By Eric Stock

BLOOMINGTON – Beer Nuts is undergoing a change in leadership but the long-standing Bloomington business is keeping it in the family.

Andy Shirk is taking over as president of the company from his father Jim Shirk. Andy Shirk told WJBC’s Sam Wood third-generation family businesses are becoming increasingly rare.

“It’s a small group but everyone is excited to talk about it because you don’t know where you can talk about it, when you find someone who can relate it’s almost like therapy,” Shirk said.

Shirk said there are challenges taking over a business that’s been in the family since its founding in 1953.

‘The mindset of it’s always worked, so why change it, that’s been a hard one to overcome, not only within the family business, but within the whole organization,” Shirk said. “People are happy with how things are going, but if we don’t evolve, we die.”

Shirk added he didn’t envision taking over the family business but said he decided to move away from commercial real estate after market crashed in 2008.

He said Beer Nuts is continuously rolling out new products and packaging, including a beer bottle-shaped container. It’s also test marketing some new products at its company store.

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].