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Notes From the Road is a closer look at the learning opportunities and experiences of our employee owners from industry events, client engagements, and projects around the world.
As an employee-owned firm, Larson Design Group (LDG) is proud that our work is a true collective effort, motivated by the knowledge that when the company succeeds, we succeed.
LDG also strongly supports the engagement activities and outreach of its Employee Owners Committee and encourages members to expand their own knowledge base. Recently, Committee member Melissa Bachman attended The ESOP Association (TEA) National Conference, the only advocacy-focused event at which to learn valuable insights from the employee ownership community, and shared some of her experiences at the conference.
Tell us about the conference. How was it structured? What kinds of panels and activities were available to attendees?
The 2024 TEA National Conference focused on ESOP marketing and communications, including focus areas like how to incorporate employee ownership into your company’s branding, value proposition, and how to leverage it as a competitive advantage. The conference provided five learning tracks with educational sessions, panels, or roundtables – from “ESOP 101” to more advanced and complex topics geared toward Boards of Directors, ESOP trustees, and C-Suite and plan administrators – and offered opportunities to expand my network.
Do you have a favorite panel or learning experience?
My favorite session was “Transforming Your Company Culture” with Cheryl Collins from Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods. Cheryl explained the three levels of culture and discussed strategies to support learning anxiety, ultimately aiming to reduce survival anxiety and foster psychological safety for employees.
Did you learn something new or particularly interesting about ESOPs?
I now better understand how our committee can promote a sense of ownership and commitment among employees. I learned tips on growing employees to increase retention, engagement, and overall productivity and to help them understand how an ESOP is a vehicle for wealth creation.
ABOUT LDG
Founded in 1986, LDG is an award-winning, employee-owned architecture, engineering, and consulting firm offering full-service capabilities and a national reach. For more than 30 years, we have been providing an extraordinary breadth and depth of value-driven solutions to our diverse client base and investing in the sustainable business practices and innovative technologies that allow us to pursue our shared vision: creatively shaping our world. For more information, visit About – Larson Design Group.