Oh, Brother

No one knows a man like his own brother. Brothers who grow up playing together learn about the importance of teamwork. They may be rivals on the playing field, but they are allies against the world. As children, they talk about their fears and share their dreams.

Sometimes those dreams come true.

Many corporations begin as family businesses, and a good many of them are started by brothers: think Lehman Brothers, Bass Brothers, Pep Boys, and Marriott Hotels, to name a few. When brothers decide to become partners, the strength of their bond can stabilize the business as they defend each other against outsiders. “Brothers have a long history of trust,” says Ellen Frankenberg, a Cincinnati-based family business consultant. “They know when they fight that life will go on, and they will have breakfast together tomorrow.” Brothers in business together are most successful when their skills are complementary, they each have a clearly defined niche, and they don’t merely acknowledge their differences, but celebrate them.

Park City has its fair share of brotherly partnerships. Take note of these four pairs of brothers, including one set of twins, who have found the secret to keeping business all in the family.

The Ballstaedt Brothers of Resorts West

“Jamie’s the good cop and I’m the bad cop,” says Joe Ballstaedt, CEO of Resorts West, a property management company. He’s talking about his brother, his partner and his best friend. “Nobody dislikes Jamie. He’s real, not fake.”

The Ballstaedt brothers, third and fourth in a family of five siblings, grew up in Midway under the watchful eye of their German father, a retired merchant marine. “Our father taught us a work ethic and people smarts,” explains Jamie, whose first job was as a busser at The Homestead when he was 14. Joe was 16 when he landed his first job — bellboy at the Silver Queen Hotel on Main Street.

Just two years apart, the brothers grew up playing sports with each other. They both admit to being “very competitive,” especially when playing one-on-one in basketball. They used to spend hours talking about what they would do if they could do anything. “Since we couldn’t play for the NBA, the next best thing was the travel business,” says Joe. “We both loved mountain biking and skiing.”

The pair worked for a cousin who was starting a remodeling business and then for a property management business in Park City. Their people skills came in handy when dealing with both guests and owners. In 1999, they decided to go out on their own and launched Resorts West. Right from the start, they focused on the luxury market. Since then, they’ve grown their rental business while also starting a real estate business and building custom homes. The key to their success? “Each of us has a different expertise and plays a different role,” says Joe. “Jamie is the relationship guy. He’s hands on.” Jamie is quick to sing his brother’s praises, as well. “Joe is the visionary,” Jamie says. “He has a unique marketing mind and quickly sees new possibilities.” While it’s true that Joe, the older brother, has the title of CEO, the Ballstaedts are equal partners. “The titles are for others who need to know the hierarchy,” says Jamie.

“As brothers and partners, we have the best of both worlds,” adds Joe. “There’s no one I trust more than Jamie. He’s my best friend.”

The Shay Brothers of Surefoot

Bob and Russ Shay shared a passion which spawned a business. They spent winters skiing in Vermont, where Russ attended the Stratton Academy and Bob coached. The Shay brothers lived to ski, loving everything about the sport except for the ski boots. “My feet always hurt,” says Bob, CEO of Surefoot. “Ski boots are the bane of a skier’s existence.” Bob tinkered with his boots to make them more comfortable and soon was customizing boots for his younger brother Russ, who had embarked on a successful ski racing career.

During his senior year at the University of Utah, Bob had an epiphany. He wanted a job, not a degree. And so Surefoot was born. Russ continued ski racing and working part-time with Bob. “Pretty soon the whole University of Utah Ski Team was coming to us for boots.” When Russ retired from racing, the two brothers became determined to grow the business. Russ moved to Vail and opened a store there. The Shays currently operate 25 stores worldwide.

While the brothers have always shared a goal — to create the best ski boots in the world — they have sometimes differed on how to grow the business. “No matter what I say, Russ says the opposite,” insists Bob, who focuses on the big picture and the bottom line. Russ oversees the stores, deals with customers and listens to their comments. When there is a disagreement, they try to follow their father’s advice: “He’s your brother, get over it.”

