitalization Investment Fund, a 500,000 dollar evergreen fund launched by Ben Franklin Technology Partners and Erie Insurance to back early-stage tech companies and small manufacturers in Erie County.

Host Jacob Jones sits down with Ben Franklin’s Brian Slawin, along with entrepreneurs Desiree and Bob Troutner of FIXED HHS and Alan Tate of Intag Systems, to explore how this fund helps founders cross the “valley of death” between idea and sustainable growth.

They discuss why capital alone isn’t enough, how wraparound mentorship, expert teams, and regional partnerships de-risk innovation, and what it means when startups choose to headquarter and scale in Erie instead of leaving for bigger cities.​

You’ll hear real stories of moving from cramped spaces to larger facilities, building new greenhouses at Savocchio Opportunity Park, and creating family-sustaining jobs in both tech-enabled services and agricultural technology. The group also unpacks how Erie’s collaborative entrepreneurial ecosystem Ben Franklin, Erie Insurance, the Beehive, Radius CoWork, the EDDC food hall, the Center for Family Business, and more is shifting from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset where “no wrong door” means every connection can lead to the right support.

If you’re an entrepreneur wondering how to fund and scale your next step, this episode offers a candid look at what resources are available, who to call, and why Erie might be the right place to grow your business.

ERIF Information: https://cnp.benfranklin.org/funding/erie-revitalization-investment-fund/

This podcast is sponsored by Zac Wild CFP, CEPA financial advisor with Edward Jones. Zac works for business owners who are interested in maximizing their investments in tandem with efficient tax strategies. this includes fully leveraging the benefits of 401k's, SIMPLE IRA, and other more unique tax advantaged accounts.

Fourth‑generation owner Shane Reese joins Zach and Jacob to share the nearly 100‑year story of General Exterminating, an Erie‑based pest control company that began with his great‑grandfather’s Depression‑era decision to find a “recession‑proof” business. From shooting rats in basements with a .22 in the 1930s to today’s regulated, highly professional structural pest control operation, Shane traces how each generation has adapted while serving some of the same accounts for more than nine decades.​

Shane talks about growing up in the business (born on a Friday, in the office by Monday), learning the trade from an employee with 50+ years of experience, and modernizing operations with new technology while respecting his parents’ “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mindset. He opens up about working side‑by‑side with his dad, navigating loud but productive disagreements, keeping family and business separate, and planning a thoughtful transition so the fifth generation won’t face the same sudden hand‑offs his father did.​

Along the way, he shares wild on‑the‑job moments—from hazmat‑suit cleanups to bedbug‑ and roach‑infested homes—plus the quieter realities of ownership: 2 a.m. worries, long days, and the pride of maintaining a 94‑year reputation for “great service at a decent price.” If you’re interested in multigenerational succession, small‑business resilience, or what it really takes to carry a family company to 100 years and beyond, this episode offers a candid, down‑to‑earth look inside a legacy pest control business.​

This podcast is sponsored by Zac Wild CFP, CEPA financial advisor with Edward Jones. Zac works for business owners who are interested in maximizing their investments in tandem with efficient tax strategies. this includes fully leveraging the benefits of 401k's, SIMPLE IRA, and other more unique tax advantaged accounts.