Inc. 500 Companies Share Ownership

According to a survey of the Inc. magazine 500, the fastest-growing 500 closely held companies in the U.S., sharing ownership is an important part of this entrepreneurial group's culture. Twenty-eight percent offer an ESOP and 26% offer stock options to all full-time employees. While there is probably some overlap in these numbers (some companies will do both or may confuse the terms), it seems safe to say that close to half of the 500 companies offer broad ownership. In 1992, these same companies had an average of just 17 employees, and only 9% offered an ESOP and 9% offered broad stock options; by 1997, their average employment had grown to 121. The number one company on the list is Optiva, a 338-employee manufacturer of electronic toothbrushes in Bellevue, WA. All its employees are eligible for stock options.