Empowered Owners

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May 2026

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About the show

Creating connections is essential to building a community. It’s even more important when the people you’re trying to connect with aren’t in the same location. Businesses and companies have always found geographic distance to be a challenge to building a really great community-oriented culture. At Empowered Ventures, the same challenge holds true, which is why we decided to start Empowered Owners, the podcast that takes you inside Empowered Ventures. In each episode, CEO Chris Fredericks will have a discussion with one of our employees to discover and highlight their distinct personalities, perspectives, and skills while also keeping you in the loop with exclusive news, updates on company performance, and a glimpse into the future plans of Empowered Ventures. Not only is this an opportunity for Chris to learn more about our amazing employee-owners, but it’s also an opportunity for you to hear regularly from Chris and others from within Empowered Ventures.

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60 recent

May 19, 2026Episode 6616 min

Partnership Not Pricing with Firstar's Luke Orszag

Luke Orszag, President of Firstar Precision, returns to Empowered Owners to recap a year he describes as "a tale of two halves." The first six months saw demand almost disappear entirely, then September hit, and everything changed. Firstar spent the rest of the year digging out of the backlog, with workers voluntarily taking on extra hours, training new employees, and showing attitude and effort that stood out more than any previous year. He digs into two major initiatives that defined the year: pursuing defense certification to break into a regulated industry with massive opportunity, and launching a strategic marketing effort focused on building credibility and awareness rather than generic advertising. Luke explains why the certification documentation was far more difficult than expected, but it opened the door to what should become one of Firstar's largest customers. On the marketing side, he shares how Firstar crafted content around knowledge-sharing and expertise, then delivered it directly on LinkedIn to targeted companies and position titles in industries where Firstar wanted to grow. Luke breaks down Firstar's competitive positioning: they don't want to compete on price—they want to be partners who help customers solve difficult problems by tackling hard-to-source parts with challenging materials, geometry, or tolerances. Looking ahead, Luke is focused on finishing CMMC L2 defense certification, seeing where the marketing efforts lead, and building out employee development systems to address a shortage of skilled machinists. Edited by Mateusz Złakowski

May 5, 2026Episode 6522 min

Legacy, Leadership, and Letting Go with Brad Benoure

Brad Benoure returns to Empowered Owners, just over a week after officially stepping away from the President role of a 60 year old family business. It's the culmination of a two-year process that began when Empowered Ventures bought Benoure Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning in 2024. Brad reflects on what mattered most in choosing a buyer and why EV's promise not to "swoop in and start changing the company around" made all the difference. He shares how the leadership team slowly took the reins starting in October 2025, and why he knew they were ready: collaboration, complementary strengths, and the same commitment to customers and employees. Brad offers candid advice for business owners considering a sale: get the right help, understand it's a lot of work when you're already at capacity, and take time to assemble the right leadership team because it doesn't come quick. He wraps up with reflections on what's next and a reminder to himself and others: find hobbies before you need them, because when your life is your business, you don't have much time for anything else—and he's got a lot of life left to live. Edited by Mateusz Złakowski

April 21, 2026Episode 6420 min

From Dartboards to Data with EV's Kim Dinwiddie

Kim Dinwiddie, VP of HR, returns to Empowered Owners to unpack EV's healthcare transformation—moving from fully insured to self-funded. Kim defines Healthcare for Us, with priorities focused on being better stewards and empowering employee owners to become better healthcare consumers, and explains the mechanics of going self-funded. She answers why EV decided to unbundle everything and, more importantly, highlights the benefits for all EVers: adding Teladoc's $0 out-of-pocket virtual visits, better customer service, and access to data to help EV refine its healthcare approach. No more throwing darts at a dartboard. This is a multi-year effort with ongoing work, not just at renewal time, and Kim stresses that employee owners are in the driver's seat together. The goal? Stabilize premium increases, offer great coverage, and keep exploring partnerships in order to make healthcare work better for EVers. Edited by Mateusz Złakowski

April 7, 2026Episode 6317 min

On Resilience with TVF's Tad Calahan

TVF President Tad Calahan returns to Empowered Owners to catch up on the year. Now in its 16th year of employee ownership, TVF has navigated significant headwinds including tariffs, soft demand, cost pressures, and the growing pains of implementing a new CRM while still ending the year strong. Tad explains why TVF takes pride in the ability to perform in good times and bad, including when the tariff landscape created cost management challenges, communication difficulties, and constant adaptation. Tad celebrates how the team stayed close to the details, advised across the company, and navigated it all while staying true to TVF's core value of being a trusted partner. He shares why employee ownership has been central to the company's resilience and looks ahead with optimism about the foundation TVF is building. He wraps up with his Winter Olympics Mount Rushmore: biathlon, skeleton, curling, and ice hockey. Edited by Mateusz Złakowski

