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Success means taking long term view

Success is owned by employees
Colorado's CH2M Hill, MWH and Hensel Phelps are among the top worker-owned companies.
By Tom McGhee
Denver Post Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 07/15/2007 11:12:57 PM MDT


Colorado is home to three of the largest employee-owned companies in the nation, according to a new report.

Engineering, consulting and construction company CH2M Hill, engineering company MWH Global and construction company Hensel Phelps are each on the National Center for Employee Ownership's ranking of the top 100 majority employee-owned companies.

With 19,089 employees, Doug las County-based CH2M Hill is the largest employee-owned company of its type in the engineering industry and ranks sixth on the NCEO list.

Employees at the company can buy stock in CH2M Hill on an internal market and the share value is determined by the firm's profitability, said CH2M Hill spokesman John Corsi.

"Employee ownership is a key part of our culture. Every single employee shares in the firm's success. We think it is good for recruiting."

Since the company isn't publicly traded, executives don't have to chase quarterly earnings numbers to keep outside investors happy, Corsi said. "It allows us to have discipline and long-term vision," he said.

Giving employees a stake in a company can help to keep workers involved and engaged in operations, said Corey Rosen, NCEO executive director. But it doesn't guarantee that, he added.

"You need a company that gives employees a lot of input into the way their jobs are done. If you give people ownership but treat them the same as you did before, you actually see a decline in performance because you have raised their expectations but failed to meet them," he said.

Broomfield-based MWH has 6,100 employees and ranked 18th on the list. Hensel Phelps in Greeley has 2,100 employees and ranked 42nd.

Topping the list is Florida-based Publix Super Markets Inc. with 143,000 employees, followed by Iowa-based supermarket chain Hy-Vee Inc. with 46,000 employees.

The National Center for Employee Ownership is a private, nonprofit membership and research organization that provides information on employee stock ownership and other compensation plans.

Staff writer Tom McGhee can be reached at 303-954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com.