In December 2019, Throwback Brewery, a small brewery and farm-to-table restaurant in New Hampshire, had many things working in its favor: a loyal customer base, a strong culture and long-tenured Team Leaders who had helped to make the brewery the success it had become. At the same time, Throwback Brewery struggled with internal issues such as pay disparity among its employees and a lack of effective communication between the owners Nicole and Annette and their employees. To address these issues and keep the company on a growth trajectory, Nicole and Annette wondered if a more formal talent management system was needed to assess staff performance. In hopes of improving upon the company's shortcomings and aligning Throwback Brewery for continued growth and success, Nicole and Annette consider talent management options including a personnel performance appraisal process.

This case offers students an opportunity to observe employee engagement through key events that took place at YellowStarr Financial Services before and during a software platform migration. Steve Keldan, who served as CEO of YellowStarr, founded the company in 2002. Lisa Murphy was hired as the Human Resources Director for YellowStarr in 2011. In her first few years, Murphy was challenged with building a human resource team that could manage more than 100 new employees for the growing company. In 2015, YellowStarr needed to undergo a software platform migration with FinanceConnect, its proprietary customer data web-based software that presented retirement plans, investment options and pricing in a simple, easy-to-navigate way. As Human Resources Director, Murphy was tasked with the duty of supporting the migration from an employee standpoint, which meant hiring new talent, minimizing employee turnover, and promoting a healthy, positive culture that encouraged employee engagement. Before and during the migration, Murphy made decisions that appeared to both help and hurt engagement. Implementations included fewer training initiatives, relaxed dress code, and employee-led activity committees. As of 2018 with the migration project almost complete, YellowStarr faced high employee turnover rates. No longer having to deal with the firefighting associated with the migration, Murphy needs to decide what steps to take both short-term and long-term to improve upon YellowStarr's employee engagement so the company is an employer of choice for new and existing employees.

Case describes the career journey of the owner of two small family businesses, and illustrates the intertwining of crisis planning, retirement planning, and succession planning. The owner loses more than $500,000 in some problematic ventures, but gradually achieves steady profitability. At age 62 he has a heart attack, requiring emergency triple-bypass surgery. His wife, shaken by this close call, asks her husband to retire or at least sell one of their two businesses. However, this owner-manager is in no hurry to relinquish control. Next, a fire destroys his fast-casual restaurant, and the insurance settlement will not fully cover the cost of renovations to restore it to full operation. He considers several options: 1) walk away from it (minimal renovation, covered by insurance) and focus on his granite restoration business; 2) restore and return the restaurant to full operation (drawing on his personal savings) and continue as before. Discussing this case helps students appreciate why family business owners should plan for predictable surprises and how and why to develop a solid management succession plan.