Chapter 6 - Our father’s company
Our father was Andrew Bennett.
He died in a highway collision when I was thirteen.
Ethan was five.
Dad owned 38% of Bennett Home & Garden, a regional chain of hardware and outdoor-supply stores.
Not glamorous.
Forty-two locations across Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky.
Thousands of employees.
After Dad died, his shares did not pass directly to Mom.
They went into trusts for:
Me.
Ethan.
Mom received substantial financial support.
Household allowance.
Insurance proceeds.
Her own retirement assets.
She was not left poor.
But Dad believed company ownership should eventually pass to his children.
So my half of his interest was held in trust until adulthood.
Ethan’s too.
Independent trustee:
A corporate trust company.
Trust protector:
Samuel Bennett.
May you like
Dad’s older brother.
The man standing in our kitchen.
