The Client:

The client is the Schnuck Family Office (SFO), based in Clayton, MO. The Schnuck Family founded Schnuck Markets, Inc. (SMI) in 1939, and SMI is currently in its third generation of family leadership.

In 1937, Edwin Schnuck started a wholesale meat business, and two years later, his wife Anna opened their first retail store, a confectionery in north St. Louis, to sell her renowned potato salad and a variety of quality food items. Over time, their three children became involved in the grocery business, and in 1952, Edwin and his two sons incorporated as Schnuck Markets, Inc. (SMI). Today, owned and managed by the third generation of the Schnuck Family, the company includes 115 stores in four states: Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. SMI is one of the largest privately-owned grocers in the United States. As the needs of its customers have changed, SMI has evolved adding pharmacies, instore eateries, and offering organic and healthy food options as well as using AI to manage inventory, ensuring that shelves are well-stocked at all times. While SMI has adapted to meet its customers’ needs and the changing times, the Family’s business philosophy has remained the same – to nourish communities and people’s lives and to sustain SMI’s reputation as “the friendliest store in town”.

The DESCO Group, a retail real estate operating company headquartered in Clayton, MO, was founded by the Family in 1993 to focus on developing and managing SMI anchored shopping centers and other neighborhood retail development. Today, DESCO owns and operates over 40 properties in four states with over 3.8 million square feet under management, accommodating over 400 tenants. SFO is located in the DESCO headquarters, although it operates independently.

Founded in 2006, the SFO was initially led by a financial executive of SMI who oversaw the investment, wealth management and planning needs of family members who are the beneficial owners of SMI. Over time, the family and their needs expanded, and upon the retirement of this leader, the family engaged a consultant to formalize the structure and service platform of SFO. A position description was created to recruit their first fully independent family office leader who joined SFO in 2013, and the new leader created a five-year plan for the family office in 2014.

In 2024, the Family once again engaged a family office consultant to conduct a strategic assessment of the family office and develop a five-year strategic plan. Based on the outcomes of the assessment, the Family Office Board has refined the family office service platform with “Core” and “Core+” services and is increasing the staff of the family office. Currently, the family office is staffed with a Managing Director, a Director of Family Services and Tax Compliance, a Family Office Tax Accountant and a shared Executive Assistant. A Director of Legal, Trust and Estates will be joining the SFO in January, and a dedicated Treasury/Administrative Assistant has also been hired to replace the shared Executive Assistant, who is retiring. SFO is seeking to hire one additional tax accountant.

The purpose of the family office is to oversee the management of shared Family assets, as well as to provide integrated estate planning, legal, tax planning and compliance, investment/financial planning, cash management and trust administration services to three generations of Family members. Additionally, the family office supports Family communication, education and governance to advance the wellbeing, unity, stewardship, heritage and legacy of the Schnuck Family and their companies. The SFO will provide resources to address individual legal, accounting/bill pay, banking and insurance needs as Core+ services.

Currently, the Family is comprised of 78 Family members, including spouses, across seven Family branches. The generational breakdown is as follows: the third generation (G3) is comprised of 13 Family members ages 50 through 76 (seven are lineal descendants); G4 is comprised of 36 family members ages 14 through 53, and G5 is comprised of 29 family members ages 0 through 22. There are 23 adult households.

There are approximately 156 entities and the Family’s assets are held in a complex structure of entities including partnerships, S Corporations and trusts of which Family members serve as trustees and are beneficiaries. There are also a limited number of corporate trustees.

The organization is a hybrid model. The family office provides the majority of the income tax compliance and planning services directly while maintaining a relationship with an external accounting

firm who reviews and signs the more complex family returns (shareholder returns, gift tax returns, etc.)

For these more complex returns, the family office prepares work papers, calculates quarterly tax estimates, files for extensions, responds to notices and files returns.

With respect to other wealth management services, the family office serves as the quarterback of the external investment and trust and estate advisors. The family office leverages these relationships to

deliver holistic, coordinated, and sophisticated planning to the Family members.

The Family has defined their Mission Statement as follows:

• We are a family with a proud history and tradition that has transformed our name into a brand that stands for quality, integrity and community leadership.
• We recognize that few families have enjoyed the unity and prosperity of ours over the generations and even fewer can continue to maintain it, yet our family resolves to continue to overcome the odds against it.
• We will overcome these odds by remaining committed to harmony, adapting with the changing times and ensuring we have fun together.
• We will be a caring family, working hard together to build the strength of the family, our shared assets (including both our business/financial ones in whatever form they may take over time and our non-financial family assets) and our community.

