22 Mar 2019
You know him as one of the Self Storage Legal Network’s main guys, and that’s because he’s been advocating on our industry’s behalf for almost 30 years. What you may not have known is that Scott Zucker was recently asked to speak at TEDx Atlanta, an independently organized TED event.
TED is a nonpartisan nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks. TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 110 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world.
Zucker was one of 17 distinguished speakers in Atlanta, Georgia, presenting on topics from roadways to rest, anger to athleticism and identity to ethics, sharing ideas that challenge listeners to reconsider what they think they already know and to inspire to look at the world through their eyes and what they’ve created. The event drew an audience of 900 people and was live-streamed globally.
Zucker is an avid proponent of creating ethical wills. He believes these legacy writings are a powerful and tangible way to share family histories, pass on personal values and convey lessons learned to future generations. His presentation focused solely on this.
After losing his parents in his thirties, Zucker was inspired to pursue this topic for the sake of his own children while he was still around. For small business, he says ethical wills lend themselves especially well in family-owned businesses.
Interestingly, in the last decade, the self storage industry has seen a lot of first (and second) generation operators hand over the reins to next generation family members as they prepare for new, yet familiar ownership. Preserving a patriarch's legacy while moving the company forward can be a challenge, albeit very rewarding.
Two weeks ago, I was reading a beautiful tribute to Gordon Burnam, founder of StorageMart. The company released a statement that it was honoring Burnam’s birthday by taking a moment to pause to celebrate his life and to reflect on all of the lessons Burnam imparted over the years. Founded in 1976 in Columbia, Missouri, StorageMart is a fourth-generation family business, the largest privately-owned self storage company, and the seventh largest self storage operator in the country.
Zucker explains that unless business owners can define those values, it may be very difficult for future generations to maintain the legacy of the business. Certainly, there is more to a business then the dollars and cents earned. By creating and establishing the inherent business values and philosophy of why the business was created in the first place may help future generations of that business to thrive.
Zucker is a founding partner of the law firm of Weissmann Zucker Euster Morochnik & Garber, P.C., and is a certified mediator and arbitrator. He has written over 150 articles and conducted more than 100 lectures across the country on business and employment law. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis and received his law degree from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He has authored several books in the self storage industry including Legal Topics in Self Storage.
Watch Zucker’s interview prior to his TEDx Talk.
