The Employee Ownership Foundation selected 18 non-managerial employee owners from 10 ESOP companies as its 2026 Edmunson Scholarship recipients. The recipients can use the funds to participate in advanced ESOP education and bring back new ideas, best practices and innovative engagement strategies that benefit employee owners.
The scholarship has two tracks.
The Ownership Thinking Development Scholarship recognizes nominated individuals whose companies are beginning the journey toward an ESOP culture or working to restart, reboot or refresh an existing ownership culture. These companies and individuals are seeking support to build the skills, knowledge and practices needed to create a strong ownership culture. This year’s recipients are Bobby Tekulve and Jordan Taylor of Electric Plus Inc.; Cleia Guardado and Ronan Lancaster of LB Construction, Inc.; David Pacheco and Justin Martineau of Thermal Tech, Inc.; and Adam Orsini of VHV Company.
The Recognition of Achievement Scholarship celebrates employee owners who play a significant role in developing and enhancing their company’s successful ownership culture. Nominees typically work at mature ESOP companies with established ownership-culture and ownership-behavior initiatives. The 2026 recipients are Emily Leyva and Shawn Beitler of Pavement Recycling Systems; Sarah Costagliola and Jordan Buslewicz of BL Companies; Riesa Okano of Bowers + Kubota Consulting; Kaiya Antrup and Krystal Brady of Crystal Flash; Louis Lenz and Liz Brock-Loftis of Engineered Seal Products; and Susan Igo and Samantha Johnson of Freedom Industries Inc.
The Edmunson Scholarship reflects the Foundation’s commitment to the people who make employee ownership work: the employee owners themselves. Each recipient gains access to sessions most non-management employees rarely have the chance to attend, deepening their understanding of the ownership stake they hold. Recipients are selected based on two qualities: their company’s commitment to employee education and their own interest in expanding their knowledge of employee ownership. Nominees also explain how they will use what they learn to benefit both their company and their personal development.
The announcement comes as ESOPATHON, the Foundation’s single largest fundraising push, runs through October 31. Every dollar raised extends opportunities like the Edmunson Scholarship to more employee owners and their families. Readers can donate through the Foundation’s ESOPATHON page and learn more about the scholarship from the Employee Ownership Foundation.
