Twenty-Eight of the Largest 200 Private Companies Have EO or Similar Plans
By my estimation, twenty-eight of the Forbes 200 largest private companies (by revenue) appear to be partially or wholly employee-owned or have employee ownership-like plans. Two are companies with profit-sharing plans invested in company stock, one is a broad-based partnership, one offers phantom stock to all employees, one is an ownership trust, one grants stock awards, eight are minority-owned by ESOPs, and fourteen are majority-owned by ESOPs:
| Company | Rank | Industry | Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cargill | 1 | Grain merchant | Partial ESOP |
| Publix | 3 | Supermarket | ESOP, Stock purchase |
| H-E-B | 5 | Supermarket | Profit sharing |
| Quik-Trip | 17 | Convenience stores | Partial ESOP |
| Wawa | 20 | Convenience stores | Partial ESOP |
| Sheetz | 27 | Convenience stores | Partial ESOP |
| Edward Jones | 36 | Investment advice | Broad-based partnership |
| Hy-Vee | 38 | Supermarkets | Partial ESOP |
| Graybar | 48 | Electrical Distributor | Ownership trust |
| DPR | 54 | Construction | Phantom stock |
| WinCo | 56 | Supermarket | Majority ESOP |
| Sammons | 77 | Holding Company | Majority ESOP |
| Schreiber Foods | 82 | Dairy products | Majority ESOP |
| Kehe | 88 | Food distribution | Majority ESOP |
| Hensel Phelps | 91 | Construction | Stock awards |
| JE Dunn | 101 | Construction | Partial ESOP |
| D&H Distributing | 104 | Industrial distribution | Majority ESOP |
| McCarthy Holdings | 113 | Construction | Majority ESOP |
| W.L. Gore & Associates | 135 | Technology products | Majority ESOP |
| Brookshire Grocery | 142 | Supermarkets | Majority ESOP |
| Amsted Industries | 147 | Industrial manufacturer | Majority ESOP |
| Black & Veatch | 150 | Engineering | Majority ESOP |
| Houchens | 157 | Holding company | Majority ESOP |
| Burns and McDonnell | 163 | Engineering | Majority ESOP |
| Swinerton | 168 | Construction | Partial ESOP |
| Andersen | 170 | Window manufacturer | Partial ESOP |
| Great Lakes Cheese | 174 | Cheese manufacturer | Majority ESOP |
| Austin Industries | 185 | Construction | Majority ESOP |