The Long Game: How Employee Ownership Supports the Future of Glass Industry Businesses

The North American glass industry is built on thousands of independently owned businesses, many of which have served their customers and communities for decades. As business owners approach retirement, succession planning becomes a critical challenge. An article in the August 2026 issue of USGlass explores one solution that is gaining attention: Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs).

The article, The Long Game by Ellen Rogers, highlights how employee ownership can provide an alternative to selling, merging, or closing a company when the next generation is not available to take over. Rather than transferring ownership to an outside party, an ESOP allows employees to become stakeholders in the company's future.

Salem Fabrication Technologies Group (SFTG), a 100% employee-owned company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is featured as an example of how this model can support long-term business success. The article points to employee ownership as a way to help preserve jobs, maintain company culture, support leadership succession, and encourage employee longevity and engagement.

As the glass industry continues to evolve, ESOPs offer business owners another path forward, one that focuses on continuity, stability, and shared investment in the future. For many companies facing ownership transition decisions, employee ownership may represent not only an exit strategy, but a long-term commitment to the people who help drive the business every day.