WinCo Foods-JB Lewis McChord

In the 1980's after the passing of WinCo founder, there was uncertainty throughout the company and its future unknown. The employees loved the company, they loved their customers, and did not want to see their stores go away. But what could they do? They were not rich investors or wealthy business owners. They were every day, hard-working people that loved their place of work and loved the communities they called home.

As one of the largest ESOP companies in the nation, WinCo Foods believes wholeheartedly in the benefits of employee ownership. In August of 2017, WinCo Foods continued to support the values of employee ownership, by becoming a founding member of Certified Employee-Owned, an alliance of companies dedicated to building a voice for employee ownership. Certified Employee-Owned works to unite employee-owned companies with a common brand that will raise national awareness of employee ownership and provide a source of differentiation for its members.