Their family business already has transitioned leadership into its second generation, and the vision at Muth Electric is that a third and fourth will follow.

But company founders Dick and Darlene Muth realize that doesn’t mean their family business’ story automatically will endure with the company itself.

“You get down three or four generations, and hopefully Muth Electric is still here, but Dar and I won’t be,” said Dick Muth, who started the business with his wife in 1970, following his service in the Vietnam War.

“We want them to know that it didn’t all of a sudden land as the size of business it is today. It’s important to share how we got here, what went through the founders’ minds, what’s the story of how we got on a path to do this and what are the values we would like to carry forth.”

But documenting 55 years of history can feel daunting.

“It had been on our minds, and different people had approached us about writing a book,” Darlene Muth said. “For me, it was more about writing it for family – our grandchildren and great-grandchildren and the following generations. But it evolved into more than that.”

Through their relationship with the Prairie Family Business Association, the Muths were introduced to Journey Sixty6 and co-founders Melissa Parks and Dave Goetz.

Parks and Goetz formed the business in 2020 and have decades of combined experience helping guide stories from ideas to publication, specializing in working with Midwest family businesses.

They began working with the Muth family in late summer 2024 and are wrapping up copy editing and interior design of the family business book, expecting to publish in the coming months.

“We take on many family business projects through relationships like we have with Prairie Family Business and referrals from other families who have grown to trust us,” Goetz said. “Every family we’ve worked with has never done this before, so it’s our job to help guide them through it and understand the story they want to tell.”

Journey Sixty6 and the Muth family offered a look inside the process of capturing a family business legacy in print through a webinar produced by the Prairie Family Business Association on Jan. 29 at 10 a.m.

Those participating learned what the legacy storytelling process looks like, what it asks of a family and what value the journey can produce.

“So many families we work with are humble about their success and how they came to the place they are,” Parks said. “We help them see the bigger picture of why they should want to tell their story and assuage their fears about what a book is and what it won’t be.”

Family businesses can expect an in-depth process of discovery, including multiple interviews with those who helped shape the company, and the opportunity to shape the narrative they feel best represents their story.

“In every family, you could tell multiple stories and have 10 types of books, so there’s a lot of work to understand how the founders’ memoir should be captured,” Goetz said.

“Families are always worried about what they might not want in a book, and we assure them this is their book. It’s their story, and they have the final say on what is published.”

With the Muths, a narrative of pivotal moments and ingenuity took shape.

“The family is amazing to me,” Goetz said. “They started from absolutely nothing, and all along the way they’ve had a mentality of ‘We’ll figure it out.’ That’s how they approach challenges of all sizes. There’s a relentless positivity about the future.”

Now that the Muths are seeing their book come together, “I realize how good they were about drawing things out of us that made an interesting story,” Dick said. “It could have been a daunting process, but they made it easy. And I think people will enjoy reading it.”

While Darlene originally envisioned the book as a keepsake for family, they now see it as something that could be shared more broadly.

“More people have expressed interest in it than what I would have expected,” she said, adding that she anticipates offering copies to friends and employees.

Capturing a family’s story is key for multiple reasons, said Stephanie Larscheid, who was executive director of Prairie Family Business Association when she made the connection between the Muths and JourneySixty6.

“The reflection families do through this process is huge,” she said. “Milestones are so important to celebrate, and often the founders or senior generation ask the family to skip a big celebration so they can go quietly into retirement. What Dick and Darlene have done is to allow everyone to celebrate what they’ve created and recognize where they’ve come from. That’s huge in getting to the fourth, fifth and sixth generation.”

It’s critical to tell the story of what the family business means, she continued.

“This business didn’t just form out of thin air,” Larscheid said. “Hard work and great sacrifice have gotten Muth Electric to this point. The people who need to know this story are the family, the future generations, the employees, the vendors and the community. That’s what’s so important for the legacy and the future.”

Are you a PFBA member who missed the live webinar? Log into your Member Zone to watch the replay of More Than Facts and Memories: The Lasting Impact of Capturing Your Family Legacy — along with access to many other past webinars and member-only resources.

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