https://blplatt.journoportfolio.comRSS Feed for Ben PlattenThu, 10 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://project-equity.org/owner-retires/proof-bakery/Proof Bakery, a beloved community institution, was opened in 2010 by chef/owner Na Young Ma in the Atwater Village neighborhood of Los Angeles. Over the following decade, Proof built a deeply loyal customer base–and earned recognition by the James Beard Foundation, The New York Times, Food and Wine, LA Times, and more–by consistently delivering high-quality baked goods, lovingly made by hand using the finest seasonal ingredients.Thu, 10 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://project-equity.org/owner-retires/proof-bakery/https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/harvard-business-review-touts-big-benefits-of-employee-ownership/What would happen if every American business became at least 30% employee-owned through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)? That's the question posed by Thomas Dudley of Certified Employee Owned and Professor Ethan Rouen of Harvard Business School in a recent study to see how employee ownership could reshape the American economy.Wed, 26 May 2021 00:00:00 +0100https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/harvard-business-review-touts-big-benefits-of-employee-ownership/https://project-equity.org/interviews/burnett-specialists/This is the story of a company that gambled on itself and won. In 2010, Burnett Specialists was thriving, but the long-running management team was growing concerned.Fri, 07 May 2021 00:00:00 +0100https://project-equity.org/interviews/burnett-specialists/https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/why-the-right-time-to-create-a-succession-plan-is-today/Having a roadmap for keeping your business intact in the event of a sudden crisis can be the difference between the business surviving the challenge or falling apart.Thu, 25 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/why-the-right-time-to-create-a-succession-plan-is-today/https://project-equity.org/community/proof-for-employee-ownership/There may be no one-size-fits-all method to make a business recession-proof, but the data is clear: if you want to give your business the best odds of surviving a tough economy, turn your employees into owners.Tue, 12 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000https://project-equity.org/community/proof-for-employee-ownership/https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/esop-companies-outperform-other-firms-during-covid-19-pandemic/Companies with Employee Stock Ownership Plans have “drastically outperformed” traditionally owned businesses at retaining jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic by a rate of 4 to 1, according to a new report.Wed, 18 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/esop-companies-outperform-other-firms-during-covid-19-pandemic/https://project-equity.org/interviews/columbia/The employee-owners at Columbia Forest Products have seen it all. Booms and busts, bull markets and bears, health scares, natural disasters and even illegally-operating offshore competition. And throughout every challenge, they have had each other’s backs, worked together, pulled through and risen to the occasion as a team.Wed, 07 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0100https://project-equity.org/interviews/columbia/https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/survey-shows-consumers-prefer-companies-with-esop-values/The data shows that the American consumers want to do business with--and work for--companies that embody the worker-centric values at the core of every ESOP.Wed, 07 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0100https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/survey-shows-consumers-prefer-companies-with-esop-values/https://project-equity.org/interviews/device-engineering-incorporated/If you have flown on a commercial airline in the past three decades, there is a good chance you have the employee-owners at Device Engineering Incorporated (DEI) to thank, in part, for your safe arrival.Tue, 15 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0100https://project-equity.org/interviews/device-engineering-incorporated/https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/menke-congratulates-applewood-seed-company-on-transition-to-employee-ownership/The Menke Group was proud to advise and assist Colorado-based Applewood Seed Company, a wholesale supplier of bulk wildflower and garden seeds, with the design and implementation of their Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).Tue, 15 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0100https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/menke-congratulates-applewood-seed-company-on-transition-to-employee-ownership/https://stellari.com/blogs/blog/why-we-love-tencel%E2%84%A2Choosing the right fabric isn’t easy. What’s the point in a fabric being comfortable or looking great if it means tossing ethics and sustainability out the window? What’s the point in it being ethical and sustainable if no one wants to wear it?Tue, 01 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0100https://stellari.com/blogs/blog/why-we-love-tencel%E2%84%A2https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/esops-the-future-of-a-better-american-economy/As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, many of us are wondering when things will get back to normal. When will life be normal again? When will business be