When The Tradesmen Group (TTG) published its new website this week, it represented more than a simple home on the internet for the historic restoration and preservation company.
The company, founded in 1997 by Melissa West, transitioned to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) in 2022 and embarked on a purpose-driven growth plan to reward its employees for their hard work and commitment to preserving this nation’s most cherished historic structures. That growth plan included a vision for representing TTG and its “Work With Purpose” to the world through a complete brand refresh that includes new logos, social media channels, internal and external communications, employee events and finally, a robust new website. These channels now showcase the company’s important work taking place, as well as the employee-owners whose time-honored skills allow for each structure to maintain its historical significance, structural integrity and aesthetic charm.
A Fresh Look at Historic Landmarks
The Tradesmen Group has 27 years of experience restoring and preserving historic buildings, structures and monuments across 20 states. These structures represent some of the most significant moments in United States history, such as Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where both the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were debated and signed, and the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, which memorializes the image of soldiers raising the flag on the island of Iwo Jima during World War II.
While these current and past job sites attract millions of visitors each year, most won’t fully learn about the intensive care and preservation that takes place to maintain these tangible links to our American heritage. The Tradesmen Group is proud to showcase these case studies on its website, which can serve as a helpful reference for caretakers of other facilities in need of restoration.
“We are thrilled to introduce our new website to the world as a demonstration of our broad capabilities and geographic reach of our Work With Purpose to restore and preserve our country's most cherished historic structures,” said Rick Freitag, CEO, The Tradesmen Group. “This site is a tribute to the talent, dedication and hard work of all our employees across many trades including masonry, metal working, carpentry, coppersmithing, painting and more, and all those employees in management and administration positions in the company who support trade operations to make our work possible.”
A Shift to Employee Ownership
The Tradesmen Group has always been rooted in the purpose of its work, however the company’s future came into focus even more once growth equaled direct prosperity for employee-owners through the new ESOP model in 2022. Employees received their first full-year valuation of shares during announcement events this summer, which sparked a joyous reaction among crews who hadn’t realized how much the company had increased in value thanks to their efforts.
“We proudly showcase our 100% employee-owned ESOP company and benefit of life-changing stock ownership opportunities for those who join and remain with our company long-term,” said Freitag.
This benefit has inspired employee recruitment, retention and pride within the company – which is exactly why TTG is such an advocate for this employment model.
“Someday, America and the world will realize employee-ownership is the greatest mechanism to empowerment and benefit for every person who wants to dedicate themselves to a worthy job in return for sharing in the prosperity of the returns for their hard work. Until then, we will help lead the way with our 100% employee-owned company proving we can change people’s lives for the better,” added Freitag.
Those interested in learning more about The Tradesmen Group’s services, employment opportunities and ESOP structure can learn more at www.tradesmengroup.com.