Employee Ownership Companies on the Forbes Top 25 Small Employers List

Forbes Magazine has released its first list of the Top 25 Small Employers. Compiled by Bo Burlingham, author of Small Giants and the keynote speaker at the 2016 NCEO Annual Conference, the list includes seven ESOP companies: Fresno First Bank, Innotec, Integrated Project Management, New Belgium, Quality Bicycle Products, Torch Technology, and West Paw Express. Two companies provide equity grants to all employees: Headsets.com and Blink UX.

Companies are included on the list based on several criteria, as outlined by Burlingham:

• The company has been acknowledged as outstanding by those who know the industry best.
• It has had the opportunity to grow much faster, but its leaders decided to focus on being great rather than just big.
• It has been recognized for its contributions to its community and to society.
• It has maintained its financial health for at least ten years by having a sound business model, a strong balance sheet and steady profit margins.
• It is privately owned and closely held.
• It is human-scale, meaning frontline employees have real interaction with top leaders.