Empowered Owners

Partnership Not Pricing with Firstar's Luke Orszag

Luke Orszag [https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-orszag-75840915/], President of Firstar Precision [https://www.linkedin.com/company/firstar-precision-corp/], returns to Empowered Owners to recap a year he describes as "a tale of two halves." The first six months saw demand almost disappear entirely, then September hit, and everything changed. Firstar spent the rest of the year digging out of the backlog, with workers voluntarily taking on extra hours, training new employees, and showing attitude and effort that stood out more than any previous year. He digs into two major initiatives that defined the year: pursuing defense certification to break into a regulated industry with massive opportunity, and launching a strategic marketing effort focused on building credibility and awareness rather than generic advertising. Luke explains why the certification documentation was far more difficult than expected, but it opened the door to what should become one of Firstar's largest customers. On the marketing side, he shares how Firstar crafted content around knowledge-sharing and expertise, then delivered it directly on LinkedIn to targeted companies and position titles in industries where Firstar wanted to grow. Luke breaks down Firstar's competitive positioning: they don't want to compete on price—they want to be partners who help customers solve difficult problems by tackling hard-to-source parts with challenging materials, geometry, or tolerances. Looking ahead, Luke is focused on finishing CMMC L2 defense certification, seeing where the marketing efforts lead, and building out employee development systems to address a shortage of skilled machinists.   Edited by Mateusz Złakowski [https://www.karpfilm.com/]

Legacy, Leadership, and Letting Go with Brad Benoure

Brad Benoure returns to Empowered Owners, just over a week after officially stepping away from the President role of a 60 year old family business. It's the culmination of a two-year process that began when Empowered Ventures bought Benoure Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning [https://www.linkedin.com/company/benoure-plumbing-heating/] in 2024. Brad reflects on what mattered most in choosing a buyer and why EV's promise not to "swoop in and start changing the company around" made all the difference. He shares how the leadership team slowly took the reins starting in October 2025, and why he knew they were ready: collaboration, complementary strengths, and the same commitment to customers and employees. Brad offers candid advice for business owners considering a sale: get the right help, understand it's a lot of work when you're already at capacity, and take time to assemble the right leadership team because it doesn't come quick. He wraps up with reflections on what's next and a reminder to himself and others: find hobbies before you need them, because when your life is your business, you don't have much time for anything else—and he's got a lot of life left to live.    Edited by Mateusz Złakowski [https://www.karpfilm.com/]

From Dartboards to Data with EV's Kim Dinwiddie

Kim Dinwiddie [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-dinwiddie-shrm-scp-cpc-4aab0554/], VP of HR, returns to Empowered Owners to unpack EV's healthcare transformation—moving from fully insured to self-funded. Kim defines Healthcare for Us, with priorities focused on being better stewards and empowering employee owners to become better healthcare consumers, and explains the mechanics of going self-funded. She answers why EV decided to unbundle everything and, more importantly, highlights the benefits for all EVers: adding Teladoc's $0 out-of-pocket virtual visits, better customer service, and access to data to help EV refine its healthcare approach. No more throwing darts at a dartboard. This is a multi-year effort with ongoing work, not just at renewal time, and Kim stresses that employee owners are in the driver's seat together. The goal? Stabilize premium increases, offer great coverage, and keep exploring partnerships in order to make healthcare work better for EVers.   Edited by Mateusz Złakowski [https://www.karpfilm.com/]

On Resilience with TVF's Tad Calahan

TVF [https://www.linkedin.com/company/tvf/] President Tad Calahan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tadcalahan/] returns to Empowered Owners to catch up on the year. Now in its 16th year of employee ownership, TVF has navigated significant headwinds including tariffs, soft demand, cost pressures, and the growing pains of implementing a new CRM while still ending the year strong. Tad explains why TVF takes pride in the ability to perform in good times and bad, including when the tariff landscape created cost management challenges, communication difficulties, and constant adaptation. Tad celebrates how the team stayed close to the details, advised across the company, and navigated it all while staying true to TVF's core value of being a trusted partner. He shares why employee ownership has been central to the company's resilience and looks ahead with optimism about the foundation TVF is building. He wraps up with his Winter Olympics Mount Rushmore: biathlon, skeleton, curling, and ice hockey.   Edited by Mateusz Złakowski [https://www.karpfilm.com/]

Finding Your People with Whitney Brothers' Scott Kroeger

Whitney Brothers [https://www.linkedin.com/company/whitney-brothers/] President Scott Kroeger [https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottrkroeger/] sits down with Chris Fredericks [https://www.linkedin.com/in/frederickschris/] for our first-ever in-person podcast at Keene State College [https://www.linkedin.com/school/keenestatecollege/]'s beautiful Media Arts Center. Scott reflects on his first eight months leading a 122-year-old company, and shares his unexpected journey from global public companies to starting his own business during Covid in search of purpose and meaning, eventually discovering he'd "found his people" in the employee ownership world. He unpacks his REAL leadership framework—Respect, Empathy, Accountability, and Learning—and what surprised him most about Whitney Brothers. He celebrates the company's resilience through a challenging first year, the impressive speed at which the TWO (Together We Own) committee launched, and the hunger from engineers and floor leads alike to innovate and improve. Scott shares what he's excited about for 2026, and wraps up with his cycling Mount Rushmore, which includes a ride with (an insane) 11,000 feet of climbing. Edited by Mateusz Złakowski [https://www.karpfilm.com/]