What does employee ownership actually look like from the inside?
It’s something I’ve been fortunate to experience in the day-to-day decisions, conversations, and culture of a business. I’ve spent my career inside employee-owned companies, experiencing how ownership changes the way people think, operate, and lead.
Now, as CFO of OwnersEdge, I’m bringing that background to a different kind of model: an ESOP holding company. The model is designed to give companies immediate access to employee ownership without starting from scratch. My new role has inspired me to think about how my experiences shape how I think about ESOPs today and how that’s supporting my next step here at OwnersEdge.
A Career Built Inside Employee-Owned Companies
My experience with employee-owned companies started early in my career at a Milwaukee-area supplier to the healthcare and senior living industries. This company did not have a traditional ESOP, but it was 100% employee-owned. I spent nearly two decades at the company, and I saw how deeply employee ownership can influence culture. I then moved into a CFO role at a true ESOP, a Wisconsin-based jewelry company. The position gave me my first exposure to how an ESOP structure works behind the scenes.
Though the companies had slightly different ownership models, what stood out in both environments was not just how ownership was structured, but how it showed up in practice. I regularly experienced how ownership was part of how people talked, how they made decisions, and how they approached their work.
Ownership wasn’t just a theory that existed on paper, but something that we helped employees understand: what it meant, how it worked, and how their role connected to the broader success of the company.
Experiencing a culture like this, which is unique to ESOPs and other similar employee-ownership structures, makes a difference.
What You Learn When You Lead From the Inside
Stepping into a CFO role within an ESOP is interesting. The mechanics behind employee ownership are more complex than they appear from the outside, and it takes time to develop a thorough understanding of how an ESOP operates. For someone in a role like mine, it’s an important learning experience.
Early on, I asked a lot of questions and learned from those already in the broader ESOP community, which made a significant difference for me. There are a lot of people who have spent years thinking about how to structure and sustain employee-owned organizations, and thankfully, they are willing to share their knowledge. My conversations with them helped connect the cultural side of ownership with the financial and structural realities behind it.
It was during this time that I was first exposed to the OwnersEdge approach. Through relationships and conversations with leaders in the OwnersEdge network, I saw how a more intentional structure could support long-term sustainability.
What Stood Out About the OwnersEdge Model
The OwnersEdge model of a diversified ESOP-holding company and a ready-made ESOP was not something I had direct experience with before coming on board as the new CFO.
With my background in individual companies, I was used to everything rising and falling with the performance of one singular business.
OwnersEdge offers a different structure entirely, with distinct operating advantages:
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Built-in diversification: Instead of relying on a single company or a single market, our structure is that of a parent company with six operating companies.
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Strategic resources: While our diversified portfolio of operating companies all contribute to our success, they also have the collective advantage of drawing on strategic shared resources at varying levels, based on the specific needs of the company.
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Enhanced stability: Every operating business has its own cycles. In a single-company structure, the natural business ebb and flow can put significant pressure on the organization and the people within it. In the OwnersEdge model, there is a broader base to rely on.
From an employee-owner perspective, being part of a diversified ESOP holding company provides a greater sense of confidence, knowing that long-term value is not tied to a single business outcome.
Why the OwnersEdge Ready-Made ESOP Model Matters
One of the more practical advantages of a ready-made ESOP model is that it removes much of the complexity that typically comes with building an ESOP from the ground up. Creating an ESOP structure on your own takes time, resources, and a level of expertise that not every company has readily available.
When a company joins OwnersEdge, ownership transfers through the ready-made ESOP model. The new ESOP also becomes part of an established organizational structure with a wealth of available resources. With this access, company leaders are able to focus on their specific core business area, with additional resources available to them as an operating company, when needed.
For employees, the impact of transitioning to an operating company within a diversified ESOP holding company is immediate. In addition to becoming employee owners, they quickly learn the clear connection between their work and the value it contributes to everyone.
Over time, the employee-owner arrangement creates a more direct path to long-term financial growth and a stronger sense of true participation in the company’s success.
The Role of a CFO Across a Portfolio of Businesses
The role of a CFO looks different in a portfolio model. Instead of focusing on a single company, my responsibility extends across multiple operating businesses that are all part of the same ESOP.
As CFO of an ESOP holding company, I don’t step into every detail of each operating business. because we have strong financial leaders in each operating company. My role at the portfolio level is to stay connected, provide support where needed, and help ensure consistency across the organization.
Creating a space where the financial leaders of all operating companies can connect, share challenges, and learn from each other builds a strong, reliable network across the entire OwnersEdge organization.
Looking Ahead: Growth, Challenge, and Opportunity
One of the things I appreciate most about being an ESOP holding company CFO is the active and dynamic environment I work in.
Growth requires change, and together we understand that improving our entire organization is an ongoing process that we all contribute to as a long-term goal. Our work is not static, and that is part of what makes it engaging.
At the same time, as an ESOP holding company, OwnersEdge continues to carefully consider opportunities that allow us to expand our portfolio and create even more value for our employee owners.
Each step forward builds on what already exists, contributing to a larger, more resilient OwnersEdge.
If you are considering employee ownership and want to better understand how different ESOP structures can support your business, we welcome the opportunity to connect. Conversations are always confidential and focused on what makes sense for your long-term goals.