July 10, 2014
BERKELEY, CA

Founded in 1984 in a small garage in Berkeley, California, The Companion Group (TCG) began with just two people making chimney starters one at a time by hand. Today TCG has evolved into a “Family of Brands”, with 50+ employees providing design and manufacturing services for retail customers world-wide. They are a company founded on innovation, offering thousands of active products and over 60 patents (with more pending). Through the years they have experienced tremendous growth and one of the biggest factors in this success is its loyal employees.

After an extensive process TCG is excited to announce the adoption of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) effective July 1, 2014. Over half of The Companion Group employees have been with the company for 10 years or more and the management believes the move to align their actions and attitudes with the principles of ownership is in the best interest of future success of the company.

This company ownership structure allows employee-owners to participate with an entrepreneurial spirit and encourages enthusiasm for exceeding customer expectations. This level of performance and attention could not be accomplished without customer support.

CEO Chuck Adams says:

“Our intention is to provide an additional source of retirement in combination with our standard employee benefits. We chose an ESOP program to diversify holdings and to share the success of the company with the employees. I want to extend a special thanks to all of our employees and customers, past and present.”

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For more information, contact:
marketing@companion-group.com

View additional news from The Companion Group.

The Companion Group

The Companion Group has been a leading manufacturer of barbecue tools, accessories, and other products for cooking outdoors for over 30 years. Its family of brands include Charcoal Companion®, Pizzacraft®, Steven Raichlen™, Patio Companion®, and introducing Not In My Backyard™. In 2014 The Companion Group adopted an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) to incorporate an employee-owner method that provides employees with an ownership interest in the company.