Empowered Ventures

One of our favorite days of the year is October 1, when we get to welcome the newest entrants to the EV ESOP. What better way to kick off employee ownership month?! We often discuss the benefits of employee ownership for both employee and employer. But what’s even more meaningful is zooming in to see the potentially life-changing outcomes for each individual. There are many stories of unique personal successes that are empowered by employee ownership, and the first step is joining the ESOP. So today, we celebrate our new employee owners. We are grateful to be alongside them and excited about this significant step that has the potential to be life-changing over time. From TVF: Travis Conlon, Lindsey Forey, Malsel Gracia Alcantara, Ben Jones, Juan Rodriguez, and Rachel Weaver From Firstar Precision Corp: Nathaniel Hagar and Trevor Johnson From Paramount Plastics: Keeyonna Brown, Jesse Fernandez, Tyler Hardy, Martin Hernandez, Travis Johnson, Nora Juarez, and Omar Ramirez From Empowered Ventures: Kim Dinwiddie, SHRM-SCP, CPC Congratulations!

Workplace culture is a team sport. Only through collective effort can you establish and sustain a positive team culture. A crucial step for alignment? Communicating and understanding "why". And in this replay episode of Empowered Owners, Blake Theademan, Customer Service Specialist at TVF, shares more than just the power of why. He and Chris Fredericks discuss empathy, the value of understanding strengths, and his journey from warehouse to customer service at an employee-owned company. Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts. Show notes and transcripts are on the episode page on our website, and full video episodes are on YouTube at Empowered_Ventures. We'd love to hear from you! Leave a comment with any feedback, or reach out to us at hello @ empowered . ventures.

For those waiting with bated breath for the return of Empowered Owners, you can now breathe freely! The first episode of Season 3 features Empowered Ventures' own Chris Fredericks. He discusses key achievements since Season 2, highlights the acquisition of Benoure Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, and celebrates the hard work of all EVers in achieving a long-term share price goal. Looking forward, Chris outlines new multi-year goals and improved processes for continued growth. He also introduces new team members, Christine Webb and Casey Grisez, and looks ahead at Season 3 of Empowered Owners. Find the new episode wherever you get your podcasts. Show notes and transcripts are on the episode page on our website, and full video episodes are on YouTube at Empowered_Ventures. We'd love to hear from you! Leave a comment with any feedback, or reach out to us at hello @ empowered . ventures.

What are you willing to do to connect with your colleagues? Maybe you start a book club, join the company kickball team, or commit to never having lunch alone. But are you willing to learn a new language? Lori Atone, TVF’s Learning and Development Director, is learning Spanish to better communicate and connect with fellow employee owners. She's that passionate about her role. But that’s not all. Lori also: - Integrates principles of ownership into TVF’s learning modules, including how to exercise an ownership mindset in any job - Communicates the value proposition of employee ownership - Serves as an integral member of TVF’s employee ownership committee - Participates as an active board member at The National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) - Shares her wisdom at work (and on the Empowered Owners podcast!) We at Empowered Ventures created the EV Employee Owner of the Year Award to honor employee owners who embody the essence of an ownership mindset. It’s a celebration of those who improve workflows, impact their business, help others, solve problems, and put the team first. The EOYA recognizes EVers, nominated by their peers, who best represent employee ownership as a mindset, a culture, and a way of life. Lori lives and breathes the ownership mindset – in her role, with colleagues, as an ambassador for NCEO, and in the community. She has undoubtedly earned the inaugural EOYA and we congratulate her! ?? We would also like to celebrate the top EOYA nominees from our other companies: Bryn Jones at Paramount Plastics and Kevin Rowan at Firstar Precision Corp. (Our newest company, Benoure Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, will jump into the competition next year.) Bryn and Kevin are all-in when it comes to championing employee ownership. We congratulate them on the well-deserved recognition and commend them as company leaders. We’re so excited to see what the incredible employee owners at TVF, Paramount, Firstar, and Benoure have in store for the coming year. There’s going to be some serious competition for the next EOYA! Learn more about Lori on TVF's Our Team page, and see our website if you're interested in the power of employee ownership.

We are delighted to announce a new addition to the Empowered Ventures team – Casey Grisez! Casey is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a bachelors degree in economics and he continues to call Columbus home. Casey has joined us as our Finance & Marketing Associate, a hybrid role that will be roughly 50% finance and 50% marketing and communications. This unique role suits Casey’s background and passion while bringing crucial capacity and expertise to the EV team. Casey is an experienced finance professional, including ESOP valuation, and also excels as a writer with a knack for great storytelling. He is poised to support and elevate both functions for our team, ultimately advancing our mission across the enterprise. Casey has honed a diverse skillset during his career. With experience ranging from relationship management to financial modeling to copywriting, he has learned how to simplify the complex. As Casey puts it, “Having followed Empowered Ventures from the start, this team and organization are special. Whether using words or numbers, I’m honored that I get to tell the stories of EV, our businesses, and our incredible employee-owners.” Welcome to the team, Casey! See our website for more about us and to see Casey's full bio.

We are excited to welcome Christine Webb as Executive Support Specialist at Empowered Ventures. Christine’s career began in community and corporate social work, evolved to include a practice as a licensed massage therapist and holistic health consultant (and office manager with associated practices), and most recently pivoted to the creation and directorship of a coworking facility’s childcare program.??? From a vocational perspective, the common thread connecting Christine’s previous roles with her new role at EV is a passion for changing the world through principles of community, sustainability, humility, empowerment, and the foundations of healthy living. In Christine’s words, “I see my new role at EV as an exciting next step that will allow me to both build my skills and bolster the EV team, all while maintaining my commitment to a more equitable world.” Christine is a seasoned, proven “doer” who will take over existing logistical and tactical tasks and processes. She will contribute to the creation of new administrative processes as EV continues to grow. And, setting her role apart from that of a more straightforward administrative assistant, she will work closely with EV’s Chief of Staff to support and execute special projects that effectively build out capabilities related to EV’s strategy. Welcome to the team, Christine!

???? A recipe for success!

Who knew our team is also brimming with artistic talent?

Employee ownership at Empowered Ventures means… the legacy moves forward. Watch the complete documentary. Link is in the comments.

We’ve come so far and can’t wait to see what future lifechanging outcomes are in store!