Sentry Equipment Corp Celebrates Top Workplaces Award, 30 Years of Employee-Ownership
Oconomowoc, Wis. - Sentry Equipment Corp is proud to announce that it has been awarded a Journal Sentinel Top 100 Workplaces award for the seventh year consecutively - as long as the program has existed. It is one of only 23 companies in the entire Milwaukee Metro area that has claimed that award for seven years in a row. Based on responses to employee surveys conducted by the research firm Workplace Dynamics, the Top 100 Workplaces award honors small, medium and large employers that lead in the areas of leadership, compensation, work environment, communication and other factors.
Recognition in the Journal Sentinel Top Workplaces program is the most prestigious honor for employers in the region. Companies and organizations with 50 or more employees in the 10-county southeastern Wisconsin area are eligible: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington, Ozaukee, Racine, Kenosha, Walworth, Sheboygan, Jefferson and Dodge.
Additionally, this month Sentry Equipment Corp celebrates 30 years of employee-ownership. The company has been an ESOP (employee stock ownership plan) company since 1985, when owners Dick and Mary Henszey had the foresight to ensure the company and employees would continue to thrive by shifting ownership of the company to employees. The ESOP plan transferred ownership from the Henszeys to all employees over a period of time, with the Henszeys personally guaranteeing the financial obligation associated with the transfer of ownership. While ESOPs were not an entirely new concept at the time, this method of ensuring the financing was creative, and eventually became a model for other ESOP companies. “As an employee-owned company, we fully appreciate the value of every customer and the importance of every relationship, taking pride in our work, delivering on our promises and standing behind our commitments,” said Brian Baker, President and CEO.
As an ESOP company, Sentry Equipment Corp continues to join companies across the nation in educating the public and government officials about the benefits of employee-ownership for employees, companies, communities and the nation. There are approximately 10,000 ESOPs in place in the U.S., covering 10.3 million employees, or about 10 percent of the private sector workforce.