The Family defines their shared values as:

• Tradition
• Harmony
• Achievement through hard work
• Community

The Opportunity:

The position offers an excellent opportunity for a strategic, proactive and innovative family office/wealth management professional, with broad knowledge across the disciplines of wealth management and an understanding of their integration, to lead SFO and empower the professional staff. Overseeing staff and in collaboration with the Family Board of Directors, the CEO will proactively develop, initiate, and execute the strategic goals and priorities of the family office today and in the future while maintaining and enhancing the family office’s efficiency and professionalism.

Leading by example, the CEO will oversee the day-to-day operations of the family office and will quarterback the external service providers in collaboration with staff, ensuring that all services are provided in a high-quality and cost-effective manner, and will serve as the Family’s advocate. The CEO will possess exceptional leadership and advisory skills, a strong work ethic with a “roll up your sleeves” attitude, coupled with high emotional intelligence, the utmost integrity, humility, and a client-service heart.  Attentively listening, exercising discretion, and maintaining complete confidentiality, the CEO will instill confidence over time, allowing them to become a trusted advisor to all Family members to perpetuate the Family’s Mission, Values and cohesion, as well as their business interests from generation to generation.

Facilitating Family communication and education and supporting Family enterprise governance, the CEO role is multi-faceted, and the successful candidate would benefit from compelling business and financial acumen, a strong background in investments and tax, a solid understanding of legal and estate planning, and experience with closely held/family operating businesses. The CEO must take a highly proactive approach towards assessing opportunities and risks, with the ability to provide comprehensive solutions to complex individual, family, and business governance structures. Empathetic, strategic and adaptable, the future leader will direct the family office and its services to address the evolving needs of Family members and their related entities.

This role provides an attractive opportunity for an experienced family office/wealth management professional who is interested in leading a family office which serves a growing, magnanimous and supportive multi-generational Family.

The family office Mission Statement is as follows:

• To provide efficient, world-class wealth management and wealth preservation services that enhance the financial, personal, and Family goals and objectives of every generation of the Schnuck Family.
• To promote the preservation and expansion of human, intellectual, and financial capital while embracing the commonality and diversity inherent in the Family.
• To be the Family’s most trusted advisor while adhering to the principles of integrity, objectivity, competence, fairness, confidentiality, professionalism and diligence.

Location:

Clayton, Missouri

The SFO is located in Clayton, Missouri which borders the city of St. Louis and is the government seat of St. Louis County.  St. Louis, known as “The Gateway to the West”, is the largest SMSA in the state, borders the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and can be described as a big city with small-town charm. Founded in 1764 as a French fur-trading village, the city is steeped in history and is enjoying a resurgence in recent years. Companies headquartered or with a major presence in the city include Anheuser Busch, Arch Resources, Edward Jones, Emerson Electric, Enterprise Holdings, Nestle Purina PetCare, Panera Bread and Stifel Financial. St. Louis is also one of the larger but less recognized financial hubs in the country given the many banking, brokerage, wealth management and FinTech firms in the area. 

The State of Missouri boasts one of most affordable costs of living in the nation, with St. Louis residential real estate trending well below the national averages. St. Louis affords many residential neighborhood options from the suburbs to historic neighborhoods in the city. The overall quality of life is the biggest draw to St. Louis. The city has many trails for running and biking, as well as a number of golf courses. Thirty minutes outside the city, the Katy Trail can be accessed, a 237-mile trail, formerly a rail line, that partially follows Lewis and Clark’s path up the Missouri River. The region also boasts a wealth of trout waters for fishing enthusiasts.

Forest Park, located in St. Louis’ city center, is known as one of the most beautiful urban parks in the world. It was the location for the 1904 World’s Fair and the 1904 Olympic Games and is larger than New York City’s Central Park. The cultural offerings, usually free of charge, are many, and include the world-class Saint Louis Zoo, the St. Louis Art Museum, and the Missouri Botanical Garden. St. Louis is known for its Gateway Arch, blues music, Cardinals’ baseball, breweries, and barbeque, but once one spends time “in the Lou”, they will quickly learn about the St. Louis Blues professional hockey team (winner of The Stanley Cup in 2019) and the St. Louis City SC professional soccer team. Toasted ravioli, frozen custard, and St. Louis-style pizza are local specialties one will likely try in the city’s vibrant restaurant community.

