21st Century Entrepreneurship Richard N. Seaman: The Entrepreneurship Of Multigenerational Family Business
Richard Seaman is the author of A Vibrant Vision: The Entrepreneurship of Multigenerational Family Business, and the current Chairman of Seaman Corporation, where he served as CEO from 1976 to 2015. He assumed the leadership role of this family business in 1978 after his father passed away at the young age of 55. Under his leadership, Seaman Corporation, a manufacturer of industrial coated fabrics, grew from $10 million in annual sales to nearly $200 million in sales today.
Richard serves as a Trustee of the Burton D. Morgan Foundation, whose mission is to support entrepreneurship and the free enterprise system. In 2012, he was asked by the Governor of the State of Ohio to serve as a Commissioner of the Ohio Third Frontier, a billion-dollar initiative focused on creating innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem in the state. He is a member of the Young Presidents Organization, the Family Business Network-USA, and a Trustee on the board of the College of Wooster.
Richard was recognized as an Honored Life Member of his industry trade organization, the Industrial Fabrics Association International, and was selected as a Wall of Fame Honoree by the Wooster Area Chamber of Commerce. In 2015, Richard was chosen by Ernst & Young as Entrepreneur of the Year in the Family Business category.
Richard is an avid skier, sailor, photographer, and tennis player. Richard and his wife, Judy, live in Wooster, Ohio. They and the families of their three children are committed to being active owners and stewards of their family business enterprise.