About Kenneth Preston

Kenneth A. Preston is Clinical Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship at Stern. He brings a comprehensive background in entrepreneurship, having co-founded J. A. Preston Corporation, a pioneer and leader in the healthcare niche of physical therapy equipment. As CEO of this group of companies from 1961 through 1988, he built it from a 10 person to a 450 person global enterprise. In 1988 he sold the company to Bissell, Inc. of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Professor Preston joined the NYU Faculty in 1989. Specializing in Family Enterprises and also in Managing Growing Companies, he gives frequent seminars. He launched the "Family Enterprise Management" Course for MBA students at Stern. This course is directed not only to family business members or prospective members, but also to consultants, private bankers, and the broader financial community who will be working with family businesses. His teaching activities include a popular course entitled "Managing Growing Companies" which focuses on helping companies grow from "small" (up to 100 employees) to "midsize" (100-700 employees).

As a consultant heading his own consulting firm, Preston Corporation, he serves diverse clients while specializing in family enterprises and also nonprofit organizations. He has also consulted with the Mayor's Office of Business Services and with the Small Business Administration. He has helped former socialist countries transit to the free market economy. Prof. Preston has served as consultant for five years to one of the largest companies in Slovakia.

His current professional affiliations include membership on the Board of Directors of the New York Society of Security Analysts. Also he serves as a Trustee of the New York Quarterly Meeting of the Society of Friends and as Chairperson of its Finance Committee. His academic background consists of a B.S. from New York University's Stern Business School with concentrations in marketing and accounting; he was elected to Beta Gamma Sigma.