March 24, 2026Episode 6226 min

Finding Your People with Whitney Brothers' Scott Kroeger

Whitney Brothers President Scott Kroeger sits down with Chris Fredericks for our first-ever in-person podcast at Keene State College's beautiful Media Arts Center. Scott reflects on his first eight months leading a 122-year-old company, and shares his unexpected journey from global public companies to starting his own business during Covid in search of purpose and meaning, eventually discovering he'd "found his people" in the employee ownership world. He unpacks his REAL leadership framework—Respect, Empathy, Accountability, and Learning—and what surprised him most about Whitney Brothers. He celebrates the company's resilience through a challenging first year, the impressive speed at which the TWO (Together We Own) committee launched, and the hunger from engineers and floor leads alike to innovate and improve. Scott shares what he's excited about for 2026, and wraps up with his cycling Mount Rushmore, which includes a ride with (an insane) 11,000 feet of climbing.Edited by Mateusz Złakowski

March 10, 2026Episode 6124 min

Go-Karts, Stories, and 150,000 Square Feet of Fabric: The 2026 EO Summit

Chris Fredericks hosts the biggest group conversation yet on Empowered Owners, bringing together four employee ownership committee members from four different companies to debrief the annual EV Employee Ownership Summit. Erica Roudebush (TVF, fifth Summit), Travis Adams (Benoure, first-timer), Amanda Smith (Paramount, second Summit), and Dennis Casey (Firstar, rookie) share their raw first impressions: nerves at the beginning, re-energized by the end, and amazed by what they learned from each other. They dig into the Summit's theme, from a storytelling workshop with Sally Perkins that helped each company craft their origin story and identify the pivotal moment when employee ownership changed everything, to a stand-up magician who actually knew each company's history. The group celebrates favorite moments including the TVF warehouse tour, late-night go-karting, card games in the hotel lobby, and a surprise visit to the Indy 500 museum. They close with what they wish everyone in their companies knew—and what they say will make you a believer. Edited by Mateusz Złakowski

February 24, 2026Episode 6042 min

A Lot Going On at the Moment: An EV Update

Chris Fredericks and Casey Grisez reunite for another EV update episode, announcing new hires at EV, explaining the shift to self-funded healthcare and what it means to own your health, and sharing updates on fiscal 2026 financials. They break down what Ownership in Action looks like through growth, innovation, service, and enjoyment, and why the best advice might just be Bill Belichick's "do your job". Chris dives into a real example of a service mindset, then shares meaningful wins from across the operating companies. Finally, they zoom out to employee ownership wins: Oregon creating procurement preferences for ESOPs, federal legislation creating an Office of Employee Ownership Advocate, and bipartisan confirmation (67-32!) of a pro-ESOP Secretary of Labor. The message? There's momentum building, politically and culturally, and EV is part of something bigger. Edited by Mateusz Złakowski

February 10, 2026Episode 5935 min

Not Like Enron with Paramount's Rachel Wolf

Rachel Wolf, Director of Finance and Strategy at Paramount Plastics, joins Empowered Owners to share her remarkable origin story. She started working in her parents' carpet cleaning franchise at age 12, cleaning up to six houses a day, doing pro-bono work for families facing eviction, and learning empathy the hard way. She explains how those eight years taught her work ethic, customer service, and a we-don't-quit attitude—lessons that carried her through paying her own way through college, becoming an accounting assistant at an e-commerce company, and eventually discovering her passion for strategic finance. Rachel reveals why she needs work to feel like family, why every hour she puts into Paramount "benefits 50 other people", why she leads from the factory floor, and her initial skepticism about employee ownership. Plus, hear how Rachel's Mount Rushmore of video games that taught her actual life skills. Edited by Mateusz Złakowski

January 27, 2026Episode 5831 min

Monopoly Money, Real Culture with Paramount's Curtis Elliott

How many leaders retain their entire staff in the face of an industry-wide downturn? We’re lucky that Curtis Elliott, President of Paramount Plastics, is one of them. Curtis takes us inside the RV and marine market, where many companies resorted to deep layoffs after Covid, and reveals why Paramount took the harder path of investing in their people. That decision—avoiding “violent change”—built unshakeable loyalty and set them up for a strong rebound. Curtis also shares how a focus on safety became a core value, and why their legendary holiday party, complete with his role as auctioneer, is a testament to their authentic atmosphere. Finally, he draws a fascinating parallel between rebuilding a company’s culture and rebuilding a football program, breaking down his Mount Rushmore of transformative coaches and what their leadership styles teach us about perseverance.Edited by Mateusz Złakowski

December 2, 2025Episode 5720 min

Willing to be Uncomfortable with Benoure's Eric Lothrop

Eric Lothrop, VP at Benoure Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, takes us through his 17-year journey from roughing in houses to overseeing custom residential construction. Eric opens up about finding his passion for mechanicals, climbing inside 2.5 million BTU boilers before transitioning to small residential systems, and discovering his true calling: building something from nothing using just blueprints and 2x4s. He explains the four pillars of sustainable success in the trades—quality, accountability, honesty, and dependability—and shares his advice for young people entering the field and what it takes to be a good student in the skilled trades (willingness to be uncomfortable tops the list). Plus, learn why Eric loves to coach, something he learned from his incredible parents, who are still volunteering as adaptive skiing coaches in their late-70s. Edited by Mateusz Złakowski