normal again? What many people—business owners, workers, even politicians—are starting to realize is, the old normal may never come back. And that could actually be a good thing.Tue, 25 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0100https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/esops-the-future-of-a-better-american-economy/https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/how-esops-can-help-to-close-the-racial-wealth-gap-and-promote-economic-justice/[...] ending discrimination in our criminal justice system will not end systemic racism. For there to be true justice in this country, there must be also be economic justice. That means confronting the roots of injustice, beginning with slavery and continuing through to redlining—both in its overt forms which were made illegal in the 1970s and the subtler forms which continue to this day.Tue, 23 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0100https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/how-esops-can-help-to-close-the-racial-wealth-gap-and-promote-economic-justice/https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/how-a-repurchase-obligation-study-can-help-your-esop-survive-the-pandemic/The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically shifted the economic landscape virtually overnight. The financial picture your business may have been looking at as of December 31, 2019 could be very different today. Many ESOP-owned companies are understandably focused on what this means for their annual valuation. But the next big threat to your business’s capital may not be on your balance sheet at all.Thu, 28 May 2020 00:00:00 +0100https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/how-a-repurchase-obligation-study-can-help-your-esop-survive-the-pandemic/https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/lessons-in-resilience-how-esop-companies-maintained-employee-morale-during-the-great-recession/With the COVID-19 pandemic casting a cloud of uncertainty and instability over the economy, leading to record numbers of unemployment claims, you may have heard people (including us) saying that ESOP companies are more resilient in the face of adversity. And it's true.Thu, 28 May 2020 00:00:00 +0100https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/lessons-in-resilience-how-esop-companies-maintained-employee-morale-during-the-great-recession/https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/covid-19-and-your-esop-what-you-need-to-know/As COVID-19 spreads across the country, we know that your health and the health of your fellow employee-owners is your top priority. And we know you are also concerned about the health of your ESOP. Will it be there as a resource for those who need it most in the times ahead?Thu, 28 May 2020 00:00:00 +0100https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/covid-19-and-your-esop-what-you-need-to-know/https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/skyline-construction-brings-employee-ownership-to-two-more-companies-with-acquisition-of-unimark-and-servicemark/Skyline Construction Enterprises, a San Francisco-based, 100% employee-owned commercial general contractor specializing in commercial interiors, has acquired Seattle’s Unimark Construction Group and its tenant services sister company Servicemark.Thu, 28 May 2020 00:00:00 +0100https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/skyline-construction-brings-employee-ownership-to-two-more-companies-with-acquisition-of-unimark-and-servicemark/https://www.amawaterways.com/OnlineBrochures/BTRB_Magazines/BTRB_Wave_2020_HR_US.pdf#page=34The Upper Danube is the setting for the quintessential river cruise. Closed off to outsiders for many years, the Lower Danube is quickly becoming one of the most popular tourism destinations in the world. Learn about some of the key sites along both ends of this historic river. Article for the AmaWaterways guest magazine Beyond the River Bend.Thu, 12 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://www.amawaterways.com/OnlineBrochures/BTRB_Magazines/BTRB_Wave_2020_HR_US.pdf#page=34https://www.amawaterways.com/OnlineBrochures/BTRB_Magazines/BTRB_Wave_2020_HR_US.pdf#page=20A quiz for AmaWaterways' guest magazine, Beyond the River Bend. What motivates you to travel? Making memories with family? Trying food and wine you can't find anywhere else? The chance to sit on your butt and do as little as humanly possible? Take the quiz and find a perfect river cruise to fit your personal style.Thu, 12 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://www.amawaterways.com/OnlineBrochures/BTRB_Magazines/BTRB_Wave_2020_HR_US.pdf#page=20https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/client-case-study-basden-steel-achieves-100-employee-ownership/The Texas-based Basden Steel group of companies have been providing fabrication and erection operations for the commercial construction industry since 1985. They have built everything from schools to casinos to arenas to military facilities. On January 1, 2020 Basden Steel built a new legacy by turning its 450 employees into owners through the sale of 100% of the company stock to a Menke-designed ESOP.Thu, 12 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/client-case-study-basden-steel-achieves-100-employee-ownership/https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/menke-client-src-wins-international-award-for-promoting-employee-ownership-mentality/SRC Holdings Corp., which is the oldest employee-owned remanufacturer to original