Family businesses contribute to half of the U.S. gross domestic product, according to a research project by two ISU professors.Mary Winter, professor and associate dean of research and graduate education in family and consumer sciences, and Nancy J. Miller, associate professor of textiles and clothing, were part of a research team that received the 2001 Northeast Regional Research Award for Excellence. The project was named Family Business Viability in Economically Vulnerable Communities. The ISU Statistical Laboratory helped gather data for the research project, Winter said, which surveyed more than 14,000 households nationwide through a telephone screening and survey.The Northeast Regional Association of State Agricultural Experiment Station Directors presented the award to the research team Jan. 30 at the University of Maryland, College Park.Winter was present to accept the award and explain the findings during the presentation. “The most important thing our research team discovered was that official government statistics severely undercount the number of businesses in the U.S. because so many of them are small businesses,” she said. “We also found that family characteristics matter in predicting business success.” One of the project’s purposes was to show how family businesses impact the nation’s economy.The project’s findings indicate 14 percent of U.S. households have family businesses, and about half of the gross domestic product is produced by family businesses, she said. The research project also focused on the issues of small businesses, how the family affects the business and how the business affects the family.Miller said research findings will benefit those in family businesses and those who are considering starting a family business.”From the research project, families can see how a family business can help or cause problems in the family,” she said.