Kerry Siggins, the CEO of Durango, Colorado-based StoneAge, was named CEO of the year by Colorado Biz. Siggins was the co-keynote speaker at our Kansas City annual conference this year. StoneAge is a 100% ESOP-owned water-blasting tool manufacturer in Durango, Colorado. Siggins became the CEO three years after being hired as director of operations when she was just 28 years old. She has led the company through significant growth, including two recent acquisitions. The company now has 200 employees. Siggins is the author of the recently published The Ownership Mindset: A Handbook for Transforming Your Life and Leadership, which covers her journey from substance abuse to recovery to getting an engineering degree and becoming a CEO. She also serves on Colorado Governor Jared Polis’s Employee Ownership Commission.

Siggins told Colorado Biz, “We want people to think and act like owners, where they take responsibility for their work ethic, for their efforts, their attitudes, their teamwork, how they show up every day…We want this to be a place where people feel like they can be their very best selves, where they can live their dreams while working. You have to create a culture that says, ‘Hey, we’re all in this together, and we’re going to win together. If we have to tighten our belts, we’re going to do that together, but as the company is successful, we’re going to share in that success with you.’”