Lochtober Recap: Lochmueller Group Celebrates Employee Ownership Month

October is Employee Ownership Month, or as we like to call it, “Lochtober” – a month-long celebration of the undeniable benefits that come with being an employee-owned company and our employee-owners who make our company successful!

Our ESOP Story

In 1980, Keith Lochmueller and Vince Bernardin set out to start their own business and gradually grew the company to what we all know today as Lochmueller Group. Since inception, the focus on our core values allows us to uphold our boundless mission to reinvent the future – one community at a time.

From 1980 to 2018, Lochmueller Group grew from 2 original owners to approximately 30 shareholders. Due to the retirement of company leaders, we needed a plan to transition ownership of the company while maintaining our culture and the legacy established by our founders over 40 years before.

To ensure we carried out our mission for years to come, Lochmueller Group became a 100% Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) in 2019, allowing us to maintain our independence and culture while also providing each employee owner with a vested interest.

Our ESOP was designed to align with our CARDIA values. As employee-owners, we take pride in knowing that our work directly impacts our retirement savings and that all of us are part of the company’s success. This unique work environment fosters an ownership culture in which employee-owners seek to better the company by solving problems, contributing ideas, taking initiative, demonstrating leadership, and holding themselves and others accountable.

CARDIA = Creativity, Accountability, Respect, Dedication, Integrity, & Achievement

Lochtober Celebrations

To celebrate Lochtober, each of our offices enjoyed fun outings, lunches, and dress-up days! The festivities kicked off with Thirsty Thursday on October 5^th and Taco Tuesday on October 10^th. Week four of Lochtober was Spirit Week with ESOP Gear Day, Sports Gear Day and the Breakfast of Champions, and Twinning Day. Terrifying Tuesday rounded out the month with costume contests and trick-or-treating.

We love any opportunity to celebrate our employee-owners and can’t wait to do it again next Lochtober!