David Bork is an original pioneer in the field of family business consulting and is among the world’s leaders in counseling family businesses. Since 1968, he has assisted over 400 families in charting their way through every imaginable family business issue.

David as Innovator

He would love to say he planned his career path from the beginning, but as with many important things in life, David fell into it. Working as a consultant for businesses, one of his first clients was actually a family business. He used organizational theory to help this client, but discovered he was at a loss for solutions when intimate, long-term family relationships were at play in the business. When he searched for an organized body of knowledge to explain these intricate issues, he realized that one didn’t exist. Over the next six years, he consulted with a variety of experts to create a theoretical base for his work, resulting in an effective system for family businesses.

David is a proponent of the Family Systems Approach to family business and pioneered the integration of Family Systems Theory with sound business practice. Bork’s profile of the families who practice constructive behaviors – who remain “positively connected” and successful in business – has been researched and validated by objective, university-based studies. He encourages clients to take the long view in their business planning, a strategy that has served them very well.

Who is David

David’s level of expertise is balanced by his modest, friendly and approachable style. He has worked with clients in multiple countries on six continents. These clients have spanned the entire range of businesses.

“At times I think I’ve seen it all,” says Bork. “Just when that happens, along comes something I’ve never seen. My work is so interesting, I plan to keep doing it as long as I can move my lips!”

David is an avid bicyclist who pedaled 15,000 miles between 2006 and 2009. He loves to find the best coffee shop in the places he visits, where he can sit down and engage the locals. He’s learning Spanish to enable further study of Mayan, Inca and Aztec cultures, which he finds fascinating. He’s in search of the world’s best banana cream pie. David’s goal in life is to have his grandchildren squeal with delight when they see him… and they do!

“I take pride in being a finisher,
in getting the job done that
clients hire me to do.”
–David Bork

Affiliations

PathNorth
PathNorth fosters conversations of enduring significance for principal business founders, owners and chief executive officers to help them broaden their definition of success, live more integrated lives, experience greater effectiveness in business and personal endeavors and create a culture of giving back.

Family Firm Institute
Family Firm Institute is an international professional membership organization dedicated to providing interdisciplinary education and networking opportunities for family business and family wealth advisors, consultants, educators and researchers and to increasing public awareness about trends and developments in the family business and family wealth fields.

Aspen Family Business Group
The most credible, highly respected group of international family business consultants. David founded the group in 1987 and today is founder-emeritus. As he recommends to his clients, “There is a time to step aside…”

Hoffman Institute
David advocates the Hoffman Process at the Hoffman Institute, an eight-day educational program that teaches individuals how to replace emotional reactivity and pain with emotional intelligence. This process greatly improves family relationships and leads to outstanding performance.
www.hoffmaninstitute.org

Honors/Awards

Family Firm Institute’s Richard Beckhard Practice Award
YPO (Young President’s Organization) “Best of the Best” designation