Yesterday I read some news that just infuriated me to no end. So, it was with trepidation in my heart I even opened up my browswer this morning to check stocks and read some news.
But then I stumbled onto this heart-warming story. I just have to share a bit with you. I know many of us are healthy eaters. I hope you will seek out Bob's Red Mill Natural Food products to support this great company.
MILWAUKIE – Scores of employees gathered to help Bob Moore celebrate his 81st birthday this week at the company that bears his name, Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods.
Moore, whose mutual loves of healthy eating and old-world technologies spawned an internationally distributed line of products, responded with a gift of his own -- the whole company. The Employee Stock Ownership Plan Moore unveiled means that his 209 employees now own the place and its 400 offerings of stone-ground flours, cereals and bread mixes.
"This is Bob taking care of us," said Lori Sobelson, who helps run the business' retail operation. "He expects a lot out of us, but really gives us the world in return." Moore declined to say how much he thinks the company is worth. In 2004, however, one business publication estimated that year's revenues at more than $24 million. A company news release issued this week stated that Bob's Red Mill has chalked up an annual growth rate of between 20 percent to 30 percent every year since.
"In some ways I had a choice," Moore said of what he could have done with the company he founded with his wife, Charlee, in 1978. "But in my heart, I didn't. These people are far too good at their jobs for me to just sell it."
2 comments:
They make a lot of Gluten Free flours and mixes. Maybe that has to do with their growth!
Nice post! Thanks Tod for sharing this story. Good things are happening, we just need to look for them. grins~vick
Post a Comment