Reports to:

The CEO will report to and meet with the Family Office Board of Directors quarterly. Currently, the Board is comprised of third and fourth generation family members. On a day-to-day basis, the CEO will report to the Chair of the Board who is a third-generation family member.

Works closely with:

The CEO will work closely with the following:  the family office staff (comprised of the Director of Family Service and Tax Compliance; the Director of Legal, Trust and Estates; the Tax Accountants; and the Treasury/Administrative Assistant); the Family members and their related entities; the Family Office Board of Directors, the Family shareholders, the Family Council, the Investment Committee, the grocery and real estate operating companies, and external advisors and subject matter experts including attorneys, tax advisors, banks, investment advisors, insurance providers and trustees.

Chief Executive Officer Responsibilities:

Collaboratively leading a staff of approximately five and quarterbacking external advisors, the CEO will oversee the provision of the SFO’s Core service platform. The Core service offering is as follows: leadership, strategic planning, communication and education; tax planning, strategy and compliance; enterprise coordination; oversight of pooled investment vehicles and advising family members’ individual investments/personal financial planning; legal, trust and estate services; family governance; and technology.

The family office will also recommend vetted resources to address Core+ services which address the following needs: personal legal issues; insurance; bill pay; domestic payroll; banking; cyber/IT; fractional jet services; health insurance assistance; and concierge/personal assistant support.

The CEO will serve as a trusted advisor to all Family members, and she/he will bring new ideas and best practices to the SFO through networking, benchmarking, and continuing education. The CEO’s responsibilities are outlined below by functional area:

Leadership, Strategic Planning, Communication and Education

• Promote a positive image of the Family, in accordance with their values and culture, by adhering to the highest level of integrity and ethics and by maintaining professionalism and technical knowledge.
• Collaborate with the Family Office Board of Directors to set the strategic direction and priorities for SFO. Update and inform the Board, as appropriate, of progress on goals, projects, issues, and opportunities and make them aware of any potential setbacks. Adapt, pivot, and make recommendations regarding family office services, priorities, and advisors as the needs of the Family evolve and change over time. Draw consensus and alignment from Family leadership on the reprioritization of goals and family office resources.
• Adhere to strict confidentiality regarding all aspects of the Family, their affairs, and the SFO, and promote a culture of discretion within SFO, within and among family members/branches, and in all external exchanges fostering the preservation of Family culture, wealth, heritage, legacy, cohesion, and unity.
• Understand each Family members’ personal values, needs and goals as a trusted advisor and support Family members in achieving their goals and maximizing their potential.
• Provide counsel, guidance, and education to Family members, distilling complex concepts in an understandable manner to promote well-informed, sound decision making, wealth stewardship and the continuance of the Family’s values and legacy.
• Act as a “player coach,” modulating between leadership, high level strategic work, detailed tasks, and client service. Proactively identify Family member and office needs, opportunities and risks and innovatively solve problems, and recommend alternative solutions, along with the related risk and reward, and then implement the chosen alternative. 
• Understanding the many facets of the Family enterprise and possessing the “big picture” of individual Family members’ financial affairs, proactively source opportunities and provide holistic, integrated financial/wealth planning services.
• Participate in and support Family governance initiatives including the various governance committees and their related meetings such as Family Council meetings and the Family Summit planning.
• Serve as a voting member of the Investment Committee.
• Mentor and educate family members, as requested, to prepare the next generation of Family members (G4) for ownership and leadership of the enterprise.
• Recommend new governance structures and councils as the Family grows and evolves and their needs change. 
• Manage the orientation or “internship” with the family office as Family members turn 18 years of age.
• Provide vision, inspiration and direction to current staff and retain, attract, develop, and motivate employees, creating a high integrity, successful and collaborative team focused on providing exceptional client service and a high-quality work product.
• Promote a caring and family-oriented family office culture and maintain the organization’s team-oriented, flexible, challenging and fun work environment.
• Foster a mentoring environment within the family office to ensure all teammates receive regular feedback by prioritizing regular “check-ins” and providing opportunities for formal and informal mentoring meetings to focus on the staff’s development. Through training and development, encourage the SFO team to become more well-rounded professionals and maintain the highest level of professional standards and ethics.
• Manage performance review process and all human resource issues so employees receive regular feedback and maintain the highest level of professional standards and ethics.
• Interface with Family members and staff, communicate objectives, expectations, and deliverables clearly. Promote transparent communication, trust, cooperation and mutual respect for all Family members and staff, enforcing boundaries around Family requests when necessary and enforcing boundaries around family confidentiality.
• Collaborating with appropriate staff, serve as the quarterback of all external advisors and vendors including the trust and estate planning attorney, the investment advisor, the tax accountant, and bankers to ensure optimal performance, accountability, and the achievement of goals. Identify, vet, and recommend additional advisors for Core+ services. Liaise between Family member clients and external advisors for Core services to streamline information.
• Propose and manage the family office budget.

