It’s no accident that the term “4^th Gen. family member” appears in the email signature of Ben Warnecke, along with his title, president and CEO of “Plymate Inc. || Since 1930.” Warnecke and his fellow-fourth-generation co-executive (and cousin) Sarah Plymate, left successful careers elsewhere to join their family’s laundry business in Shelbyville, IN. The company’s recent expansion reflects their focus on growing the family enterprise.

Warnecke says his decision, like that of Sarah, to join Plymate Inc., wasn’t a foregone conclusion. Instead, they both decided to give the company a try, after pursuing jobs outside the linen, uniform and facility services industry. “You know what?” Warnecke asks rhetorically. “Our succession plan was ‘What would the transition be like?’ and we just threw it out there. Now we’ve got ‘gen-five,’ kind of ‘on deck.’…So we’re going to keep growing and keep it in the family. That’s the goal. Sarah and I each have two little girls, about 6 and 4.”

It’s hardly unusual for early-to-mid career professionals to want to try something different. Warnecke started out as a rental car manager and worked his way up in sales/marketing management, including a three-year stint in Denver as a portfolio manager working with a small private-equity commercial real estate company. He joined Plymate in July 2016. Warnecke worked his way up at Plymate with progressively responsible jobs both inside and outside the plant to get a full picture of the business before becoming President and CEO in January.