From Family Legacies to Global Innovation: CEOs Share the Pivots That Shaped Their Leadership

Bill Stockwell of Stockwell Elastomerics shares how stepping into leadership of his family’s business at age 25 led to transforming the company into an employee-owned organization and shaped his disciplined leadership style. Geoffrey Mesko, Pennsylvania Market Leader at Armanino, reflects on growing up in a family business in Scranton and how those early experiences influence his client relationships and approach to work-life integration. David Bernstein, Founder of RLS Associates, discusses his early entrepreneurial instincts, the formative experiences that fueled his passion for mergers and acquisitions, and how he guides clients through the emotional process of selling their businesses. Suchit Bachalli, CEO of Unilog Corporation, recounts his journey from India to the United States and how his vision and collaboration with his father helped build a technology company serving wholesale distributors nationwide. Together, these leaders reveal how childhood influences, pivotal life moments, and family legacies play critical roles in shaping leadership philosophies. The conversation highlights how resilience, curiosity, and strategic thinking enable executives to lead organizations through growth, transition, and innovation.