Tax Planning, Strategy and Compliance                                                                

• Serve as the tax strategist for SFO. Appreciating the “big picture” of Family members’ financial affairs, as well as the business enterprise’s financial operations, proactively generate ideas and foresee opportunities to minimize taxes and preserve wealth. Regularly interface and brainstorm with SFO’s Director of Tax and Client Services and the Family enterprise Tax Director to anticipate tax issues and opportunities.
• Act as a thought partner and sounding board to the family office Director of Tax and Client Services related to their responsibilities of estimating quarterly tax payments, developing work papers for the external tax advisor, filing tax extensions and preparing the less complex tax returns.
• Support the Director of Tax and Client Services in the management of the outside public accounting firm to ensure timely and accurate filings and responses to tax notices for individuals and related entity tax returns – trust, partnership, gift and estate.
• Encourage the Director of Tax and Client Services’ participation in relevant tax conferences, workshops and learning opportunities to stay abreast of changes in the tax law and earn CPE credits to maintain and update professional credentials.

Enterprise Coordination

• Collaborate with the business enterprises on strategic matters which impact Family shareholders.
• Facilitate Family communications between the business enterprise and the family, as well as between the various governance committees and the Family, as required.
• Partner with the Director of Tax and Client Services in their interface with the enterprise as it relates to tax planning, distributions/treasury management, and forecasting cash flow from SMI and DESCO.

Investment Oversight of Pooled Investment Vehicles and Financial Planning for Individual Family Members’ Investments and Personal Finances

• Serve as a voting member of the Investment Committee, providing investment expertise and analyses on investment recommendations.
• Manage external investment advisor, reviewing asset allocation and portfolio rebalancing of the pooled investment vehicles quarterly.
• Manage the Director of Tax and Client Services on administrative matters related to the pooled investment vehicles including capital statement dissemination, reconciliations, tax compliance and planning.
• Monitor and grow the fund of funds private equity (PE) portfolio for eligible Family investors. Collaborating with Family members, model PE allocations and annual commitments. Track and forecast capital calls/distributions and ensure proper liquidity to meet anticipated capital calls.
• Source PE fund opportunities and collaborate with the Investment Committee to make allocation decisions.
• Work with Family members’ individual investment advisors to ensure that the advisor’s portfolio recommendations adhere to their investment policy statements, their risk profiles and their liquidity needs.  
• Perform sophisticated holistic financial planning and ensure execution and coordination across all wealth management disciplines for all households.
• Collaborate with the Director of Legal, Trust, and Estates in the preparation and delivery of

sophisticated capital sufficiency studies for use in long term cash flow planning, identifying

planning opportunities and ensuring alignment with estate plans.

• Lead delivery of individual family members’ investment related services including the following: facilitating quarterly investment advisor meetings; strategic planning; PE commitment modeling, transaction execution and administering capital call funding.
• Lead delivery of personal financial services which may include tuition funding, budgeting, home purchases, mortgage sourcing and underwriting, employer benefit elections and other financial advice.  

Legal, Trust and Estate Services

• Serve as a thought partner to the Director of Legal, Trust and Estates services in the following areas, helping to integrate legal solutions with an understanding of family members’ full financial picture:

• Estate planning and facilitation of estate plan summaries
• Trust administration assistance
• Trust accounting
• Pre-marital planning
• Basic document drafting
• LLC formation
• Drafting, documenting, and tracking of intra-family loans
• Contract and agreement review
• Business appraisal coordination

• Encourage the Director of Legal, Trust and Estate’s participation in relevant trust and estate /legal conferences, workshops and learning opportunities to stay abreast of changes in the law and to maintain and update professional credentials.

