How hundreds of employee-owners became millionaires

In January 2013, I became CEO of the Mott Corporation, an advanced materials and manufacturing company, a 100% employee-owned business. At the time, the company was valued at under $100 million.

Twelve years later, in March 2025, IDEX Corporation (NYSE: IEX)—one of the most respected industrial technology companies in the world—acquired Mott for $1 billion. For us, the transaction represented more than a milestone. It was a powerful validation of the quality of the business and the people who built it.

The most meaningful outcome was not the headline number. It was the impact on the people who owned the company. Hundreds of employee-owners saw decades of work translate into life-changing financial security—creating generational wealth and opening doors for their families for years to come.

The world could use more ESOPs. But more than that, the world needs more ESOPs that truly scale.

Mott’s growth was anything but linear. I was constantly reminded how difficult it is for organizations to get things done. Even small changes require enormous effort.

To understand how to lead more effectively and how to help Mott move faster and learn faster, I studied and sometimes had a front-row seat to the most complex organizations on earth: high-growth businesses, the U.S. government, and the military. From my business mentors, other CEOs, and leaders in the armed forces, intelligence, and special operations, I learned how to think more clearly about strategy, how to communicate under pressure, and how to build organizations that learn continuously from experience.

At All Hands, we bring those lessons—and many more—to companies that want to realize their full potential. Our goal is simple: help more employee-owned companies become enduring success stories that create lasting prosperity for the people who build them.

— Boris Levin, Founder & Managing Director