Family album: these intimate snapshots illustrate the ties that bind at some of the nation's largest black businesses. (B.E. 100s Photo Essay).

Family business is American business, and it's no different for the BLACK ENTERPRISE 100s. The companies on our industrial/service, auto dealer, advertising, and financial companies lists are replete with CEOs who have tapped their siblings, spouses, children, and even parents as partners and employees. Among them are some of the most respected black families in America, including the Johnsons of Johnson Publishing Co. and the Graveses of Earl G. Graves Ltd. (publisher of this magazine). One former BE INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE 100 company had as many as 18 family members on its payroll last year. It isn't always easy to be in business with "blood," but it's definitely rewarding. As one CEO put it, "There is no one better to watch my back than family."

We wanted to give you a glimpse into the private lives of a few of the families behind some of our most successful BE 100s companies. Members of these families gave us valuable insight into what it takes to maintain a successful multimillion-dollar business and still remain a family.

You'll meet sibling business partners, husband-and-wife entrepreneurs, and traditional, patriarch-led empires. Their businesses range from grocery stores to broadcasting to investment banking. Some are even grooming future generations for roles in the family enterprise.

They all have one thing in common: Each of these families maintains the delicate balance between business life and personal relationships. They love one another. They take care of one another. It so happens that they do business with one another--business is in their blood.

the calhoun family

Calhoun Enterprises * Food & Beverage, Telecommunications Montgomery, Alabama * No. 32 on the B.E. INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE 100 list

Gregory Calhoun, 50, has been in the grocery business for 19 years. In the past, he worked for as many as 10 different grocery stores. He would later buy each of them.

Today, Calhoun owns six stores across two states, employing about 480 people. His bread-and-butter is his chain of supermarkets, although he also has a subsidiary division in warehousing and telecommunications. His three siblings, his wife, and his children help manage Calhoun Enterprises, which grossed $107 million dollars in sales last year.

"I didn't force [my business] on them," Calhoun says. "I let them make up their own mind; they made their own decisions."

His children--son Malcolm, 32, general manager; daughter Shakenya Davis, 30, vice president of human resources; and Renard Calhoun, 22, assistant to the CFO--interned with major corporations while attending Florida A&M, but they eventually returned home to Montgomery, Alabama, to work in the family business. His wife, Verlyn, 47, is the company's CFO. They are a close family, often sharing vacations and dinners together. "We know how to turn the business off when we need to be a family," Calhoun says.

Gregory, Renard, Shakenya, Verlyn, and Malcolm load up on groceries.

the goldston family

The Gourmet Companies * Food * Beverage, Golf Course Management Atlanta, Georgia * No. 21 on the B.E. INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE 100 list

The Gourmet Cos. manages the food service for higher-education institutions like Morehouse and Hampton universities, two of the company's larger accounts. "We feed about 3,000 kids, three times a day, at Hampton," says CEO Nathaniel Goldston III. "I'll pit our food services at Morehouse and Hampton against anybody in the country."

With the exception of his oldest son, most of his immediate family works for the company. Daughter Kim, 31, is vice presidents. Her husband, Chief financial Officer Charles Martin, 32, works with Goldston's wife and senior vice president, Valerie, 46. Other family members include niece LaTissa N. Sewell, 28, administrative service assistant; son Steven D. Goldston, 29, the purchasing assistant for the company's contract with the Atlanta public school system; daughter-in-law Leslie Goldston, 46, special events planner and chef; nephews Chandler D. Scott, 30, accounting manager; and Ron F. Leonard Jr., 24, the company's vending manager for Coca-Cola Fountain.

Goldston says hiring family means he doesn't have to worry about dedication and details. "Everyone has something at stake," he says. "Everybody has something to gain."

LaTissa, Charles, Valerie, Nathaniel, Kimberly, and Steven are ready to tee off.

the russell family 

H.J. Russell & Company * Construction, Real Estate Development Atlanta, Georgia * No. 11 on the B.E. INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE 100 list

Donata Major was 12 years old and working for her father when she started calling him H.J. "I wanted to feel like the other workers," she explains. "I didn't want to walk around the office calling him Daddy. I've been calling him H.J. ever since."

Today, Major, 44, and her two brothers run one of the nation's largest black-owned companies, H.J. Russell & Co., founded by their father, Chairman and CEO Herman J. Russell, 72. Brother H. Jerome, 40, president and co-CEO, manages the property management division and real estate development. Brother Michael, 38, executive vice president, oversees the construction division. Major has worked for the company since the summer she started calling her father H.J., except for four years when she was away at college. She started in property management, leaving construction to her brothers.

"Back then, in the 1960s and early 1970s, girls just weren't out there doing that. Today's world is different," says Donata, vice chair of the company's Concessions International arm. "But as soon as the Russell grandchildren are about 9 or 10 years old, they come into the office and help out with administrative duties. The exposure is so important."

