After 14 years, family warehouse work feels impossible to leave

after 14 – Ryan Saltzman, vice president of Banner Wholesale Grocers, never planned to join his family’s warehouse business. But after joining 14 years ago—following his father’s buyout of cousins’ shares—he says the work reshaped his life, his relationships at home and,

In his early years of college, Ryan Saltzman didn’t have a clear career plan. Then his father called, and the conversation quickly turned toward the business that had shaped generations of his family.

Ryan grew up watching his dad and grandfather work at Banner Wholesale Groceries, a company founded by his great-grandfather. When he picked up the phone. his father explained that he had recently bought out his cousins’ share of the business. Banner was doing well. Ryan recalls. but not at a “phenomenal” level—and his father wanted Ryan’s help growing it.

Saying yes wasn’t easy. Ryan says his friends were moving toward “fun, creative jobs” or working in downtown high rises, while his family’s business was built around a warehouse in an industrial part of Chicago. Still, he says he couldn’t say no when his father asked.

The early job came with a steep learning curve, and a different kind of pressure. Coming to work with your dad as your boss. Ryan said. creates a dynamic that’s unlike reporting to someone unrelated. At Banner, he says work comes first when they’re there together. He also described the effort it took to earn employee respect—not just because he was the owner’s son. but because he wanted employees to see that he understood their work.

He says he took time to really understand the business by working “in every part of the business from the ground up.” He believed that approach mattered because the company has “tremendous employee loyalty.”

Ryan emphasizes that he couldn’t simply step into an ownership role. He felt he had to put in the work to understand the business at a deeper level. Even with experience. he said the job carries another challenge: as a company owner. he was expected to be the face of the business. He tried to keep a clear line between work and life—work staying at work. and his life outside the company staying outside.

He also described how he worked to lead employee teams while building familiarity with employees. That balance, he said, wasn’t always simple.

Over time, he built a deliberate life outside the company to keep work from becoming his entire identity. He made sure to do things he enjoys outside Banner—playing basketball and traveling. That separation, Ryan says, also helped his relationship with his father.

The two share a love of the Chicago Bulls, and his father is a season ticket holder. Ryan says that when they go to a Bulls game, they don’t talk about work. They watch basketball and enjoy each other’s company.

Family involvement looks different on the Banner side than it does on the work roster. Ryan is the only sibling among his group working for the family company. None of his three siblings works for the business, though they remain involved. Ryan says they have worked at Banner in the past before moving on to other paths. Even now. he says they attend the company and community events Banner hosts because the business matters to the whole family.

Ryan’s father has worked at Banner for 57 years, and Ryan joined the company 14 years ago. He says it used to be hard to imagine spending that much time in a single job. Now, he can’t see himself doing anything else.

He frames his day-to-day focus around the bigger picture: how important Banner is to his family and its 110 employees. He says the company has helped him appreciate his family and what the business has given them—especially because Banner “keeps us connected. ” and also provides for his parents. siblings. and “hopefully. one day” his kids.

Banner is reaching a milestone: it’s the company’s 100th year in business. Ryan says he loves thinking about the impact the business has had over that time—for his family. employees. and customers. He describes relationships with customers who have been buying from Banner for decades. and he says that history makes coming into the warehouse on a cold Chicago morning feel easier.

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