
Why Private Equity Can Pound Sand with Matt Middendorp
From Blue-Collar BS by Brad Herda and Steve Doyle
May 1, 2026 · 32 min · Episode 203
About this episode
The episode discusses the transformative impact of Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) on businesses and employees, featuring insights from guest Matt Middendorp.
We weren't aware of ESOPs before this conversation, and chances are you haven't heard of them either. Employee Stock Ownership Plans can drastically change how you run your business and transform the lives of your employees. Publix is one of the best examples of making their employees' lives better. Cashiers who may never make more than $20 an hour but stay there 20-30 years retire as multimillionaires because of employee ownership. Matt Middendorp helps business owners understand this transition option that most have never heard of. He started working at an ESOP company in college without knowing what it meant, but recognized the culture felt completely different from corporate retail. People collaborated and took ownership of problems instead of waiting for someone else to solve them. Matt Middendorp helps business owners explore this transition option. He started working at an ESOP company in college without knowing what it meant, but recognized the culture felt completely different from corporate retail. People collaborated and took ownership of problems instead of waiting for someone else to solve them. We talk about how ESOPs work, why they offer better tax benefits than…
People in this episode
Hosts: Brad Herda, Steve Doyle
Guest: Matt Middendorp
Topics covered
- Employee Stock Ownership Plans
- business transition
- company culture
- tax benefits
- retirement planning
Keywords
- ESOP
- employee ownership
- business culture
- tax benefits
- retirement
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Publix
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