Timothee Sallin, Melanie Ressler, and Chloe Gentry, the second generation of family ownership, are now the co-CEO’s of IMG Enterprises.

While restructuring into a co-CEO model is not a widespread practice, there are a number of Fortune 500 companies, including Samsung and Netflix, with co-CEOs. For us, this unconventional approach emerged as a result of over a decade of succession planning. As a family-owned business, transitioning the first generation of family leadership to the second generation is relatively common; however, our approach is unique because all three of the founders’ children are named as co-CEOs.

With a history of over 40 years, we have grown substantially under the leadership of our co-founders, Michel and Veronique Sallin. Originally from France, the Sallins came to the United States to pursue their entrepreneurial dream of building a sustainable agricultural business that would last for generations, hoping to pass on a legacy to their children and the community. Within a few years of starting out, the devastating citrus freezes of the 1980s brought their fledgling business to the brink. Because of this hardship, they learned to build resilience and diversification into the business. Over the years, they faced adversity countless times; however, each time they found opportunities within the challenges. Their growth mindset, along with their unshakeable commitment to core values, propelled the Sallin family to grow the business into what we are today. We are currently ranked the 27th Largest Privately Owned Company in Central Florida and one of Central Florida’s Best Places to Work (Orlando Business Journal).

Co-founders of IMG Enterprises, Veronique and Michel Sallin, have retired and will remain engaged on the Board of Directors.

The decision to retire and pass on their legacy to their three children is a big transition; however, the three siblings, Melanie Ressler, Timothee Sallin, and Chloe Gentry, have been a close working team here for years, reflecting our company’s culture of teamwork and collaborative leadership.

“Each of them has extensive experience with the operational and strategic knowledge of the Enterprise, as well as passion and alignment towards our vision,” says Michel Sallin, “Together, they bring a critical understanding of the strategic, financial, operational, and human dynamics of our Enterprise.”

Sallin, Ressler, and Gentry come together at multiple points throughout the day, and they have planned meetings every Tuesday to discuss operational updates, strategies, and investment opportunities. They also share an office space together to facilitate communication and collaboration.

“IMG Enterprises is a value-driven company. Most decisions are made as a group and through the spirit of collaboration,” says Gentry, “We firmly believe that together as co-CEOs we can make decisions better than a singular person.”