9th Annual Employee-Owners Meeting Reaches New Heights

What happens when you get 900 team members in one room that are powered by employee-ownership? An electrifying celebration of legacy, accomplishments, unity, and our future.

On March 12th and 13th, the Branson Convention Center was taken over by employee-owners from all branches and regions of the ESS Family. Thursday sessions focused on our leadership. Project Managers and Superintendents were invited to attend our training and education sessions packed with best practices and professional development take-aways. Friday was dedicated to celebrating employee ownership! Updates regarding the State-of-State started our day, followed by ESOP education, branch breakout sessions, a keynote from motivational speaker Harry Campell, and the announcement of this year’s stock price.

When asked how they felt about the Annual Meeting, one employee-owner said: “This was my first year to attend. The annual meeting really got me excited about being an employee-owner. Receiving my first share of ESS stock was exciting and motivating!”

Safety is our top priority, and we took this opportunity to recognize employee-owner Brad McMillin for his dedication to safety on his job sites and commitment to mentoring his team members in best-in-class safety practices. Congratulations to Brad for earning the 2020 Lance Trager Memorial Safety Award.

We also recognized three individuals who have made significant contributions to the ESS family over their tenured careers. This distinguished group continues to exemplify ESS’ mission and values in everything they do. We were proud to announce the following employee-owners as 2020 “Blue Blood” award recipients: Randy Mauzey, Superintendent; Doug Whitworth, Job Cost Manager; and Angie Regan, Executive Coordinator.

What better way to celebrate success than with one heck of a party! Spouses and significant others joined our ESS family Friday evening for dinner, drinks, and dancing. We were thrilled to recognize nearly 50 team members that earned their five-year vested ownership jackets. Oh, and we made it rain courtesy of the cash guns.

Thank you to everyone who made the 9th Annual Employee-Owners meeting one to remember!

• 900 EMPLOYEE-OWNERS
• 46 VESTED JACKETS EARNED
• 23% STOCK PRICE INCREASE
• 12 BREAKOUT SESSIONS
• 4 CASH GUNS
• 3 BLUE BLOOD AWARD RECIPIENTS
• 2 DAYS
• 1 EPIC PARTY

“I liked the theme being about employee-ownership. Hearing everyone’s visions for the coming years got people excited. And tying it all to the roots of the company was neat to see as a new employee-owner.”

“The family feeling within the company and the pride that people have working at ESS. The people here seem to matter more than anything else. The people we all depend on to make this thing work. It’s impressive to say the least.”

“This was my first one and enjoyed getting to meet some new people. I most enjoyed learning how ESS was started and how the evolution has transpired to this point.”

“Being new to the company, and never having worked for an employee-owned company before, I was fascinated and happily overwhelmed with the information provided regarding earnings potential and benefits to the employees. I enjoyed the enthusiasm of the speakers and camaraderie among the employees. It made me believe I made a good decision in coming to work here.”

“I simply enjoyed seeing how big we are and how far we are going. I haven’t been so proud to be a part of a company as I am now. Thank you for treating me like a person and not just a body.”