March 1, 2016
Employee Ownership Firms on the Forbes Largest 100 Privately Held Companies List
Loren Rodgers
Executive Director
Forbes magazine's list of the largest privately held companies (ranked by revenue) includes 10 companies that have some degree of employee ownership, including 6 that are majority-owned by their employees. Retail, especially supermarkets, is the most common industry. Number 9 is Publix Supermarkets, the largest employee ownership company on the list. The companies on the list have a variety of forms of employee ownership, including ESOPs, profit sharing plans, stock purchase plans, and an ownership trust:
| Rank | Company | Business | Ownership Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Publix* | Supermarkets | ESOP/stock purchase |
| 15 | H-E-B | Supermarkets | Profit sharing plan |
| 28 | Quiktrip | Convenience stores | ESOP |
| 40 | Hy-Vee | Supermarkets | Profit sharing |
| 60 | Sheetz | Convenience stores | ESOP |
| 61 | Graybar* | Electrical supply | Ownership trust |
| 64 | Winco* | Supermarkets | ESOP |
| 70 | CH2M* | Engineering | Stock purchase |
| 77 | Sammons Enterprises* | Multiple businesses | ESOP |
| 82 | Schreiber Foods* | Food products | ESOP |
| * A majority of the company's shares is owned by employees. | |||