At Kennedy Jenks (KJ), employee ownership is at the foundation of our 105 years of success. KJ's 100% employee-ownership model sets us apart from other firms, and helps keep our focus on growing our people and serving our clients.
October is Employee Ownership Month, a month-long celebration recognizing the benefits of employee ownership. To celebrate, we asked our employees to share what makes working at an employee-owned company special. Their responses reflect the sense of commitment, collaboration, and shared purpose that drives our innovation and growth.
Below, we share some representative quotes highlighting common themes from the volume of responses we received.
Investing in Ourselves
I believe that the best investment you can make is an investment in yourself and in a business that you understand. My career growth and development has been accelerated by the direct and visible impact of my contributions and shared rewards for KJ’s success.
Sharing a Vision
Employee ownership means having a real stake in the company’s success. It is where challenges and achievements feel personal. It’s about building something meaningful together, with every employee contributing to a shared vision for the future.
Going Above and Beyond
Our employee-owned structure creates perfect alignment between personal and company goals, fostering innovation and long-term thinking that benefits both our team and our clients. When every team member has a stake in the outcome, we naturally go above and beyond, bringing our best ideas forward and taking pride in delivering exceptional results.
As employee owners we reap the benefits (and costs) of our actions in a beneficial loop where hard work creates rewards which inspire hard work. And because of that level of shared accountability, when something goes wrong there are lots of people in the company that will help turn the situation around or dampen the cost. It is a very different dynamic than where the employees pay the costs of poor management decisions while the real rewards go to a small group of outside owners.
Building for the Future
Ownership creates an avenue for employee wealth while providing a sense of responsibility and a stake in the success of the company.
What motivated me to become an employee-owner is the idea that, just like I invest in my home and personal life, I can also invest in my career. Knowing that my efforts directly contribute to the company’s success drives me to do my best because I’m not just working for a company—I’m working for something I’m personally invested in.
We Own the Business and the Outcomes
One of my favorite parts about employee ownership is the sense of a shared purpose that benefits all of us, as employees and shareholders. Both our successes and challenges belong to us to celebrate, solve, and make the most of. Being employee-owned gives us the latitude to make people-centric business decisions in a way I've not seen or experienced at other firms in our industry.
Employee ownership means we get to set our own company goals, objectives and key performance indicators. It means we as shareholders have awareness of and influence on decisions being made and the direction of the company. We have visibility into company performance, and we benefit when the company meets and/or exceeds our self-set goals.
Higher Job Satisfaction
KJ is different from other places I've worked because everyone is encouraged and given the opportunity to become an employee owner. This has really changed how I see my work and the company. Now, it's not just a job; it's a commitment to a shared vision and investment that we all believe in.
While I enjoyed working for a large company, I missed feeling that my direct actions had an impact on the success of the firm, and that personal drivers for me did not always align with the company's decisions with regards to clients, projects, and staffing. Joining KJ, I rekindled that direct connection of my actions leading to the success of the firm. I enjoy the the ability to choose my own adventure!
The benefits of working at an employee-owned firm are hard to quantify because that sense of ownership affects everyone and everything we do. Even employees who have not invested find working for their peers and colleagues more rewarding. Across the board, at each level of career development and in every department of KJ, we hear the same thing: employee ownership makes work more meaningful, personally rewarding, and financially secure. Our employee-owners and future employee-owners wouldn’t want it any other way!
If you want to learn more about working at KJ, please check out our Careers page or Contact Us.
About Kennedy Jenks
Kennedy Jenks is a leading water and environmental engineering and environmental sciences firm that serves public agencies and private-sector clients with over 500 employees nationwide. The employee-owned firm delivers innovative design, construction, and technology solutions for water and environmental projects across the United States.
Media Contact
For more information about Kennedy Jenks, please contact Suzanne Broadbent, Senior Director of Communications at media@kennedyjenks.com
