Emery Sapp & Sons

Emery Sapp & Sons (ESS) is proud to be 100% employee owned. The Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) is changing lives. In fact, ESS won the 2024 ESOP Association Heart of America Chapter award. “Everyone has a stake in the company, from the top executives to those who work in the field,” said Paul Moody, Assistant Vice President.
Chris Landwehr, Assistant Vice President stated, “There are millionaires in our ESOP program.” That’s not just executive-level management; 63% of millionaires at ESS work in the field. Employees have a stake in the company and want to see the ESOP grow. Every year at annual meetings, employees get to see the ESOP growth. It creates a culture where everyone is driving in the same direction.
With ESOPs, all employees — from upper management to those working in the field — own a part of the company. Every day, they are cultivating a culture of wealth. “There’s a teamwork and cohesion that says, you’re looking out for my back, I’m looking out for yours,” said Moody. Employees want to see the ESOP and company grow.
“It’s monumental!” Landwehr says. “We see grown adults pull up their stock statements and get emotional, which is pretty powerful.”
The company’s 5 core values are the driving force behind the company. This speaks to what they do, how they do it, and why. It creates collaboration and communication with people in the field and brings in continued partnerships as well as the public market.
1.People
2.Purpose
3.Partnership
4.Passion
5.Performance
ESS ensures that employees understand their role in contributing to company success by continuously educating employees about the ESOP. They provide information and celebrate success with the following events:
• ESOP Roadshow
• Executive leadership provides a transparent question-and-answer session with all employees
• Family Fun Day at Silver Dollar City
• Shareholder Week in March
• Swag and information and shoutouts to employees via email and in person
• Stock price reveal
• Celebratory dinners
• Monthly open-book meetings with supervisors

ESS was awarded one of the Best Places to Work in Springfield. With the work hard, play hard mentality, employees show up and give 120% all day, every day. ESS rewards hard efforts and knows it’s important for employees to enjoy time together. ESS encourages employees to enjoy downtime and collaboration where employees are not worried about production or what to do next.
The ESOP influences employee retention and satisfaction within ESS with continued growth.
Employees see their dollars growing at exponential rates and outperforming the S&P 500 and Dow Jones. “In the field, the ESOP motivates employees. They really take it to heart,” Moody
said. “They feel the impact in the long-term.”
“I’m proud of the way the company has organically evolved from 200 employees to one of the major players in the Midwest. We now drive innovations to make the industry better while
maintaining a family culture with an open-door policy,” Landwehr said.
The ESOP sets ESS apart from other workplaces in the community. The company mission is to change lives and transform communities through employee ownership. ESS employee-owners live, work and give back to the local community keeping their money in the Springfield area.