Comparison · 17 material differences
Family Enterprise USA vs TEC Canada
This comparison was generated on request from the records. It carries no editorial verdict and is not indexed. The published comparisons are listed on the compare page.
Read down each column for one organization, across a row for the difference. A bronze mark at the left of a cell means the organizations differ on that row. A dash or “not published” means the organization does not disclose the fact; it is not a zero.
Verified September 2026
Family-business organization
Verified September 2026 Family Enterprise USA
Owners and executives of American family-owned businesses and multi-generational employers, plus advisers and firms that serve them
Peer advisory
TEC Canada
Canadian CEOs, presidents, owners and senior executives, sorted into four programme tiers by role and company stage
What the records say
- Role or title: Family Enterprise USA: No published role or title; TEC Canada: TEC CEO: CEOs, presidents, owners and leaders of large enterprises.
- Geographic restriction: Family Enterprise USA: United States focus; advocacy is directed at the US Congress; TEC Canada: Canada.
- Annual dues: Family Enterprise USA: $1,000 a year; TEC Canada: Not publicly disclosed. TEC Canada quotes pricing only after an application, and says the figure depends on which programme the applicant qualifies for. Third-party estimates differ sharply: an executive-coaching firm puts CEO membership at roughly $1,500-$2,000+ CAD a month, while the Peer Resources directory gives $2,820-$13,000 a year across TEC/Vistage tiers. Neither is an organisation disclosure..
Side by side
| Family Enterprise USA | TEC Canada | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Family-business organization | Peer advisory |
| Founded | 2007 (Family Enterprise USA states it has represented family-owned enterprises "since 2007". Its sister advocacy body traces to 1995 under its former name, Policy and Taxation Group.) | 1985 (TEC Canada's own history page: "The TEC Canada story began in 1985, when Dr. Lynn Tanner brought the peer advisory model to Canada." The underlying TEC format dates to 1957 in Milwaukee.) |
| Headquarters | Washington, United States | Calgary, Canada |
| Geographic footprint | United States, with advocacy centred on Washington DC and a programme of regional events around the country | Canada: Chairs listed in fourteen regions from Vancouver to Atlantic Canada; members also get access to the Vistage global network |
| Members | Not publicly disclosed | 1,600as of May 2026 |
| Chapters | Family Enterprise USA has no chapters. Its membership page refers to regional events (it cites more than 20 regional gatherings) rather than standing local branches. | 14 |
| Primary audience | Owners and executives of American family-owned businesses and multi-generational employers, plus advisers and firms that serve them | Canadian CEOs, presidents, owners and senior executives, sorted into four programme tiers by role and company stage |
| Typical member | Members are family-owned businesses "of all sizes, professions, and industries" and multi-generational employers, alongside associate members that are not themselves family businesses: typically advisory firms, banks and service providers. Higher tiers are aimed at families willing to travel to Washington and meet legislators directly. | Members are chief executives, owners and senior executives of Canadian companies across a wide size range, from small-business owners in the TEC Small Business programme to leaders of large enterprises in TEC CEO. TEC Canada publishes no revenue or headcount threshold and no member demographics. |
| Qualification | ||
| Role or title | No published role or title | TEC CEO: CEOs, presidents, owners and leaders of large enterprisesverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Geographic restriction | United States focus; advocacy is directed at the US Congressverified September 2026 · source ↗ | CanadaChairs are listed only in Canadian regions.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | Prospective members choose one of the four published tiers on the membership page and join at that price; there is no published vetting, sponsorship or committee review. The organisation also solicits event sponsorships separately from membership. | Prospective members apply through the Becoming a Member page. TEC then matches the applicant to a programme and a specific group based on organisational size, stage of development and competitive landscape, and discusses cost at that point. There is no published sponsorship or nomination requirement. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed: no acceptance criteria or rejection process is described; membership appears open at the published price points. | Not publicly disclosed. TEC describes careful matching rather than selection against a threshold, and publishes no acceptance rate. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $1,000 a yearNon Family Business / Associate Member tier: email updates and quarterly webcast.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not publicly disclosed. TEC Canada quotes pricing only after an application, and says the figure depends on which programme the applicant qualifies for. Third-party estimates differ sharply: an executive-coaching firm puts CEO membership at roughly $1,500-$2,000+ CAD a month, while the Peer Resources directory gives $2,820-$13,000 a year across TEC/Vistage tiers. Neither is an organisation disclosure.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | No initiation fee is published.verified September 2026 | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 |
| Membership term | Annual | Not documented |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Quarterly webcast for all members; annual Day on Capitol Hill; annual DC meeting for higher tiers; regional events through the year | Monthly group meetings plus a monthly one-to-one session with the Chair; expert speaker sessions and an annual national member conference |
| Peer forums | No peer forums; the organisation is built around advocacy events and policy briefings | Confidential peer advisory groups of non-competing members facilitated by a TEC Chair, an experienced former executive who also coaches members individually |
| Confidentiality | Not publicly disclosed | Group meetings are described as confidential; trust is one of TEC Canada's four stated values |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Event-focused, Virtual | Forum-based, Chapter-based, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | No | Yes |
| Local chapters | No | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Yes | Not documented |
| Online community | Partial | Yes |
| Member directory | Not documented | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | No | Yes |
| Retreats | No | Not documented |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | Partial | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | Not documented | No |
| Next-generation programming | Not documented | No |
| Investment discussions | No | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | Medium | High |
| Social emphasis | Low | Low |
Next
Last verified: not yet reviewed
Report an error on this page
Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Family Enterprise USA · TEC Canada