“Sibling rivalry makes us better,” says Russ. “We always push each other. It keeps us grounded. I can talk to my brother about anything.”

The Shay brothers, who get an offer a week to sell their business, sit up taller when they talk about the possibility of passing their business on to the next generation. In the short term, they’ve tried to recruit their two sisters to join the business. “We could grow more if we had more brothers,” says Bob.

The Valaika Brothers of Shabu

Shabu is known for its freestyle Asian cuisine. The two brothers who own the Main Street restaurant are as different as the elements that go into their signature dishes. Kevin Valaika, 42, the oldest of a family of five, is the front-of-the-house guy, a gregarious host who seems to know everyone in town. Bob, a serious chef who trained under renowned sushi chef Nobu Matsuhisa, manages the kitchen. “I’m not as social as Kevin,” admits Bob, the youngest of the Valaika clan.

The two brothers grew up in Chicago, sons of a Merrill Lynch manager and a stay-at-home mom. “We were bunk buddies,” Bob says. “I had the top, and he had the bottom.” The six-year difference in their ages meant that they were not best friends growing up. “Bob always tagged along,” says Kevin. “He was always in the back seat.”

After college and work stints in Chicago, both brothers gravitated to ski towns: Kevin to Park City and Bob to Aspen. “We got to know each other in our 20s, when we visited each other’s towns,” says Kevin.

By 2002, Bob was ready for a change. His big brother, who had worked at Zoom and Grappa restaurants, urged him to consider moving to Park City and teaming up with him in a private chef business. Bob packed up his woks and spices and moved to Park City. A year later, the brothers were ready to pursue their big dream — opening their own restaurant. “We had more creativity than cash,” recalls Kevin. “But the time was right.”

The brothers aren’t afraid to disagree. “We’ve had knock-down, drag-out fights, says Bob, “but they only made us stronger.”

Are the two best friends? “No, that would be like a marriage,” says Kevin. “We’ve always loved each other, but we’ve learned to respect each other in business.” Bob is quick to praise Kevin’s business mind, while Kevin raves about Bob’s amazing palate.

“I’m here for him, and he’s here for me,” says Bob. “I couldn’t do this without him.”

The Hibl Brothers of Park City Coffee Roasters

Fraternal twins Rob and Ray Hibl share many things — the same birthday, the same parents, and the same business. But they didn’t always share the same vision. “We were really good friends until the middle of high school, says Rob, 37, (five minutes older than his twin brother, Ray). “Then the competition started. We had separate rooms, separate friends and separate goals.”

After high school, the twins took different paths. Rob went to college and studied kinesiology, while Ray joined the Air Force and became a firefighter. Five years later, the Hibls were both living in Colorado and started rebuilding their relationship. They talked about going into business together. Then Rob and his wife moved to Park City where he worked as a loan officer at a credit union. One of his clients, Ted Walton, owned Park City Roasters. “I told Ted if he ever wanted to sell his business, to let me know.” In 1997, Walton and his wife decided to move to Hawaii. “It seemed like the perfect opportunity,” says Rob. So the brothers took over the business together. “I’m a marketing guy and Ray is mechanical.”

The Hibl brothers’ goal was to expand their wholesale business. Their first client was Sundance Resort, then Dan’s (now The Market at Park City) and Wasatch Bagels. As their custom roasting business has grown, the Hibls have disagreed over many things. “We’ve learned to give each other constructive criticism without taking it personally,” says Rob. “Our parents are our intermediaries, but we are best friends.” The Hibls joke that they need to give each other some space. Rob lives in Park City, and Ray lives in Heber City. That 20-mile distance gives them some breathing room.

Not long ago, the Hibls received a call from the Harmons grocery chain asking them to roast beans for them. The Hibls were tickled: part of the attraction is that the Harmon brothers would be dealing with another pair of brothers!

Writer Michele Morris grew up on a family ranch in Montana. She has three younger brothers.