Since 2002, year after year, my company’s sales were robust, profits were up and my executives were aligned. On the surface, everything looked great. But I recognized that I was facing a significant long-term problem: time. It was marching on, and most of my executives would be retiring within the next 10 years. I had to figure out a way for new hires to understand and embrace the core values that helped us grow and prosper.

As luck would have it, I met Dave Whorton at an employee ownership conference in Colorado.