DigiCopy becomes 100 percent employee-owned

By Patrick Lynn

STEVENS POINT — DigiCOPY is now 100 percent employee owned.

With locations in Stevens Point and Wausau, Craig Shuler, president and CEO, announced on this week that the company has transitioned to a 100 percent employee-owned company through the sale to the DigiCOPY Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).

The announcement was also made to all employees on March 18.

With an ESOP ownership structure, the company provides stock ownership at no cost to employees. As the company’s value — its stock — grows, employee accounts grow in value. ESOP plans, like the one at DigiCOPY, are federally governed under retirement legislation such as 401K. According to the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO), there are approximately 6,600 ESOPs in the U.S. covering about 14 million employee-owners.

“Being 100 percent ESOP means our employees can grow their retirement balance based on the work they do every day to help DigiCOPY achieve its goals,” Shuler said. “I believe this is the most unique retirement benefit we can offer because the employees can directly affect growth in their own retirement savings, and it’s a great supplement to the 401K plan DigiCOPY also has in place.”

“I see DigiCOPY co-workers benefiting from our ESOP in three main ways,” said Nicky Brillowski, Store Manager at DigiCOPY Stevens Point. “One, we gain retirement benefits; two, we feel a sense of job security; and three, we feel more engaged and committed to our company’s success. It is a true win-win-win.”

DigiCOPY was founded in July 2000 by President & CEO Craig Shuler. Craig’s vision for DigiCOPY stemmed from his experience in the print industry and his desire to create a company that truly valued relationships in the workplace, the marketplace, and the community.