956: How Do You Prepare a Family Business for Its Next 100 Years? | Jake Pepper

Pepper Construction has survived the Great Depression, World War II, multiple recessions, and a global pandemic. As the family business approaches its 100th anniversary, its next challenge is not simply surviving another disruption. It is pursuing new opportunities without losing the culture, discipline, and sense of responsibility that carried it this far. Jake Pepper is part of the fourth generation preparing to lead Pepper into that next chapter. His path into the family business was anything but automatic. He resisted joining, studied building science, traded natural gas options, and earned an MBA before returning with a deeper understanding of both the company and the complicated dynamics of a multigenerational enterprise. Jake went on to build Pepper Energy from an initial construction-only solar project while helping the broader company expand into batteries, powered land, and hyperscale data centers. He and Nico explore how new businesses ***earn trust inside an established company***, why each generation may get only ***one consequential risk***, and how leaders protect the core while adapting to markets that can change almost overnight. **Expect to Learn:** 🔹 What Jake gained by building a career outside the family business before accepting the mantle of responsibility 🔹 How his particular MBA program helped him understand the family dynamics behind the financial statements 🔹 How a call from the carpenters union led to Pepper’s first solar project, a new energy business, and an incredible growth curve 🔹 How Jake evaluates powered land, data-center growth, capital partners, and counterparty credit risk 🔹 Why maintaining culture is harder than growing from $2 billion to $4 billion This conversation offers a candid look at how one family business is preparing for its next century without losing the culture and values that carried it through the first. Are there other technologies you’ve scouted on the frontlines of the Clean Energy Revolution that you think we should be covering here on SunCast? Hit us up - [team@suncast.me](mailto:team@suncast.me) with your feedback & recommendations. If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://suncast.media/episodes/. Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America! You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.suncast.media/sponsors. Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 875 other founder stories and startup advice at www.suncast.media. Subscribe to Valence, our weekly LinkedIn Newsletter, and learn the elements of compelling storytelling: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/valence-content-that-connects-7145928995363049472/ You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on: Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus