Last week, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) visited ESCA Board member company Lifetouch’s headquarters in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Lifetouch is the nation’s leading employee-owned photography provider of quality childhood, student and family portraits.
This year, Lifetouch is a premier sponsor of the 2014 US Capitol Christmas tree which was harvested in Northern Minnesota. As part of the tree’s journey from the upper Midwest to Washington, DC, it stopped by Lifetouch’s headquarters on November 6, where it served as the centerpiece for the Senator’s visit.
An original cosponsor of S. 742, the Promotion and Expansion of Private Employee Ownership Act of 2013, Sen. Klobuchar is no stranger to S ESOPs, and over the years ESCA and Lifetouch have been proud to enjoy a strong and lasting relationship with her.
A few weeks prior in late October, Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) spent the afternoon with the employee-owners of Torch Technologies, Inc. Torch Technologies is a 100 percent employee-owned business headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama and provides engineering, technical, and programmatic support services to the Department of Defense that directly support the men and women who serve our country.
During his visit, Senator Sessions heard an overview of Torch’s operations as well as background on the community activities of Torch employee-owners. The Senator participated in an in-depth discussion about the benefits of employee ownership with Torch’s CEO Bill Roark and other executives. The Senator also conducted a town hall meeting with employee-owners, discussing the key issues facing the country and the state of Alabama and recognizing the value Torch has brought to employee-owners in the surrounding Huntsville community.
With the 2014 midterm elections over, now is the time to start planning your company’s 2015 district event schedule. If you would like assistance organizing a Member visit, please contact Matt Pearce (mpearce@vennstrategies.com).