If we're not merging for for the people, why bother?

When Batts Inc., a family business that invented wooden clothes hangers in 1903 was sold to Tyco International, it's ardent competitor, in 1999, nobody bothered to tell its 500 loyal employees in Holland that the plants would be closed, their jobs--perhaps entire careers--ended. And when Lescoa, a family-owned, auto-accessory manufacturing company in west Michigan since 1945, was combined with American Bumper, it's competitor from Ionia, the pledge to "not take the company apart" was communicated. However, that pledge was quickly forgotten as American's executives took over, ignoring the family-styled people-culture of decades past.