"In America, many of the most important businesses are also the least visible. They are not always headquartered in New York or Silicon Valley. They are not driven by the next quarter, the next headline or the latest swing in investor sentiment. Yet over decades, and often generations, family businesses have helped shape communities, create jobs and build industries that become part of the fabric of American enterprise. At a time when much of the business conversation is defined by speed, scale and disruption, family businesses reflect a different model of success, one grounded in endurance, stewardship, resilience and trust," Byron D. Trott is chairman and co-CEO of merchant bank BDT & MSD Partners, writes. Read more: