Empowered Owners

Empowered Owners is back. To open Season 5 on Labor Day, we handed the entire episode over to the people who do the work — no host, no questions, just the incredible employee owners from all five EV companies in their own words. Craftsmanship that holds up whether anyone will ever see it. Pensions that rarely exist anymore, and what ESOP shares mean instead. A shop floor that never had to be told to work overtime. Years spent as "just a number" somewhere else. And Travis Adams of Benoure with the last word: "We fall on hard times, they've got our ba...

Luke Orszag, President of Firstar Precision, returns to Empowered Owners to recap a year he describes as "a tale of two halves." The first six months saw demand almost disappear entirely, then September hit, and everything changed. Firstar spent the rest of the year digging out of the backlog, with workers voluntarily taking on extra hours, training new employees, and showing attitude and effort that stood out more than any previous year. He digs into two major initiatives that defined the year: pursuing defense certification to break into a regulated industry with massive opportunity, and launching a strategic marketing...

Brad Benoure returns to Empowered Owners, just over a week after officially stepping away from the President role of a 60 year old family business. It's the culmination of a two-year process that began when Empowered Ventures bought Benoure Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning in 2024. Brad reflects on what mattered most in choosing a buyer and why EV's promise not to "swoop in and start changing the company around" made all the difference. He shares how the leadership team slowly took the reins starting in October 2025, and why he knew they were ready: collaboration, complementary strengths, and the same commitment to...

Kim Dinwiddie, VP of HR, returns to Empowered Owners to unpack EV's healthcare transformation—moving from fully insured to self-funded. Kim defines Healthcare for Us, with priorities focused on being better stewards and empowering employee owners to become better healthcare consumers, and explains the mechanics of going self-funded. She answers why EV decided to unbundle everything and, more importantly, highlights the benefits for all EVers: adding Teladoc's $0 out-of-pocket virtual visits, better customer service, and access to data to help EV refine its healthcare approach. No more throwing darts at a dartboard. This is a multi-year effort with ongoing work, no...

TVF President Tad Calahan returns to Empowered Owners to catch up on the year. Now in its 16th year of employee ownership, TVF has navigated significant headwinds including tariffs, soft demand, cost pressures, and the growing pains of implementing a new CRM while still ending the year strong. Tad explains why TVF takes pride in the ability to perform in good times and bad, including when the tariff landscape created cost management challenges, communication difficulties, and constant adaptation. Tad celebrates how the team stayed close to the details, advised across the company, and navigated it all while staying true...

Whitney Brothers President Scott Kroeger sits down with Chris Fredericks for our first-ever in-person podcast at Keene State College's beautiful Media Arts Center. Scott reflects on his first eight months leading a 122-year-old company, and shares his unexpected journey from global public companies to starting his own business during Covid in search of purpose and meaning, eventually discovering he'd "found his people" in the employee ownership world. He unpacks his REAL leadership framework—Respect, Empathy, Accountability, and Learning—and what surprised him most about Whitney Brothers. He celebrates the company's resilience through a challenging first year, the impressive speed at w...

Chris Fredericks hosts the biggest group conversation yet on Empowered Owners, bringing together four employee ownership committee members from four different companies to debrief the annual EV Employee Ownership Summit. Erica Roudebush (TVF, fifth Summit), Travis Adams (Benoure, first-timer), Amanda Smith (Paramount, second Summit), and Dennis Casey (Firstar, rookie) share their raw first impressions: nerves at the beginning, re-energized by the end, and amazed by what they learned from each other. They dig into the Summit's theme, from a storytelling workshop with Sally Perkins that helped each company craft their origin story and identify the pivotal moment when employee...

Chris Fredericks and Casey Grisez reunite for another EV update episode, announcing new hires at EV, explaining the shift to self-funded healthcare and what it means to own your health, and sharing updates on fiscal 2026 financials. They break down what Ownership in Action looks like through growth, innovation, service, and enjoyment, and why the best advice might just be Bill Belichick's "do your job". Chris dives into a real example of a service mindset, then shares meaningful wins from across the operating companies. Finally, they zoom out to employee ownership wins: Oregon creating procurement preferences for ESOPs, federal legislation...

Rachel Wolf, Director of Finance and Strategy at Paramount Plastics, joins Empowered Owners to share her remarkable origin story. She started working in her parents' carpet cleaning franchise at age 12, cleaning up to six houses a day, doing pro-bono work for families facing eviction, and learning empathy the hard way. She explains how those eight years taught her work ethic, customer service, and a we-don't-quit attitude—lessons that carried her through paying her own way through college, becoming an accounting assistant at an e-commerce company, and eventually discovering her passion for strategic finance. Rachel reveals why she needs work to...

How many leaders retain their entire staff in the face of an industry-wide downturn? We’re lucky that Curtis Elliott, President of Paramount Plastics, is one of them. Curtis takes us inside the RV and marine market, where many companies resorted to deep layoffs after Covid, and reveals why Paramount took the harder path of investing in their people. That decision—avoiding “violent change”—built unshakeable loyalty and set them up for a strong rebound. Curtis also shares how a focus on safety became a core value, and why their legendary holiday party, complete with his role as auctioneer, is a testa...

Eric Lothrop, VP at Benoure Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, takes us through his 17-year journey from roughing in houses to overseeing custom residential construction. Eric opens up about finding his passion for mechanicals, climbing inside 2.5 million BTU boilers before transitioning to small residential systems, and discovering his true calling: building something from nothing using just blueprints and 2x4s. He explains the four pillars of sustainable success in the trades—quality, accountability, honesty, and dependability—and shares his advice for young people entering the field and what it takes to be a good student in the skilled trades (willingness to b...

Not many people have stewarded century-old companies. We're lucky that Mike Jablonski, former owner-operator of Whitney Brothers, is one of them. He takes us through 121 years of American manufacturing—from making wooden toys with hydro-powered equipment to today's manufacturing methods. Mike shares the remarkable story of how Whitney Brothers survived the Great Depression, world wars, devastating fires, and the declaration of pine as a "strategic wartime material" that forced a permanent pivot to hardwoods. He opens up about the weight of stewarding a century-old legacy and the influence of technical tours to Germany and Italy. Mike reveals how Whitney Br...

Meet Grace Talamini, the multi-talented coordinator at Benoure Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning. She manages social media, schedules service, and is one of Benoure's leading ESOP enthusiasts. After realizing she wasn't "a school person," Grace moved from Massachusetts to Vermont, landing at Benoure, where she found a company with better benefits than most in the trades. From being so nervous she couldn't order pizza to confidently leading biweekly ESOP meetings, Grace opens up about the challenges and rewards of stewarding employee ownership in year one, why high standards in craftsmanship naturally translate to ownership mindset, and how she's using TikTok...

Kim Dinwiddie, EV's VP of Human Resources, returns to break down what's happening in the world of healthcare. Many companies are facing the highest cost increases in 15 years, and Kim explains why and what EV is doing to fight back. Instead of just accepting whatever healthcare "happens to us," EV has spent the past year finding partners and innovative tools to help employee owners get better care at lower costs. Kim introduces Optavise, a new healthcare advocate service launching in 2026, and shares tips for open enrollment season, explains why preventive care matters, and reveals how one employee owner saved $70...

Sam Marion, Sales Director for Apparel & Home Décor at TVF, shares her unexpected journey into the textile industry—starting with her mom's women's biker apparel company and childhood travels to fabric mills in Cambodia and Taiwan. From being a picky eater who learned to embrace new experiences at age 13, to learning from legends at TVF, Sam's story is one of learning and seizing opportunities. She opens up about the mentors who shaped her career, her transition to leadership, and how becoming a mom shifted her perspective on work and fulfillment. Sam also digs into what makes TVF's ownership cul...

EV CEO Chris Fredericks sits down with Casey Grisez, EV's finance and marketing associate, to decode the mystery behind ESOP share prices and valuations. With a background in business valuation, Casey covers the complex process of how companies get valued each year, including the income, market, and asset approaches that determine a share price. And while share price gets all the attention, Chris and Casey discuss that the benefit level (how many shares you accumulate) might matter more for long-term wealth building. The conversation then pivots to EV's ambitious 2030 share price goal and introduces the "ownership in action" framework—fo...

Meet Dennis Casey, Manufacturing Engineer at Firstar Precision. In his journey from Navy Man to machinist to engineer, he has lived the power of mentorship and the fun of continuous learning. From starting out on 1940s manual machines to teaching the next generation of machinists, Dennis explains what it takes to master precision grinding and why patience is the key to great teaching. He also opens up about the culture at Firstar, the impact of employee ownership, and his advice for young professionals, which starts with openness to criticism. Stick around for Dennis's favorite ports from around the world...

Dan McGowan is a modern-day Renaissance man: content manager at TVF, co-host of the Textile Nerd podcast, broadcaster, roller derby enthusiast, and employee owner. He joins us to answer how he transitioned from a career in broadcasting to the world of textiles, and why joining an ESOP company became a game-changer for his financial future. He shares what makes employee ownership culture so special and why transparency about financial outcomes creates the ultimate team mentality. And don't miss Dan's Indiana women's sports Mount Rushmore, featuring a WNBA legend still doing amazing things in the community and a roller derby...

The past fiscal year has been huge at Empowered Ventures—two acquisitions, two new team members, and a growing community of employee owners. With so much change, it’s the perfect time to reflect on what’s happened and what’s next.In this episode, Chris Fredericks sits down with Emily Bopp, EV’s Chief of Staff, to recap the past year. They talk about welcoming Benoure Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning, and Whitney Brothers into EV, what stood out about each acquisition, and why employee ownership is a great fit for these businesses.They also touch...

Employee ownership is at its best when everyone has a voice. And at EV, we love when we get a chance to hear directly from EVers.At this year’s Employee Ownership Summit, EVers from across our companies (except our newest business, Whitney Brothers) came together to share ideas, learn from each other, and strengthen the connections that make us unique. In this episode, Chris Fredericks sits down with Ian Kovach from Firstar Precision, Tim Barnett from Benoure Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, Erica Roudebush from TVF, and Tom Bawkey from Paramount Plastics. They share how th...