Since becoming 100% employee owned by launching an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) in 2021, Henderson Engineers became a member of the Employee-Owned S Corporations of America (ESCA), an association that advocates for legislation that supports employee-owned firms and their employee-owners. ESCA periodically coordinates congressional visits with ESOP companies to educate senators and representatives on the benefits and opportunities ESOPs provide.

For its first such visit, Henderson hosted U.S. Representative Sharice Davids at its headquarters in Lenexa, Kan., a Kansas City suburb located in Davids’ 3^rd congressional district in Kansas. In addition to meeting with the c-suite executive team and board of directors, Rep. Davids congregated with a variety of employee-owners from the company’s engineering, marketing, and human resources disciplines. The hourlong session included a discussion about the type of work Henderson undertakes, an overview of the experience, challenges, and key learnings from the ESOP transition process, and an impromptu game of ping pong initiated by Rep. Davids.

“Thank you to ESCA and Representative Davids for making this visit happen,” said Kevin Lewis, CEO & President of Henderson Engineers. “The congresswoman was engaging and enthusiastic to learn about the work we do and our transition to becoming an ESOP, and it meant a lot to have her in the building. We are looking forward to other opportunities to host lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to share our ESOP journey and how it’s benefitting our employee-owners.”