Markets

Employee Ownership

Larson Design Group is proud to have been employee-owned since 2001. Employee ownership strengthens our culture, aligns incentives to ensure that we all benefit from our company’s success, and provides our people with a tremendous long-term wealth building opportunity. It fuels our desire to go above and beyond to make LDG successful. It closes the loop between employees and owners, creating a powerful workplace dynamic that benefits our people, our customers, and our community.

One hundred percent of our stock is held by employees, and everyone who works here can become an owner.

Benefits of Being Employee Owned

We asked our senior leadership team what they enjoy most about working for an employee-owned company. Watch to see what they said.

The ESOP allows for me to share in the success of LDG and provides another method of saving for retirement.

Jamie George - Business Development

Being an employee owner makes me feel valued. It’s rewarding to see that your hard work benefits the company as a whole.

Kaylee Caruso - Human Resources

I appreciate the collective nature of the employee ownership and not having to answer to outside shareholders or a small group of individual owners.

Brad Sick - Water/Wastewater

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What does it mean to be employee-owned?

A: It means that everyone who works at the company can become an owner! Employee ownership ensures that everyone builds wealth when the company succeeds.

Q: What is an ESOP?

A: An ESOP is an Employee Stock Ownership Plan. Technically, it is a retirement plan – your ESOP account is funded by annual contributions made by the company and the value of your account tracks closely with our success. You pay nothing for your shares and do not have to contribute to your ESOP account.

Q: Is the ESOP open to all employees?

A: Employees who are over the age of 21 and have worked at least 1,000 hours in the last 12 months are eligible to enroll in the ESOP.

Q: Does this cost me anything?

A: In a word: No. Your ESOP is funded entirely by contributions made by the company.

Q: What is vesting?

A: Vesting is the percentage of your ESOP account that is yours and cannot be taken back. The longer you work here, the higher your vesting percentage.

Q: When do I get the money?

A: The goal of the ESOP is to give current employees an ownership stake in our company. As a result, distribution of the benefit in your ESOP account begins when you leave the company or retire.

Q: Does this mean I can set my own schedule?

A: There is a difference between ownership and control. Ownership is about having a monetary stake in and an ability to positively impact the company's success. Control is about decision making. Just because you own shares of Coca-Cola doesn’t mean you get to pick the next flavor of Coke. We are still professionally managed and many of the normal rules of business still apply.

Q: What can I do to help increase our share price?

A: As a team of owners, we all have a role to play in our success. Anything you can do to increase output or save us money will help raise our share price (and the value of our ESOP accounts). Even small ideas add up to big increases when we all do our part.

A Certified Employee-Owned Company

LDG is proud to be a Certified EO company, a designation achieved by only 1 in 200 American businesses. This certification is based on rigorous standards of significant and broad-based employee ownership. In addition to a comprehensive review of our program, we gain a library of tools, resources, and educational materials to help our employee-owners understand, engage, and make the most of their experience.

Learn more about Certified EO

Hear from our Employee Owners

How We Celebrate Employee Owners Month

2023

2022

October is a time of celebration and recognition of employee ownership at LDG, with a series of events and activities designed to show appreciation for our incredible employee-owners.

Each year, LDG goes above and beyond to celebrate Employee Owners Month, with special events, awards, and activities that showcase our commitment to our employee-owners.

News & Insights

Notes From the Road: Education, Engagement & Employee Ownership: Insights from the TEA National Conference

Stewardship Stories: LDG and CAPPA Support a Concert for a Cause

Accolades: LDG Jumps to #45 on Annual Zweig Hot 100 Firms List

Notes From the Road is a closer look at the learning opportunities and experiences of our employee owners from industry events, client engagements, and projects around the world.

Stewardship Stories share the experiences of our employee owners as they give back to the communities in which they live and work through financial support, volunteer commitments, and more.

Through Accolades, LDG shares news of the awards, rankings, and professional achievements that recognize our people, our hard work, and our exceptional client service.