40 Million Owners: Expanding Employee Ownership Through Acquisitions

About this episode

Mike Brady discusses how 40 Million Owners aids ESOP companies in growth through strategic acquisitions while maintaining their ownership culture.

SUMMARY: In this episode of Owners at Work, we talk with Mike Brady of 40 Million Owners about how the firm helps ESOP companies grow through strategic, values -aligned acquisitions. Mike explains how their three-phase framework—design, execution, and integration—guides employee-owned firms through M&A while preserving their ownership culture. We discuss how 40 Million Owners fills a key gap for lower middle market ESOPs lacking internal deal expertise , and how its 2025 acquisition by 3LS demonstrates the model in action. Mike also shares lessons from his career at PwC and Greyston Bakery, and how employee ownership can drive lasting wealth and systemic change. OTHER INFO: NCEO Study Estimating Number of Employee Owners Due to Acquisitions: https://www.nceo.org/employee-ownership-blog/new-data-on-esop-companies-acquiring-non-esop-companies-1?utm_source=chatgpt.com Contact Information for Mike Brady Email: mbrady@40millionowners.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradymichael/ Watch Mike Brady Deliver His TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/mike_brady_and_dion_drew_why_we_hire_unemployable_people SUPPORT THE SHOW: We make all episodes of Owners at Work free and never…

People in this episode

Host: Ohio Employee Ownership Center

Guest: Mike Brady

Topics covered

• employee ownership
• acquisitions
• ESOP
• business growth
• M&A
• wealth creation
• systemic change

Keywords

• employee ownership
• ESOP
• acquisitions
• business strategy
• M&A framework
• wealth creation
• lower middle market

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: 40 Million Owners, PwC, Greyston Bakery, NCEO, 3LS

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