Michael, Donata, and H. Jerome break bread with their chairman.

the roberts brothers

Roberts Broadcasting Company * Media (Broadcasting) St Louis, Missouri * No. 88 on the B.E. INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE 100 list

In 1989, Roberts Broadcasting Co. went on the air for the first time as an affiliate to the Home Shopping Network. Since then, Michael Roberts, chairman and CEO, and his brother Steven, who is co-owner, have bought, merged, and sold broadcasting stations in various markets around the county. Today, the brothers are waiting for a license from the Federal Communications Commission to build two additional stations in Mississippi and South Carolina. They recently celebrated a victory when their St. Louis station became a UPN affiliate.

Both Michael 54, and Steven, 51, are attorneys, and both have served as city alderman in St. Louis. Their brother Mark 45, and a sister Lori, 39, help manage the corporation. Their father, Victor, 80, who retired from the U.S. Postal Service in 1979, serves as chief financial officer. The brothers are also grooming their children (seven between them, ranging from elementary school to third-year law students) for futures in the company.

"If you enjoy what you're doing then you never work a day in your life," Michael explains. "We see our involvement [in the family business] as a part of our lifestyle, and by it being our lifestyle instead of our job, it's fun."

Michael and Steve see eye to eye on the future of their broadcast business.

mr. & mrs. williams

The Williams Capital Group * Investment Banking Company New York * No. 2 on the B.E. INVESTMENT BANKS list

Christopher J. Williams remembers the early days of his investment banking firm, when he and his wife, Janice, would go into the office on a Saturday to work. He would bring his children and allow them to run around the office or play games on a computer. "People would come in on Monday and wonder why this kiddy Website was up on their computer screen," he laughs.

The answer was easy--the Williams family had been there. Christopher, 45, is chairman, CEO, and founder of The Williams Capital Group, and Janice, 46, is a principal sales executive. It's too early, however, to tell if their children, now 13 and 9, will follow in their parents' footsteps. "Our kids might look at the amount of time we spend working and say to themselves, 'Why would I want to do that?'" says a smiling Christopher.

As a husband-and-wife team, the couple say there is a major benefit to having a partner who is every bit as committed to the success of the business. As for drawbacks, they confess that there is never truly any downtime. "In order to avoid every conversation being monopolized by Williams Capital Group," Christopher says, "there are some things I don't bring up and just keep to myself."

Isn't it romantic? Mr. and Mrs. Williams share quality time with the stock tables.

the Guthrie brothers

Spectra L.L.C. * Manufacturing, Transportation & Warehousing, Engineering Detroit, Michigan * No. 94 on the B.E. INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE 100 list

As brothers, Carlton and Michael. Guthrie have always been tight, In their youth, they slept in the same bed--although that piece of information isn't anything that Carlton, 50, brags about today. Sharing a small home with their brother and two sisters and their parents created a close kinship that has never been broken.

Carlton grew up to receive a B.A. from Harvard College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. His brother, Michael, 52, is an attorney who graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School.

"We have skills and talents that are very complementary," explains Carlton. "He's adept at closing deals, and I'm adept at searching for them, finding them, and doing the due diligence in [researching] them."

Since 1985, Carlton and Michael have worked together as 50-50 partners in a series of business. Spectra L.L.C., their latest venture, founded in 1998, assembles RV chassis for Class A motor homes and school buses.

The brothers say their approach to business is a reflection of their upbringing. "We grew up in the church, where we learned that when you give, you shall receive," says Carlton. "You invest something, and you get a return for it. We've been able to incorporate that theme into our business."

Brothers Carlton and Michael, a deal-making tag team, remain close.

the daniels siblings

V&J Holding Companies * Food & Beverage Milwaukee, Wisconsin * No. 38 on the B.E. INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE 100 list

Valerie Daniels-Carter remembers her first entrepreneurial venture. She was in the second grade and earned $1.25 a week to walk neighborhood children to school. The school was about three-quarters of a mile from her house, and on any given trip she would accompany anywhere from six to eight children. Some of the kids under her care were in kindergarten.

"I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit," Valerie says. "I considered it to be one of my goals in life--to go into business. I've always had a desire--I just needed the experience."

Today, Valerie is president and CEO of V&J Holdings, owner of 84 Pizza Hut franchises and 42 Burger King franchises. Her brother John W. Daniels, 55, is the company's chairman. "He does not work in the business day-to-day because he practices law," Valerie explains," but he understands that only one person can run a company. He gives me the latitude and support I need in order to manage our organization," she says.

That brotherly support is the foundation of their partnership. Indeed, when Valerie got the idea to start a business (she started her company in 1982, and opened her first Burger King restaurant in 1984), she went to John for financial help.

A faith-based entrepreneur, she is currently working with her church to build an $11 million youth center. "Once you understand what your purpose is, you become purpose driven," she says. "And that's what I am, purpose driven."

Valerie knows she can count on her brother, John, not to eat all of the fries.