Employee Stock Ownership Plan

WBB is proud to be an ESOP company!

WBB is 100% owned by the Whitney, Bradley and Brown Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) Trust. An ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) is an employee benefit plan governed and regulated by United States law. The WBB ESOP Trust is the single shareholder of the company and holds these shares for the benefit of the trust members – the employees of Whitney, Bradley and Brown, Inc. Each employee member has an account in the Trust.

WBB began employee ownership in August 2001 with the first purchase of shares in the company from the original owners. On November 30, 2006, WBB became a 100% employee owned company. Of the approximately 11,000 ESOP companies in the United States, only about 2,000 of those are owned entirely (100%) by employees. WBB is proud to be one of those companies!

Employee ownership has both benefits and responsibilities. The benefits include sharing in the value and growth of the company as well voting on the most important events for the company. The responsibilities include ensuring that the company remains a strong, vital place to work which will secure the financial benefits mentioned previously.

Employees attain membership in the ESOP on the first day of the quarter following their starting date of employment. Shares are distributed annually and are based on guidelines set out in The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the law which governs the administration of an ESOP.

Employee-ownership means that everyone at WBB has a vested interest in the success of the company. Each employee-owner is a working partner involved in the day-to-day operation of the business. This involvement and commitment is the catalyst for WBB's continued success. Each employee is rewarded by the steady increase in the value of WBB stock in their retirement account.

WBB is a member of The ESOP Association and the National Center for Employee Ownership.