Global Prairie is 100% Employee Owned
Since our founding in 2008, our Global Prairie team has believed that business should be used as a force for good. Living out a core value of teamwork, our team constantly uncovers new and inventive ways to raise the bar for our company so we can deliver exceptional work for our clients, while also making an impact on each employee, the communities where we live and work, and the planet.
A Certified B Corp since 2015, Global Prairie took the next leap in 2018 by establishing an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). As a 100% employee-owned B Corp, we continue to lean into social responsibility, and we remain committed to balancing purpose and profit equally.
The Employee Owner Advantage
Businesses can achieve impactful governance of their organizations by becoming an ESOP. Employee-owned organizations are investing in the short- and long-term financial successes of their business by empowering their employee owners to grow the business while simultaneously building personal wealth and financial security.
Studies show that “companies where at least 30% of the shares are owned by a broad-based group of employees, where all employees have access to ownership, and where the concentration of ownership is limited are more productive, grow faster, and are less likely to go out of business than their counterparts” (Harvard Business Review). Because employees have stake in the company, they think and behave as owners. They are efficient with their time and the organization’s money and resources, they take pride in their work, they are strategic and innovative in driving growth for the organization, and there is mutual trust among colleagues. Here are some of the proven, differentiated benefits found among employee-owned companies:
Employee-owned companies provide better service to clients.
Employee owners are empowered. They are more naturally committed and motivated to drive growth because they have a share in the company’s generated profits. Employee owners are long-term focused, and strategic in their approach to retain and grow their clientele. By bringing their best each day, a collaborative team of employee owners will provide exceptional client service that will result in successful outcomes for both parties.
Employee owners are more reliable.
Being an ESOP requires foresight and long-term investment. Employee owners understand that the strength of their relationships with clients and to one another is directly related to company growth and their share value. As a result, employee owners prioritize trust, communication, teamwork, and innovation as they drive their customer-centric business and deliver exceptional results.
Employee owners are grateful for their clients and understand successful client outcomes are essential.
Gratitude for clients permeates day-to-day work, for without client partners, employee-owned companies cannot grow. This is especially true at Global Prairie as we hold ourselves to the highest standards of client service, never settling for “good enough” and never stopping until our clients are thrilled with the results we have delivered.
Business success and longevity
Resilience is a bedrock Global Prairie value, and we thrive during challenging periods. This trend is not uncommon among ESOPs. Forbes notes that “ESOPs outperform conventional companies during challenging periods.” Research from Rutgers University’s Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing and others find that during the steep 2008-09 financial crisis, employee-owned companies grew sales 11.1% while non-employee-owned companies grew by just 0.61%. When Global Prairie was founded in 2008 during the U.S. financial crisis, we trusted in our purpose-driven business model. During the COVID-19 global pandemic, our company leaned heavily on our purpose and values of teamwork, optimism, and resilience, which resulted in a financially historic year.
Global Prairie has shown time and time again that even when there are threatening external factors that could impact the success of our organization, together we can achieve paramount results and our company culture thrives.
Camaraderie and a thriving culture
Being 100% employee owned, our employee owners contribute daily to our triple bottom line - people, planet, profit - which directly affects our annual stock price. When our team shows up with an entrepreneurial mindset and delivers quality, strategic, and innovative work, we see success for all our stakeholders: our company, communities, clients, planet, and each of our employee owners. Our owners know, understand, and value that through purpose-driven work, strategic collaboration, and an owner mindset, we can achieve incredible results.
From the day we opened our doors in 2008, our organizational structure has been flat and non-hierarchical with intention. Like a prairie—rich, resilient, regenerative—we envisioned a culture that encourages leadership from all levels. Our ESOP and employee-ownership principles embody just that; employee owners know that the company’s success is their success.
To learn more about how your organization can reach new heights by partnering with an employee-owned company, reach out to us today.