Phil Kriszenfeld of Transitions Mediation and Consulting Group specializes in alternative dispute resolution focusing on family businesses. Having a personal background in family manufacturing and retail business, Phil knows firsthand the challenges of going from son, to shareholder, to former owner. He supplemented this experiential learning with additional training at the University of Waterloo and at the faculty of law at Windsor University.
 
His role as mediator is unlike that of the accountant, lawyer, or wealth advisor in the family business. As he put it, his job is to make the family business operate better in the boardroom and the living room.
 
He is comfortable leading conversations into the difficult areas of what does the family really want, is the next generation willing and able to assume the business or is it time to find a third party. Will this be a three generation “shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves” situation? Difficult decisions for many. In addition, Phil handles estate mediation which is another area where families may experience conflict.