Building on a legacy of entrepreneurship

For three generations, the Ames family has passed down a passion for entrepreneurship. It started with Daniel Ames, who acquired a milk processing plant in Polo, Illinois in 1938. He imparted his knowledge of running businesses to his son, B. Charles (Chuck) Ames, who built a portfolio of small businesses in Cleveland while making time to support Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management.

Today, the younger Ames’ children, Cindy Ames Huffman and Richard (Dick) Ames, are carrying forward that same spirit: supporting the Weatherhead School and inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs. 

“Our father firmly believed in the importance of furthering education whenever possible,” said Ames Huffman. “We are fortunate that Cleveland is home to such a renowned school and excited by the promising opportunity to assist in supporting [the Weatherhead School’s] Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition program.”

Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) gives aspiring business leaders an alternative to launching a startup. Instead, they learn how to identify, acquire, operate and grow an existing company with the guidance of investors. 

“I attended a roundtable discussion with several students who were members of the ETA club at Case Western Reserve,” said Dick Ames, who runs several businesses of his own. “One of the students mentioned that he had no idea you could go out and acquire a company. He was fascinated by the idea of acquisition over coming up with the idea for a business.” 

So the B. Charles and Jay G. Ames Foundation has stepped in to support Weatherhead’s ETA program with a gift of $1,000,000, over half of which will go toward a new endowment. The funds are designed to help strengthen the program and provide the resources needed to guide future entrepreneurs through the process of acquiring and growing a business. 

“Our hope is that this program will help graduates build the knowledge to pursue their entrepreneurial endeavors with confidence,” Dick Ames said. “Cleveland is a town made for small business owners, and this program will be a perfect instrument to support young entrepreneurs and hopefully help to keep Cleveland a mecca for small business owners.”