Business feature: Family business recognized

A third-generation family business with locations in Portales and Clovis was recognized earlier this month by the Parker Center for Family Business as the New Mexico Family Business of the Year.

The Merrick family operates the third-generation Ace Hardware store in Portales, the second-generation Ashley HomeStores in Clovis and Portales and the Enchantment Vineyards winery that opened in Portales earlier this year, with over 60 full-time and part-time employees across the three businesses.

"I think we're all just shocked by it," Max Merrick said of winning the award. "Being on this side of the state you don't get recognized a whole lot for something like that so I think everybody here felt very good about it, definitely surprised."

Max said he and his wife June now serve more of a "financier" role in the business while their daughters Cassidy Self and Megan Hamilton and their spouses Rustin Self and Robert Hamilton handle the "day-to-day" aspects of running the different operations.

"I think we balance it well because we all have a common respect for one another and then we all handle something different in the business," Cassidy Self said of managing family and business together.

Cassidy and her brother-in-law Robert run the two furniture stores, Megan and her brother-in-law Rustin run the hardware store and then everyone works together to manage the winery.

Max Merrick said it was his "strong recommendation" when his daughters joined the business that they don't work day-in and day-out with their spouses.

"The inside joke is that's how we all stay married and happy so we think it's really important not to work together and live together," Cassidy Self said. "So that was intentional, and then by default it honestly fell into our strengths."

Charles Padilla, chairman of the eight-person award selection committee for the Parker Center, said one thing that made the Merrick family stand out from the other 11 finalists for the award was their monthly meetings where they get together, turn off their cell phones and discuss all of the family's businesses at once.

"We look at financials, (and) we have very open conversations so I think a lot of people would be surprised in those meetings even though we are family, we put mom, dad, sister aside," Cassidy Self said.

"It's very much a business meeting and we put family emotions aside if you will to have a very productive, constructive meeting."

Max Merrick said the family's latest foray into the business world, Enchantment Vineyards, was inspired years ago by grape trips he and his wife took in Europe and more recently seeing the growth of the wine grape industry in west Texas.

Cassidy Self said despite the family's passion for wine, it was still a bit daunting to enter a whole different sector of the business world.

"It was very scary, we are still very scared, but it's a passion of all of ours and so I think ... we wanted to do something that was more of a family passion that the six of us share," Cassidy said.

Max Merrick said he feels very confident that his daughters and sons-in-law will not only maintain the businesses but supersede what he and his wife have accomplished.

"If you get an opportunity to be in business with your kids there's just nothing better," Max Merrick said. "I was getting to the burned out and tired stage and this kind of gives you a whole new lease on life."