All across Parksite, we hear undeniable benefits of how being an employee-owned company, or ESOP, has changed our co-workers' lives. One driver, with 30+ years at Parksite, has a substantial retirement fund as a result of our ESOP. And he's not alone. About 14 million Americans are in ESOPs, which hold about $1.4 trillion in equity. Companies are more successful with an ESOP than they would be without one. They grow faster, they're more innovative, and they make more money. Everyone wins, including the communities and customers we serve. But not everyone knows how ESOPs work. So with October being "Employee-Ownership Month," we're devoting four episodes to ESOPs. In this episode, we start from the beginning and learn "ESOP 101" from Parksite CEO Ron Heitzman and our Vice President of Human Resources Chris Swenson. In the coming weeks, we'll continue our series where you'll learn about our lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill to protect ESOPs, get a Board member's perspective, and learn why ESOPs matter.