Host Jesse Tyler is joined by Tom Schones, who retired from 100% Hypertherm at the age of 59 following a 20-year career.
Tom received his engineering degree in 1986 and joined Hypertherm in 2001. During his 20 years working at Hypertherm, Tom held both engineering and leadership positions. At the end of 2021, Tom retired from Hypertherm to pursue personal interests and spend more time with his wife, Annie.
Tom discusses how Hypertherm's culture has impacted his life and career. When Hypertherm's owners announced a partial ESOP 20+ years ago, Tom had been with the company for 3 months. Employees were unsure how to react to the news. Tom shares that if he knew then what he knows now, he would have been doing jumping jacks for joy. He also shares some important advice on what strategies in addition to ESOP participation to maximize the potential for a successful and secure retirement.
Tom also shares the words he uses to describe employee ownership, advice for those starting their career and at a mid-point, and why Hypertherm is a great place to work.
On most episodes of the Owner to Owner Podcast, Jesse meets the guests when they start recording. Here, Jesse chats with a longtime friend and colleague for a personal look at working for an ESOP and the retirement it can bring.
The goal of this podcast is to have owner-to-owner discussions about a wide range of ownership experiences and culture topics, and to bring more insight into the individual ownership experience.
The Owner to Owner Podcast is produced by Bret Keisling for the EO Podcast Network.
In the episode, Tom Schones explains why Hypertherm is an amazing place to work for everyone, and especially women. Among many reasons, Hypertherm with almost 2000 employee owners HAS NEVER HAD A LAYOFF. To see Hypertherm's recruiting page, click here.
See testimonials from current Hypertherm employee owners here.
This podcast is produced by Bret Keisling for the EO Podcast Network.