Home » Articles »

The Employee Ownership 100: America's Largest Majority Employee-Owned Companies

August 2016
To be on the list, companies must be at least 50% owned by an ESOP or other qualified plan or by one or more other kinds of plans in which at least 50% of full-time employees are eligible to participate. Employment includes all full- and part-time employees in the U.S. and worldwide. In 2016, the top 100 employee-owned companies employ more than 619,000 people. Data is collected from corporate Web sites, direct correspondence with companies, or, if these are not available, the most recent public data available. Companies marked with an asterisk are 100% employee-owned. When more than one company has the same number of employees, they share the same rank, and the next rank is numbered as if the previous companies were numbered consecutively (e.g., 16, 17, 17, 17, 20). Additions and corrections are welcome; please contact us at research@nceo.org.
We also produce a dataset that compiles data on the characteristics of all the ESOPs in the U.S.

Rank	Company	City	State	Plan	Plan Start Date	Business	Employees
1	Publix Super Markets	Lakeland	FL	ESOP & Stock Purchase	1974	Supermarkets	182,500
2	Lifetouch*	Eden Prairie	MN	ESOP	1977	Photography	21,000
3	Penmac*	Springfield	MO	ESOP	2010	Staffing	20,420
4	CH2M Hill	Englewood	CO	Stock Incentive & Purchase Plan	2000	Engineering & construction	20,000
5	Houchens Industries*	Bowling Green	KY	ESOP	1961	Supermarkets & other services	18,000
6	Amsted Industries*	Chicago	IL	ESOP	1986	Industrial components	17,000
7	WinCo Foods	Boise	ID	ESOP	1985	Supermarkets	15,200
8	Alliance Holdings*	Abington	PA	ESOP	1995	Holding company	14,700
9	Parsons*	Pasadena	CA	ESOP	1974	Engineering & construction	14,000
10	Black & Veatch	Overland Park	KS	ESOP	1998	Engineering	11,350
11	HDR, Inc.*	Omaha	NE	ESOP	1996	Architecture & engineering	10,000
11	W.L. Gore & Associates	Newark	DE	ESOP	1974	Manufacturing	10,000
13	Davey Tree Expert*	Kent	OH	401KSOP & ESOP	1979	Tree & environmental services	8,620
14	Graybar Electric	St. Louis	MO	Stock purchase	1929	Electrical equipment wholesale	8,300
15	Schreiber Foods	Green Bay	WI	ESOP	1998	Dairy company	7,500
16	Austin Industries*	Dallas	TX	ESOP	1986	Construction	7,000
16	Brookshire Brothers*	Lufkin	TX	ESOP	2001	Supermarkets	7,000
16	MWH Global	Broomfield	CO	ESOP	N/A	Engineering & consulting	7,000
16	Janus Global Operations	Lenoir City	TN	ESOP	2002	Security & munitions services	7,000
20	The Burnett Companies Consolidated, Inc.*	Houston	TX	ESOP	2010	Staffing services	6,790
21	EmpRes Healthcare Management*	Vancouver	WA	ESOP	2009	Post-acute long term care	6,570
22	Scheels All Sports	Fargo	ND	ESOP	1982	Retail sporting goods	6,100
23	Burns & McDonnell Engineering*	Kansas City	MO	ESOP	1985	Architecture & engineering	5,300
24	CDM Smith	Cambridge	MA	Profit Sharing	1996	Engineering & construction	5,000
24	Gensler*	San Francisco	CA	ESOP	1987	Architecture	5,000
24	Rosendin Electric*	San Jose	CA	ESOP	1992	Electrical contracting	5,000
27	People Care Holdings, Inc.	New York	NY	ESOP	2007	Healthcare services	4,700
28	KeHE Distributors	Romeoville	IL	ESOP	2001	Food distribution	4,500
29	Schweitzer Engineering*	Pullman	WA	ESOP	1994	Engineering	4,300