equipment manufacturers in North America, was recently awarded the 29th annual Txemi Cantera International Prize in Bilbao, Spain. This award is given to organizations in recognition of their support for their workers and reinforces the values of cooperation, solidarity, participation, and equitable sharing of wealth.Thu, 12 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/menke-client-src-wins-international-award-for-promoting-employee-ownership-mentality/https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/bobs-red-mill-esop-turns-10/In 2010, Bob Moore, founder of the whole grain flours and cereals company Bob’s Red Mill, celebrated his 81st birthday by giving his employees the gift of ownership. Ten years later, the Bob’s Red Mill ESOP is going strong with roughly 600 employee-owners—three times the number they had when the ESOP began—and the company is reporting record sales. And Moore, now 91, is still happily working full time as President.Thu, 12 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/bobs-red-mill-esop-turns-10/https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/congress-looks-to-esops-to-brace-for-the-silver-tsunami/February 12, 2020, ESOP Association member Daniel Goldstein, President and CEO of Folience, testified before the U.S. House Small Business Committee about the need for the Department of Labor to clarify its ESOP regulations given the impending retirements of 2.5 million baby boomer business owners.Thu, 12 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/congress-looks-to-esops-to-brace-for-the-silver-tsunami/https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/greenscapes-is-the-latest-landscape-design-company-to-become-employee-owned/In January, Columbus, OH-based GreenScapes Landscape Company became the latest landscaping firm to make the transition to employee ownership. Founded in 1977 by Bill Gerhardt, who intends to stay on as president for at least five more years, Greenscapes began as a traditional landscaping business and has expanded into a full-service landscape design firm [...]Thu, 12 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/greenscapes-is-the-latest-landscape-design-company-to-become-employee-owned/https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/houchens-ceo-retires-as-head-of-one-of-americas-largest-esop-companies/Earlier this month Jimmie Gipson, 78, announced he would be retiring as of March 31st, 2020 from Houchens Industries, where he has worked for 55 years, the last 27 as CEO. Houchens, which began over 100 years ago with a single grocery store in Barren County, KY, has grown to [...]Thu, 12 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/houchens-ceo-retires-as-head-of-one-of-americas-largest-esop-companies/https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/an-esop-helps-loftness-specialized-equipment-stay-true-to-its-roots/On January 1st, 2020, Loftness Specialized Equipment, an agricultural equipment manufacturer based in Hector, MN, became 100% employee-owned, and in doing so, reconfirmed its longstanding commitment to the town of Hector and the community who helped make the company what it is today.Thu, 12 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/an-esop-helps-loftness-specialized-equipment-stay-true-to-its-roots/https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/insurance-tech-company-andesa-services-becomes-100-employee-owned/Pennsylvania’s Andesa Services, which provides integrated, cloud-based solutions for life insurance and annuity carriers and providers, started 2020 by selling 100% control of the company to its 165 employees through an ESOP.Wed, 29 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/insurance-tech-company-andesa-services-becomes-100-employee-owned/https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/cross-company-grows-and-creates-a-new-wave-of-employee-owners-with-acquisition-of-flow-tech/Cross Company, a 100% employee-owned industrial solutions company based out of Greensboro, NC, announced its acquisition of Flow-Tech, a Maryland-based process instrumentation and measurement technology sales and service provider earlier this week. All of Flow-Tech’s employees will be eligible to join Cross’s team of nearly 700 associates in participating in the company’s ESOP.Thu, 23 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/cross-company-grows-and-creates-a-new-wave-of-employee-owners-with-acquisition-of-flow-tech/https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/pennsylvania-house-advances-bill-to-extend-esop-tax-benefits-for-sellers/At the end of 2019, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted 130-67 to advance HB 285, a bill that would further incentivize business owners in PA to sell to ESOPs by enabling sellers to avoid hefty taxes on their proceeds at both the state and federal level.Fri, 17 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://www.menke.com/esop-archives/pennsylvania-house-advances-bill-to-extend-esop-tax-benefits-for-sellers/https://www.amawaterways.com/connections/land-of-pharaohs-and-pyramidsFew countries grip the imagination quite like Egypt. Just hearing the name conjures images of mighty pharaohs and massive pyramids, sprawling temples and secret tombs, colossal monuments and crowded markets—and cutting through it all, the life-giving Nile River, without which none of these other sights could have existed.Thu, 16 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://www.amawaterways.com/connections/land-of-pharaohs-and-pyramids