Big Canyon Advisors launches 12-month leadership program for next-gen family business heirs

Big Canyon Advisors has launched The Charge, a yearlong mentorship program for young men from family businesses, family offices and entrepreneurial families. The program began this summer in Dallas and is designed to build leadership, judgment and stewardship before the next generation takes on major responsibilities.

Why it matters: - Families often spend years planning how wealth and businesses will transfer, but far less time preparing future leaders to manage those responsibilities well. - The Charge is aimed at closing that gap by developing character, resilience and stewardship in young men who may one day lead family enterprises. - Big Canyon Advisors says the program supports long-term continuity for family businesses and family offices.

What happened: - Big Canyon Advisors launched The Charge, a 12-month next-generation leadership mentorship program for young men ages 16 to 25. - The program is open to participants from family businesses, family offices and entrepreneurial families. - The inaugural class began this summer. - The announcement was made in Dallas on Aug. 18, 2026.

The details: - Charlie Carr Jr., a partner at Big Canyon Advisors, developed the program and leads it. - Participants get weekly one-on-one mentoring sessions and monthly in-person meetings. - The curriculum moves through four phases: The Individual, The Follower, The Leader and The Builder. - Program elements include personal accountability, hands-on challenges, family business exposure and principles focused on character, leadership and stewardship. - Big Canyon Advisors says the goal is for participants to become more disciplined, more self-aware and better prepared to lead. - Carr spent seven years as a U.S. Army Infantry officer in the airborne community before advising senior defense leaders on organizational strategy. - Carr now focuses on next-generation leadership development within family enterprises at Big Canyon Advisors. - Families can learn more at the program page or contact Big Canyon Advisors directly. - Big Canyon Advisors is an independent advisory firm serving family businesses and family offices nationwide. - The firm advises on family business continuity, family office consulting and design, governance, strategic planning and next-generation development.

Between the lines: - The program blends leadership training with mentorship, signaling that Big Canyon Advisors sees future family-enterprise success as a people problem as much as a planning problem. - The Army and defense background of the program leader suggests a structured, accountability-driven approach rather than a purely academic one. - The age range indicates Big Canyon Advisors is targeting participants before they fully enter leadership roles, not after succession is already underway.

What's next: - The first cohort will continue through the 12-month sequence and move through all four phases of the program. - Big Canyon Advisors is likely to use the inaugural class as a proof point for future families considering similar next-generation training. - Families interested in the program can inquire directly as additional participants and cohorts are considered.

The bottom line: - Big Canyon Advisors is betting that family wealth transfers work better when the next generation gets as much leadership development as financial preparation.