This study analyzes the participation of family businesses in the local development, specifically furniture family businesses of the city of Guarapuava - PR, Brazil. For the accomplishment of this qualitative study, it was looked for interpretations of subjects that act in the public power; of entrepreneurs and formerentrepreneurs of the industry of pieces of furniture; and it collects of secondary data. The results show that the participation of family companies of the industry of pieces of furniture in the local development inGuarapuava happens through: constitution of informal social nets of cooperation among cabinetmakers entrepreneurs; participation in partnerships of businesses among cabinetmakers entrepreneurs and with other managerial categories; articulations of cabinetmakers entrepreneurs with representatives of the public power; among other contributions, as: generation of employments, several donations and aids to people and entities. In spite of, it was verified countless difficulties faced by the public power when of the structuring and execution of initiatives public incentive innovators and support to the development of the set of furniture, since the decade of 1980.
Family business; Local development; Entrepreneurship; Small business; Localdevelopment policy