6 Successful Companies That Are Employee-owned

Publix Super Markets tops the list of employee-owned companies

Fact checked by Pete Rathburn
Reviewed by Amilcar Chavarria

In 2024, disengagement in the workplace can cost American businesses as much as $438 billion. This is why many companies have put a lot of effort into keeping their staff motivated.

They have done this by not only paying their workers competitive wages but also giving them an actual ownership interest in the business that they work for. One of the most popular ways to structure an employee-owned company is through an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP).

Key Takeaways

• An employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) gives workers an ownership interest in the company that employs them.
• The largest employee-owned company in the United States is Publix Super Markets, which employs over 255,000 workers.
• Other notable examples of employee-owned companies include Penmac Staffing, WinCo Foods, and Brookshire Brothers.
• It’s believed that ESOP programs motivate employees to take more accountability over their work and improve their performance because they have a stake in the company.
• All employees earn stock in Publix after working for 12 months.

Why Employee-owned Companies Are Successful

As an article published by the Employee Ownership Foundation explains, “Employee-owners have a different attitude about their company, their job, and their responsibilities that make them work more effectively and increases the likelihood that their company will be successful. Fundamentally, employee-owners are more accountable for their job performance and their fellow workers’ job performance simply because they have a common stake in the success of their company.”

An ESOP is usually a trust fund set up by an employer that owns shares in the business for the benefit of its employees. Below, we will take a look at six companies that are significantly owned by their past and present employees, in no particular order.

1. Publix Super Markets

With 1,404 store locations and more than 260,000 employees, Publix Super Markets is the country’s largest employee-owned company. In 2024, Publix reported retail sales of $59.7 billion. This makes the company the third-largest privately held company in the United States in 2024, according to reporting done by Forbes magazine (the most recent figures are as of November 2024).

Founded in 1930 by George W. Jenkins, the company slowly grew into one of the most largest-volume supermarket chain in the nation. All Publix workers, regardless of their position in the company, receive company stock as retirement contributions.

2. Penmac Staffing

Penmac Staffing is a temp agency that helps connect job seekers with employers. The company was founded in 1988 in Springfield, Missouri, by Patti Penny, who originally started the company with the goal of finding temporary employees for the company that employed her husband. Over the years, the company grew from a single small office to over 30 branch offices located in eight states. They have over 150 in-house staff and placed more than 20,000 employees in positions in 2024.

3. Brookshire Brothers

According to the National Center for Employee Ownership’s (NCEO’s) ranking of employee-owned companies in the United States, as of 2024, Brookshire Brothers was the fifth-largest company employee-owned company. It owns multiple grocery stores, gas stations, and convenience stores throughout the states of Texas and Louisiana, and currently employs more than 7,000 people.

4. WinCo Foods

Originally named Waremart, WinCo Foods started in 1967 in Boise, Idaho, as a warehouse-style grocery store. Focusing on low prices, the company continued to grow and opened new stores primarily in the Pacific Northwest. The company has 140 employee-owned grocery stores and employs more than 21,000 workers.

Employees can participate in WinCo’s ESOP after working at least 500 hours in their first six months. To continue their participation, they must work at least 1,000 hours per year. A unique aspect of WinCo’s ESOP is that contributions come from the company and not the employee.

Note

WinCo’s ESOP stock values have averaged an annual 18% compounded return per year since 1986. This means a company contribution of $5,000 worth of stock in 1986 would now be worth about $863,000.

5. Robert W. Baird & Co.

Robert W. Baird & Co. is another well-established company in the world of finance that is an employee-owned organization. Baird invests in lower- to middle-market companies that operate in a wide range of industries, although they focus primarily on the healthcare, industrial solutions, and technology sectors.

Baird invests in companies at various stages of growth, from those in the idea phase all the way to companies with millions in revenues. In addition to engaging in private equity financing, Baird provides wealth management and investment banking services to both individuals and companies.

6. Recology

Recology is a San Francisco-based waste management company that employs 3.600 people. The company has 45 locations that provide trash removal and recycling services to approximately 112,000 commercial customers and 2.5 million residential customers in Washington, California, and Oregon.

Recology is a 100% employee-owned company and began its ESOP program in 1986. Their plan offers employees a 401(k) plan plus a supplemental retirement plan.

What Is an Employee Stock Ownership Plan?

An employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) is an employee benefit plan that gives workers ownership interest in the company in the form of shares of stock. An ESOP is usually a trust fund set up by an employer that owns shares in the business for the benefit of its employees.

What Is an Advantage of Being an Employee-owned Company?

The advantage for the employer is that ESOPs keep plan participants focused on corporate performance and share price appreciation. By giving plan participants an interest in seeing the company’s stock perform well, these plans supposedly encourage participants to do what’s best for shareholders—who are the participants themselves.

The advantage for the employee is that they are presented with a way to make more money, increase their compensation, and essentially be rewarded for their hard work and commitment. Having a stake in the company should make employees feel more appreciated and perhaps be more excited about their work.

What Is the Largest Employee-owned Company in the United States?

Florida-based Publix Super Markets is the largest employee-owned company in the U.S. by far, with more than 260,000 employees. The next-largest, Idaho-based WinCo Foods, employs more than 21,000 workers.

The Bottom Line

The existence of an employee ownership program in an organization is a great way to keep staff members motivated and keep their interest centered around the business’s overall success. Many corporations in America are either wholly or mostly owned by their employees. These corporations are known as employee-owned companies. They use various programs such as the employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) to give their workers the opportunity to gradually purchase shares in the company during their employment.

Today, Publix Super Markets is the largest employee-owned company operating in America. The family of Publix’s founder collectively own 20% of the company, while the remaining 80% is owned by past and present employees. Some successful companies that are 100% employee-owned include WinCo Foods, Recology, and Penmac Staffing.