About/Ownership

Employee Ownership Is Essential

Private Ownership Is Fundamental to Who We Are

Woodard & Curran was founded as an employee-owned firm, and our employees remain our only shareholders. This allows us to put people and principles before profit. It means we can invest in what we care about, not what outside stakeholders think will maximize their returns. And it means we can chart our own future together, thinking holistically about what is best for our people, planet, and communities.

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Woodard & Curran has always been a privately owned company. It may sound like hyperbole, but this fact is fundamental to the firm’s culture and success.

Our ownership program enables us to make values-driven decisions for the long term. It helps us further our vision and mission and operate according to our core values without compromising with outside interests. It gives employees a direct hand in shaping the future of the firm. It provides our people with an opportunity to benefit from their contributions to the company’s success. And it allows us to remain in control of what matters most to us.

We are committed to strengthening our ownership program, expanding opportunities to participate, and remaining employee owned, so that we can preserve our culture and continue to be a company we are all proud of.

Open to all

Woodard & Curran’s ownership program is different from the typical structure of employee-owned firms. We implemented a more inclusive approach, grounded in our value to Act Like Owners, that allows every employee to become an owner after a year with the firm. As they advance in their career or reach service time milestones, there are opportunities to expand their investment over time. This reinforces our commitment to sharing success and fosters a culture where each of us has a direct stake in our future and can benefit from the firm’s growth.

Our ownership program still has a tiered structure, but we’ve added a new “Owner” tier to the existing levels of Associate Principal, Principal, and Senior Principal. We’ve also made it easier for employees to move up through the ownership tiers. They can now self-nominate all the way through the named tiers once they’ve hit certain time-of-service milestones, with formal voting required only for Senior Principals.

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As an owner, I feel a deeper sense of connection to the work that we do and responsibility for preserving our culture and values. I’m thrilled that more people will now be able to experience that connection.

Ross Elliott Marketing Manager, Principal
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