1. Every employee has a stake in the outcome beyond a paycheck
Whether you’re talking to a technology sales consultant in their first year on board or an MSI veteran with 30+ years of service, each member of our team is engaged and invested in building successful, long-lasting partnerships with our customers. When the copier jams on a Friday afternoon or a client needs a same-day fix, employee-owners don’t wait for someone else to handle it. Being a team player and going above and beyond benefits us all. There’s never a “not my problem” here, because each of us are invested in providing the best service possible.
2. It changes how decisions get made at every level
Our employee-owners are incentivized to think longer-term and more carefully, because they’re spending their own company’s money, not someone else’s. That mindset shows up in small ways and big ones: a service tech who takes an extra ten minutes to solve the root issue instead of a quick patch, or a manager who weighs a purchase against what it means for the whole team’s future, not just this quarter’s numbers. Ownership has bred curiosity, and curiosity breeds better solutions.
3. It keeps Metro Sales independent and local
No private equity, no large conglomerates or corporate expansion dictating our business decisions – just local employee owners showing up to work in the very communities they live in, building relationships that last years, not just this quarter.
4. Retention and internal growth are stronger because of it
ESOP companies typically see lower turnover and more internal promotion, because people are building something they’ll actually benefit from long-term. At MSI, that means the person delivering your equipment today might be leading a department in five years, and the accumulated knowledge that comes with that kind of continuity is a competitive edge we’re proud of as leading industry experts.
5. It rewards tenure and hard work in a very literal way
Vesting schedules mean the people who’ve been here longest, often the ones who’ve done the unglamorous work of keeping things running, are the ones seeing the biggest benefit.
6. Customers benefit from an accountable, invested team
Employee-owners have a direct incentive to do right by customers since the company’s reputation is their reputation. Each team member at Metro Sales is motivated to solve our customers’ business problems and build long-lasting relationships.
7. Seven years in: the ESOP is proven
Since 2019, when we first took the jump from private ownership into an ESOP model, our team involvement has soared to new heights. Through economic downturns and a rapidly evolving office technology landscape, our team is still delivering for our customers, and that consistency is the best evidence we have that this model works.
There are fewer than 7,000 ESOP programs in the U.S., and Metro Sales is proud to be a part of that constituency.
We didn’t become employee-owned to win an award or make headlines. We did it because we believed our team deserved a real stake in what they build every day. Seven years later, that belief has held up. We don’t need to tell you we’re different, our customers feel it every time they call.