WET’s Commitment to Employee Ownership

In 2014, WET created an Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) and became an employee-owned company.  The reason for this move was obvious: we have great people at WET who have dedicated their professional lives to our company and our clients, and we wanted them to share in the benefits of ownership.  It was also a smart business decision: studies have shown that companies with ESOP’s grow at a faster rate than those without.  A 2000 Rutgers study found that ESOP companies grow 2.3% to 2.4% faster after setting up their ESOP than would have been expected without it. Companies that combine employee ownership with employee workplace participation programs show even more substantial gains in performance. A 1986 NCEO study found that employee ownership firms that practice participative management grow 8% to 11% per year faster with their ownership plans than they would have without them.

 

Since our ESOP was formed, WET has grown from 28 to 44 employees, so needless to say we are believers in the benefits of employee-ownership.  With employee growth has also come the ability to provide additional services to our clients.   We have significantly expanded our engineering geoscience, and Civil 3D capacity, we have a licensed surveyor on staff, and we now provide UAV surveying.  Exciting stuff!

 

Along with our ESOP we created a Communications Committee consisting of nine employees that meet regularly and keep employees educated on ESOP issues.  We want all of our employees to wear their “owners hat” and bring new ideas to the table on how we can do things better.  We proudly wear our “Employee Owner” stickers on our hard hats, and take our commitment seriously.

 

Overall, our firm has become a more tight-knit group that is working together to become more efficient, improve performance, and grow our business, which translates directly into increased value for our clients. We’ve also increased our commitment to serving the communities we live and work in by donating our time and money to charities and causes around Butte, Anaconda, and Great Falls.  It’s a WIN-WIN for everyone!

 

Water & Environmental Technologies – Client and Community Dedicated, Employee Owned.

 

WET’s Fall Conference Schedule

It’s getting to be that time of year!  The Fall professional conference season is almost upon us.  Here is a list of the conferences you can expect to see WET staff attending in the coming months, either as exhibitors, attendees, or both:

Montana Association of Counties Annual Conference – September 18-22nd at the Billings Hotel and Convention Center

We will have a booth set up at this conference.  Please stop by to learn more about our services, including UAV surveying, engineering, permitting, and hear about the interesting projects we do for several counties around the State of Montana.

 

Montana League of Cities and Town – October 5-7th at the Missoula Hilton Garden Inn

We will have a booth set up at this conference as well.  Come see us and ask about our services, especially storm water and sanitary sewer engineering, surveying, and permitting.

 

Montana AWRA – October 13-14th at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort

WET staff members will be in attendance at this conference, taking advantage of a wonderful opportunity to learn the latest in regards to Montana’s water resources.

 

We look forward to seeing many of our valued clients and colleagues this Fall at these various events.  It is a great time of year for our company as these conferences present our staff with the opportunity to take a break from their desks or get out of the field to network and learn with the very people that drive the industries we work in.