Meet the 2026 Award Winners
Five Wisconsin leaders who chose a different path — and proved that when workers own the business, the business, the jobs, and the community all stay rooted at home.
Four companies. One champion. Five Wisconsin stories.
Each honoree was selected for embodying what employee ownership looks like when it's done right — through ESOPs, worker cooperatives, and the people who fight to make more of them possible.
Union Cab of Madison Cooperative
The evening's top honor went to Union Cab, which opened on October 29, 1979, with 11 cars after drivers who lost their jobs in a strike at Checker Cab decided to build a company of their own.
Nearly 47 years later, Union Cab remains a worker cooperative owned and governed by the people who drive and dispatch its cabs — a living example of an ownership culture embedded throughout the organization.
Weinbrenner Shoe Company
Founded in Milwaukee in 1892 and headquartered in Merrill since 1937, Weinbrenner faced closure in 1988 under international ownership. Local business leaders stepped in to save the company — and in 2000 sold it to its employees through an ESOP, keeping American bootmaking jobs in northern Wisconsin.
ESOP · Employee-owned since 2000Community Pharmacy Cooperative
Started in 1972 by University of Wisconsin students who wanted affordable medications and a pharmacy that put education ahead of sales, Community Pharmacy has operated as a worker cooperative since 1991 and continues to serve its neighbors as a locally owned, worker-governed business.
Worker Co-op · Since 1991Findorff
One of Wisconsin's largest construction firms, Findorff became 100% employee-owned through an ESOP in January 2025 — ensuring its future remains in the hands of the people who build its projects.
ESOP · 100% employee-owned since 2025State Representative Darrin Madison
Recognized for his efforts to pass Assembly Bill 17, which would create incentives for employee ownership conversions in Wisconsin. Rep. Madison also shared a legislative perspective on employee ownership in Wisconsin during the evening's program.
A night to celebrate the people who bet on their workers.
During Employee Ownership Month, Wisconsin business owners, employee-owners, advisors, and community leaders gathered at The Edgewater Hotel's Red Crown Club in Madison for the inaugural Celebrating Employee Ownership in Wisconsin dinner.
The evening recognized four Wisconsin businesses that have chosen employee ownership as a path to succession, growth, and shared prosperity — companies that have kept jobs and decision-making rooted in their communities while giving employees a real stake in the value they help create.
"Bringing together the employee-owned community in Wisconsin like this was wonderful. Hearing the stories of these remarkable companies was inspiring, and it's why we continue to push for more Wisconsin business owners to consider employee ownership as part of their succession planning."
Joe Sapp, CAE · Executive Director, WICEO
Thank you to our sponsors.
The inaugural dinner was made possible by organizations committed to keeping Wisconsin businesses locally rooted and broadly owned.
Investment banking products and services within the United States are offered exclusively through BDO Capital Advisors, LLC, a separate legal entity and affiliated company of BDO USA, P.C., a Virginia professional corporation. For more information, visit www.bdocap.com. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting. BDO Capital Advisors, LLC Member FINRA/SIPC.
Know a company that belongs on this stage?
Companies interested in being considered for the 2027 awards — and business owners curious about whether employee ownership is right for them — can start the conversation with WICEO today.