30	Harp's Food Stores*	Springdale	AR	ESOP	1988	Supermarkets	4,070
31	Acadian Ambulance	Lafayette	LA	ESOP	1993	Ambulance services	4,000
31	Cianbro*	Pittsfield	ME	ESOP	1980	Construction	4,000
31	Sammons Enterprises*	Dallas	TX	ESOP	1978	Diversified holding company	4,000
34	HNTB	Kansas City	MO	ESOP	2000	Architecture & engineering	3,880
35	Chemonics International, Inc.*	Washington	DC	ESOP	2001	International development	3,840
36	Recology*	San Francisco	CA	ESOP	1985	Waste management	3,800
37	Terracon*	Olathe	KS	ESOP	1991	Engineering/consulting	3,600
38	Homeland Acquisition Corporation*	Oklahoma City	OK	ESOP	2011	Supermarkets	3,500
38	KPH Healthcare Services, Inc.*	Gouverneur	NY	ESOP	1944	Drugstores	3,500
38	Lewis Tree Service, Inc.*	Rochester	NY	ESOP	1998	Tree services	3,500
41	Robert W. Baird & Co.	Milwaukee	WI	ESPP	1984	Brokerage	3,300
42	McCarthy Building Company*	St. Louis	MO	ESOP	1996	Construction	3,290
43	Wright Service Corp.	Des Moines	IA	ESOP	2002	Environmental services	3,050
44	Bi-Mart	Eugene	OR	ESOP	2003	Discount stores	3,000
44	Krueger International, Inc.	Green Bay	WI	ESOP	1991	Furniture manufacturing	3,000
44	Miller's Health Systems	Warsaw	IN	ESOP	2006	Nursing homes	3,000
44	Reasor's*	Tahlequah	OK	ESOP	2005	Supermarkets	3,000
48	Hensel Phelps Construction	Greeley	CO	ESOP	1976	Construction	2,690
49	American Cast Iron Pipe	Birmingham	AL	Profit Sharing	1982	Manufacturing	2,600
50	Challenge Manufacturing Company	Walker	MI	ESOP	1987	Automotive manufacturing	2,500
50	S&C Electric	Chicago	IL	ESOP	1989	Electrical equipment	2,500
52	Guckenheimer Enterprises	Redwood City	CA	ESOP	1987	Food distribution	2,500
53	RPCS, Inc.*	Springfield	MO	ESOP	2004	Supermarkets	2,480
54	Hollister Incorporated	Libertyville	IL	Profit Sharing	1973	Medical supplies manufacturer	2,400
55	Oconomowoc Residential Programs, Inc.*	Oconomowoc	WI	ESOP	2002	Health & disability services	2,400
56	Abt Associates	Cambridge	MA	ESOP	1975	Consulting & research	2,300
57	Border States Industries*	Fargo	ND	ESOP	1984	Electrical supplies	2,200
58	TD Industries	Dallas	TX	ESOP	1989	HVAC supplies	2,200
59	Medicalodges*	Coffeyville	KS	ESOP	1990	Nursing homes	2,140
60	Round Table Pizza*	Concord	CA	ESOP	1984	Pizza franchise	2,130
61	Martin Resource Management Corporation*	Kilgore	TX	ESOP	2012	Distribution & transportation	2,060
62	Symbria*	Warrenville	OH	ESOP	2015	Health services	2,050
63	Columbia Forest Products	Greensboro	NC	ESOP	1977	Plywood	2,000
63	Cooperative Home Care Associates	Bronx	NY	Coop	1995	Health care	2,000
63	Kleinfelder	San Diego	CA	ESOP	1989	Engineering	2,000
63	TPI Hospitality*	Willmar	MN	ESOP	2014	Hospitality (Hotel & Restaurants)	2,000
63	Westat, Inc.*	Rockville	MD	ESOP	1977	Research firm	2,000
68	David S. Elliot Company	Lexington	KY	ESOP	2000	Electrical contracting	1,900
68	Jasper Engines & Transmissions*	Jasper	IN	ESOP	2010	Engine & transmission remanufacturing	1,900
70	Mayville Engineering Company, Inc.*	Mayville	WI	ESOP	1959	Engineering & manufacturing services	1,870
71	Roberts Hawaii	Honolulu	HI	ESOP	2006	Tour bus operator	1,800
71	The North Highland Company	Atlanta	GA	ESOP	1997	Accounting staffing	1,800
73	Sundt Construction*	Tempe	AZ	ESOP	1972	Construction	1,750
74	STV Group*	Douglassville	PA	ESOP	1981	Engineering & architecture	1,700