Family Governance

• Facilitate meetings and matters relating to the Family shareholders.
• Coordinate with the Director of Legal, Trust and Estates in participating in and providing support to the Family Council and all governance committees including planning for the annual Family Summit.
• Support the Director of Legal, Trust and Estates in coordinating the G4 calls/meetings.
• Oversee the family office “internship” program which is family members’ introduction to the family office at age 18.

Technology

• Administer the family portal and maintain up-to-date family contact information.
• Oversee secure family communications through the portal and continue document retention protocols.
• Possibly create checklists, training materials and a library of materials to address common/repeatable life events such as home purchases and business startups, to facilitate standardized processes/procedures, create efficiencies and promote independence. While the family office would continue to guide individuals through these life events, the materials may create efficiencies.
• Potentially promote G4 connectivity through a blog, newsletter or other medium accessed through the portal.
• Create efficiencies related to Core+ services by optimizing the Family portal including listing the Core+ service providers on the portal and being available to offer guidance.
• Continually evaluate technology, processes and protocols to standardize procedures and maximize the efficiency of the family office and support its staff.

The Ideal Candidate

The successful candidate will have a strong background in the family office and wealth management industries. She/he will have broad knowledge across the disciplines of wealth management and will understand their integration. They must possess compelling financial and business acumen, sound judgment, and a strategic, “big picture”, innovative mindset and orientation. She/he will have experience working with multi-generational families, understanding family dynamics and be skilled in facilitation and building consensus. Experience with generational transitions and change management are important. Ideally, they will be familiar with operating businesses, specifically closely held/family businesses, S Corporations and other pass-through entity structures. Technically astute in tax, trust and estate planning/administration and investments, she/he will be a strategic thought partner to the capable family office staff and will proactively identify opportunities to grow and preserve the Family’s wealth.

The ideal candidate will enthusiastically embrace the Family, Company and Family Office’s mission, values, and culture. The individual must have strong interpersonal skills, high emotional intelligence and exemplify the highest levels of honesty, integrity, commitment and loyalty.  Demonstrating professionalism, discretion, confidentiality and a service orientation, the successful individual will become a trusted advisor to all Family members.  Representing the Family, the CEO must be diplomatic, objective, tactful, respectful, non-judgmental, collaborative, and pragmatic in all interactions with Family members, staff, advisors, and all external constituencies. She/he must be family-oriented, adaptable, flexible, fun and enjoy celebrating success with the ability to set high expectations while nurturing a low anxiety environment.

Experience, Skills, Qualities

• Undergraduate degree required; advanced degree and/or professional designations desirable such as an MBA, JD, LLM, MS Tax, CPA, CFA or CFP.
• Minimum of 15 years of experience working with multi-generational families and their related entities; experience with closely held companies, family businesses and S Corporations beneficial.
• Broad knowledge across the disciplines of wealth management, especially tax, investments and trust and estate planning/administration, and an understanding of their integration; successful track record of advising ultra-high net worth clients and a network of advisors and thought partners to address the needs and issues of clients.
• Intellectually curious, resourceful, strategic, big-picture orientation with the ability to see all sides of an issue and identify opportunities; strong organizational, project management, analytical and problem-solving skills. Innovative spirit with the ability to anticipate needs and issues and proactively develop creative solutions.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, high emotional intelligence and empathetic listener with a strong service orientation; utmost integrity and discretion; approachable with the ability to instill confidence to serve as a trusted advisor; effectively modulates between diverse clients of all ages and all levels of financial and business acumen. Proficient in interfacing with all family constituencies with the ability to say “no” when appropriate in an effective and diplomatic manner.
• Humble, flexible, adaptable and collaborative leader who “rolls up their sleeves” and pitches in where needed. Leading by example, sets high expectations for staff while fostering a fun, collegial, supportive and low anxiety work environment.
• Alignment with the Family’s values: Family harmony, community, tradition and achievement through hard work.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to distill complex concepts into layman’s terms in an understandable manner.
• A flexible and adaptable, self-starter with the ability to pivot when necessary and manage transitions and change, prioritize and multi-task.
• Technologically and digitally savvy.
• Exhibits polish, professionalism, assurance and self-confidence, yet is humble and authentic possessing a genuine interest in the well-being of others and a good sense of humor.

Compensation

A competitive compensation and benefit package will be offered, commensurate with the role, responsibilities, and market – and the background and experience of the individual.