Even the most iconic children’s toys don’t necessarily endure for generations.

By the 1990s, Radio Flyer wagons were on the verge of extinction as a struggling family business needed a path into the future.

Robert Pasin committed to finding it. The third-generation leader of Radio Flyer Inc., the company his Italian immigrant grandfather founded in 1917, Pasin has served as “chief wagon officer” since 1992.

In that time, he has built what he calls a team of “FUNomenal Flyers” and has grown the company both by honoring its past and through future-focused product development.

He’ll share his family business success story as they keynote speaker at the 2025 Prairie Family Business Association annual conference April 30-May 1 at the new Canopy by Hilton in downtown Sioux Falls.

“Robert Pasin brings an incredible story of leadership that’s also relatable to every family business,” said Stephanie Larscheid, executive director of the Prairie Family Business Association. “His insight is going to be a huge takeaway for those attending our conference, and we’re excited to welcome both Robert and hopefully a record number of attendees to our new venue in 2025.”

Pasin offered a preview of what to expect from his presentation.

Every next-generation leader takes an individual path into the family business. What did yours look like? Did you always want to work at Radio Flyer, or did you work elsewhere first?

I fell in love with Radio Flyer the first time I visited the factory with my dad when I was 5 years old. Growing up, I worked here in high school and college and knew that I wanted to work here.

You’ve been candid about how you assessed the company when you first joined in the mid-1990s – it hadn’t necessarily kept up with the times and was losing market share. What’s the biggest thing you credit for beginning to turn things around?

The biggest thing is a love for the business and a deep commitment to make it happen. I’ll detail the journey at Prairie Family Business Association’s annual conference.

Your company has received numerous accolades as an employer, including being named the No. 1 workplace in the nation by Fortune magazine. How would you describe the type of workplace you strive to make at Radio Flyer?

We stive to be a team of highly committed and creative FUNomenal Flyers that achieve sustainable growth.

You’ve mentioned navigating the tension between nostalgia and innovation, which is something we’ve heard from other family businesses too. What approach have you found to be effective?

We watch our customers like a hawk so that we can uncover problems that we can solve for them with delightful products that are true to the Radio Flyer brand.

Is your family looking toward its fourth generation of family in the business? What approach are you taking if your next generation shows interest?

We have worked extensively with professor John Ward at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and The Family Business Consulting Group, which he co-founded, to implement family business best practices so that we can steward Radio Flyer as a family business into the future.

How would you describe the focus of your keynote at the upcoming Prairie Family Business Association annual conference?

I’ll share lessons that any organization can use to invigorate its team, reaffirm its culture and sharpen its saw through reimagining every aspect of the business: culture, quality, infrastructure, innovation, design, trajectory, measurement, celebration and partnership.

Register soon

Save your spot early and save! Register now for discounted tickets, and learn more about the speaker lineup here: fambus.org/2025conference.