In this episode of The Third Layer, host Marshall speaks with Sena Wheeler, co-founder of Sena Sea, about navigating a profound family legacy that traces back hundreds of generations to commercial fishermen in Norway. Sena shares the journey of evolving her family's historic Alaskan commercial fishing operations into a modern, direct-to-consumer enterprise. The conversation highlights the strategic decision to prioritize sustainability and value-add processing over mass volume, allowing the family to "do more with less" while delivering premium quality. Sena discusses the unique dynamics of running a business with her husband, Rich, detailing how they leverage their distinct strengths by dividing responsibilities between "out at sea" harvesting and "on land" marketing and logistics. She also emphasizes the importance of intentional family integration, bringing their teenage children onto the boats to instill a strong work ethic and build shared memories. For family business leaders, Sena's story is a compelling testament to the power of leaning into authentic heritage, adopting scalable models before crises hit, and utilizing deeply rooted family values to adapt an ancient trade for the modern marketplace.

Key Themes:

Evolving a Legacy Business

Division of Strengths in Partnership

Authentic Brand Storytelling

Intentional Succession and Family Integration

Sustainable Scaling

Timestamps:

00:05 - Introduction of Sena Wheeler and Sena Sea

01:25 - Five generations of fishing, Norwegian roots

02:35 - Visiting Norway and the family's origins

03:17 - Norwegian immigrant community in Ballard, Seattle

04:37 - How Sena's father married into the fishing family

06:09 - Life aboard a fishing vessel and the seasonal lifestyle

07:32 - Evolution of trip lengths across generations

10:25 - Long lining explained: halibut and black cod fishing

15:19 - How fishing passed through the female side of the family

19:59 - Pivot to direct-to-consumer and Sena's food science background

22:49 - Why they chose DTC over traditional distribution

24:26 - Building a small processing facility and the 2020 sales surge

29:33 - Email marketing strategy and authentic family storytelling

31:54 - How Sena and Rich divide responsibilities

37:34 - Sustainability and regulation of Alaskan fishing

43:18 - Family legacy and reconfiguring generations of fishing for today

Additional Resources:

Shop with Sena: www.senasea.com

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Connect with Marshall on LinkedIn

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In this episode of The Third Layer, host Marshall connects with Nick Perrino, Chief Revenue Officer at Home Run Inn, to explore the evolution of his family's century-old, Chicago-based pizza business. Now in its fourth generation, Home Run Inn has scaled from a Prohibition-era tavern into a massive restaurant and frozen food enterprise, but its success remains deeply anchored in its foundational values. Perrino highlights the complexities of multigenerational leadership, detailing how the family balances professional roles with family dynamics through intentional communication and robust conflict-management frameworks. He emphasizes the critical importance of a "learner mindset" and the courage to lean into discomfort, lessons powerfully reinforced during their massive operational pivot to double production during the COVID-19 pandemic. By hiring, firing, and operating strictly by their core values (Family, Pride, Grit, and Courage), Home Run Inn has created an environment of deep trust and high performance. For family business leaders, Perrino's reflections offer a powerful blueprint for aligning stakeholders, nurturing internal talent, and preserving legacy while adapting to immense market demands.

Operationalizing Core Values

Navigating Multigenerational Leadership

Embracing the Learner Mindset

Courage Over Comfort

Scaling Through Crisis

Timestamps:

00:17 - Origin story of Home Run Inn, founded during Prohibition in 1923

02:03 - Launch of pizza in 1947 and the birth of tavern style pizza

06:38 - Current business scope: six restaurants, airport locations, and frozen pizza in all 50 states

08:00 - Market positioning as a family-owned brand competing against Nestle and Schwan's

09:30 - Nick's father Joe Perrino scaling the business from restaurants into frozen pizza

18:16 - Nick's career path outside the business at Sears Holdings and Power Play Distributors

25:23 - COO role during COVID and scaling production from 60,000 to 120,000 pizzas per day

33:33 - Core values: family, pride, grit, and courage

39:22 - Navigating family dynamics and professional roles within the C-suite

54:08 - Legacy: standing for what you believe in even when no one is following

Additional Resources:

Connect with Nick on LinkedIn

Connect with Marshall on LinkedIn

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In this episode of The Third Layer, host Marshall speaks with Ben Etherington, a seventh-generation leader of Nathan Trotter & Co., North America's largest manufacturer of tin and solder and one of the longest-running continuously operating businesses in the United States. Ben shares the profound responsibility and unique dynamics of leading a historic enterprise deeply rooted in foundational Quaker values of honesty, modesty, and family. The conversation explores the evolution of the company, from its 1789 founding to modernizing operations through value-add manufacturing and the strategic construction of North America's only primary tin smelter.

Ben delves into the complexities of a "five-headed monster" leadership model, shared equally between five partners across two different families. He emphasizes the absolute necessity of trust, consensus, and shared vision to make this structure work. He also candidly discusses the intrinsic pressures of inheriting a legacy. Namely, the drive to "not screw it up", and the delicate balance of preserving a strong family culture while driving necessary growth and evolution. For family business leaders, Ben's insights provide a compelling look into leveraging foundational values, strategic adaptability, and deep-rooted trust to fuel long-term performance.

Key Themes:

Multigenerational Leadership & Shared Authority

Cultural Preservation vs. Business Evolution

Building Trust as a Core Asset

Acquisition Dynamics in Family Businesses

Strategic Adaptability

Leading by Example

Timestamps:

00:02 - Introduction of Ben and Nathan Trotter & Co.

00:56 - Company overview: non-ferrous metals, plants, and products

02:30 - Founding story: Nathan Trotter established in 1789 in Philadelphia

03:04 - Quaker roots and their influence on business values

08:38 - Adaptability as a key to longevity: factoring, tariff response, world wars

11:44 - Seventh generation ownership and the Morris family partnership

12:42 - Grandfather's role and how Ben's father took over the business

16:03 - Ben's father's prerequisites for joining: exit plan, manufacturing, new energy

21:44 - Ben's background: Conestoga High School, University of Vermont, MBA at Denver, Accenture

23:19 - Decision to leave Accenture and join Nathan Trotter with brother Luke

28:10 - Five-partner leadership structure and how decisions get made

39:02 - Post-COVID tin shortage and the Department of Defense smelter grant

44:05 - Transformational impact of the Virginia smelter on the business

46:12 - Ben's leadership style: leading by example over rah-rah energy

51:19 - Legacy: making the right decisions daily and letting it shape itself

Additional Resources:

Visit the Nathan Trotter Website

Reach out to Ben here: ben@nathantrotter.com

Connect with Marshall on LinkedIn

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