“At a time when much of the business conversation is defined by speed, scale and disruption, family businesses reflect a different model of success, one grounded in endurance, stewardship, resilience and trust,” says Byron Trott, the legendary chairman and co-CEO of merchant bank BDT & MSD Partners, in an essay for Forbes published Wednesday. “Their impact is often felt not only in revenues or valuations, but in livelihoods, institutions and the strength of local communities. That is why Forbes’ inaugural list of America’s top family businesses matters now,” says Trott, who has worked with companies founded and controlled by families with names like Koch, Pritzker, Mars and Cox.

There’s no doubt that America’s family businesses–including the 100 largest ones featured on Forbes’ new ranking–are what Trott calls “the quiet engine driving the economy.” They account for 25% of U.S. companies, 23% of the American workforce and 23% of private sector GDP, according to what four leading academics described in a recent paper as the “middle definition” of a family business.

Family businesses are everywhere around us. The ones on Forbes’ list own grocery stores where we shop (Wegmans), hotels where we stay (Hyatt),........

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