Quite often the changes are made to correct a problem, shore up weaknesses, bring new ideas into the company, or are an attempt to salvage a sinking ship.

The challenge is even tougher when it is a family-owned business and control is going to stay within the family. Will the next generation have the drive and desire of their parent or parents who built the business into a successful and profitable enterprise? 

Could the next generation live up to the expectations of those who they will follow?

Did the parents pick the right sibling to take control of their life's work.

Without a doubt, the most challenging assignment in business today is to follow in the footsteps of a successful family member who leaves you a business that is well run, profitable, and the envy of many of their competitors. All of a sudden, the world is placed at your feet and the first thought that goes through your mind is; please don’t let me screw this up! 

This was not the case in January 1999 when Hal Fowler decided to enjoy the fruits of his labor and stepped out of the day-to-day operations of DTI RV & Marine Parts and Appliances. That was when he decided to turn the business over to his son, Jess, and named him president of the company.

Welcome to the real world.

It was twenty years earlier that Hal Fowler started DTI as a hard-to-find parts distributor for appliances and components. Located in Middlebury, Indiana, the company still occupies the original space that Hal Fowler chose to start his new company. Hal had also owned a dealership in Upstate New York and had worked for Coach-Lite, and early manufacturer in the RV industry.