Jean Carr
Brandon Johnson
SCJ Alliance, a consulting firm with a location on Tower Avenue in Centralia, has recently transitioned into being 100 percent employee-owned, the company announced last week.
SCJ Alliance specializes in civil engineering, site development, transportation planning, cable-propelled transit, environmental and urban planning, landscape architecture and design, and public outreach. The company was established in 2006 and today they have eight different offices employing 115 people in Washington and Colorado.
The company established an Employee Stock Ownership Plan & Trust (ESOP) which allows all eligible employees to earn a yearly allocation of stock in the company and its value will increase as the value of the firm increases, according to a recent SJC Alliance press release. Stock will also be allocated in the form of a retirement benefits.
“SCJ Alliance has always focused on building a unique culture. We work hard to make all our offices fun places to be — where everyone can be themselves and feel valued. Becoming an ESOP was a natural next step for us. Providing this additional benefit to our staff is a wonderful and tangible way to demonstrate how much we value them,” said Jean Carr, president and CEO of SCJ Alliance.
SCJ Alliance has offices in Centralia, Ballard, Seattle, Gig Harbor, Lacey, Wenatchee and Spokane in Washington and Boulder, Colorado.
“Being employee-owned means each staff person will own shares of the company. It means we all get to share in the value we help create through growing the business and delivering great projects,” Carr said.
ESOP was created by Congress to make it possible for companies to transfer ownership to employees and in return to receive tax advantages that enable the employees to become shareholders. According to the SCJ press release, there are about 7,000 ESOPs in the U.S. and SCJ has joined them.
Brandon Johnson, SCJ Alliance employee and Centralia office principal, said in the news release that he is excited for the change.
“In a company where we already have an award-winning culture and a staff full of fun, motivated, engaged and innovative people, transitioning to an employee-owned company was a no brainer,” he said.
SCJ Alliance has been involved in projects in Centralia that The Chronicle has covered in the past including the Brost Avenue construction and the Centralia Streetscape project.
“Studies show that employee owned companies consistently outperform privately held ones. Employees tend to be happier, more productive, and are less likely to leave. All of these are important contributors to company growth and profitability. As an ESOP I think SCJ is positioned to continue to grow, recruit great staff, and deliver projects that enhance the communities we serve,” said Carr.