74	Thrifty White Pharmacy*	Plymouth	MN	ESOP	1976	Drugstores	1,700
76	Dynetics*	Huntsville	AL	ESOP	1988	Engineering, science, & information technology	1,600
76	Enercon Services, Inc.*	Kennesaw	GA	ESOP	1992	Engineering	1,600
78	Armstrong Garden Centers / Pike Nurseries	Glendora	CA	ESOP	1980	Garden centers	1,500
78	Brown and Caldwell	Walnut Creek	CA	ESOP	1962	Engineering	1,500
78	CPES	Tucson	AZ	ESOP	1994	Human services	1,500
78	Kelly-Moore Paints	San Carlos	CA	ESOP	1998	Paint manufacturing/retail	1,500
82	D.A. Davidson Companies	Great Falls	MT	ESOP	2016	Investment advising	1,450
83	Hypertherm*	Hanover	NH	ESOP	2001	Engineering & manufacturing services	1,440
83	American Systems Corp.	Chantilly	VA	ESOP	1990	Engineering	1,400
85	Appvion, Inc.	Appleton	WI	ESOP	1984	Paper products	1,400
85	Barton Malow*	Southfield	MI	Profit Sharing	1952	Construction	1,400
85	Bradford White	Ambler	PA	ESOP	1992	Water heaters	1,400
85	George P. Johnson Experience Marketing*	Auburn Hills	MI	ESOP	1998	Event marketing	1,400
85	Martin & Bayley, Inc.*	Carmi	IL	ESOP	1984	Convenience stores	1,400
85	SRC Holdings	Springfield	MO	ESOP	1983	Equipment remanufacturing	1,400
85	Travel and Transport, Inc.*	Omaha	NE	ESOP	1991	Travel management	1,400
92	C Spire	Ridgeland	MS	ESOP	1999	Telecommunications	1,350
92	Paladin Capital (DBA Quickway)	Nashville	TN	ESOP	2004	Trucking	1,350
94	Airborn Inc.*	Addison	TX	ESOP	1996	Electronic connectors	1,310
95	Holden Industries, Inc.*	Deerfield	IL	ESOP	2007	Manufacturing	1,300
96	Riesbeck Food Markets	St. Clairsville	OH	ESOP	1986	Supermarkets	1,260
97	CCMSI Holdings, Inc.	Danville	IL	ESOP	1990	Third-party administration	1,190
98	ACCO Engineered Systems, Inc.*	Glendale	CA	ESOP	2007	Heating & air conditioning services	1,180
99	S&ME	Raleigh	NC	ESOP	1995	Engineering	1,120
100	Garney Holding Company*	Kansas City	MO	ESOP	1986	Water & wastewater piping systems	1,100
100	Swinerton Builders*	San Francisco	CA	ESOP	1962	Construction	1,100
100	Weston	West Chester	PA	ESOP	1984	Environmental services	1,100

*100% employee-owned

Email this page

Printer-friendly version

Share This Page

Link to Us

NCEO Membership Brochure

Read our membership brochure (PDF) and pass it on to anyone interested in employee ownership.

What's New on This Site

• Employee Ownership Update for June 15
• Reeling in the Lessons for Boards and ESOP Fiduciaries from Fish v. GreatBanc: Teachings from the Antioch Company Saga
• May-June Online Exclusive (video) (member username and password required)
• May-June 2017 newsletter (member username and password required)
• 2016 ESOP Executive Compensation Survey Results
• Red Flags in ESOP Transactions
• The Inside ESOP Fiduciary Handbook, 3rd ed.
• CEPI Prep Course for spring 2017

Subscribe to an RSS feed of this list

Find Your Resource

Guide to NCEO resources
Service Provider Directory

Infographics and Interactive ESOP Maps

Visit our site at esopinfo.org

Email Bulletin Signup

Sign up here; you can unsubscribe anytime.

Contact Information

The National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO)
1629 Telegraph Ave., Suite 200
Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: 510-208-1300 | Fax: 510-272-9510
Email: customerservice@nceo.org
All material on this site is © 2017 by NCEO.