Employee ownership
Every person you deal with here owns the place
Sharrow established an ESOP in 1994 and has been 100% employee owned since 2000. It is the single biggest reason our customers give for staying with us.
An ESOP — Employee Stock Ownership Plan — means the company is owned by a trust, and the beneficiaries of that trust are the employees. There is no outside investor waiting on a quarterly number, and no private equity firm looking for an exit.
For a business that has been around since 1952, that structure does something specific: it makes the long view the rational one. A shortcut that wins this quarter and loses a customer next year is a bad trade for everyone who works here, because everyone who works here owns a piece of next year.
What it actually changes
- Turnover is lower, so experience stays
- The technician who inspected your cranes last year is usually the one who shows up this year. They know your plant, your equipment, and the thing that failed the last time. That continuity is worth more than any spec sheet.
- Nobody is incentivized to oversell you
- Our people aren't pushed to move inventory. If your chain sling can be repaired instead of replaced, repairing it is the answer you'll get — because the repeat relationship is worth more to an owner than one transaction.
- Problems get solved, not routed
- There's no chain of approvals between you and someone who can make a decision. Owners are allowed to fix things.
- We're still here in ten years
- 74 years and counting, with no succession cliff and no sale on the horizon. When you standardize on a supplier for rigging and inspection records, that stability matters.
Careers
Looking for a job, or a stake?
We hire fabricators, service technicians, inspectors, and sales people. Everyone who works here becomes an owner.
Need a quote, an inspection, or an answer?
Tell us what you're lifting and we'll get you the right solution — usually the same day.