As the year draws to a close, we at DVL are preparing to say goodbye to three of our most dedicated and tenured employee owners, Jim Boyle, Ed Remington, and Lissa Wolf, all based out of our Philadelphia area office. We will miss them, but we couldn’t be happier for them as we send them off into the great world of retirement. DVL is an employee owned company, which means each employee benefits from our Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), a retirement fund that is 100% funded by the company. To make that sound even more amazing, this is in addition to our 401(k) plan and company match.

At DVL, retirement isn’t just the end of someone’s journey, but rather just the beginning of everything they’ve been working towards as an employee owner. Employees are encouraged to think like owners as they make decisions in their day-to-day life, all with the shared goal of making the company as profitable as possible, so that the workers themselves can enjoy those benefits.

With that being said, the employee owners of DVL want to congratulate Jim, Ed, and Lissa on reaching this most exciting (and ultimate) milestone of any employee owner’s ownership journey. You’ve worked tremendously hard, you’ve all impacted our company and our ESOP for the better, and we wish you nothing less than the huge pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

JIM BOYLE Senior Director of Finance Years at DVL: Almost 19
ED REMINGTON Senior Project Manager Years at DVL: Almost 26
LISSA WOLF Parts Sales Manager Years at DVL: 42*

*While DVL was not founded until 1985, in 1981, Lissa began working at a company that DVL acquired in the 1980s.

Just five months into 2021, we, the employee owners of DVL, already have several positive milestones to be thankful for. Earlier this year we were recognized with the Pinnacle Award from our friends at Vertiv, given to Local Vertiv Offices that have shown excellence in many aspects of the partnership. We were then named the Company of the Year by the Pennsylvania/Delaware Chapter of the ESOP Association, awarded to a company that excels at engaging its employee owners and educating them about the ESOP and company culture. While still basking in this glow, we received confirmation that DVL has been certified as a Great Place to Work® for the 4^th consecutive year!

Great Place to Work® is a global authority on workplace culture and employee experience, so their praise is an incredible honor, one which we do not take for granted. This accomplishment isn’t something we were able to earn overnight, it has taken many many days, and years of promoting our core values of Caring, Collaboration, Creativity, Integrity, and Professionalism to our associates. This is a large part of what Sarah Lewis-Kulin, the vice president of global recognition at Great Place to Work, means when she says, a “Great Place to Work Certification™ isn’t something that comes easily – it takes ongoing dedication to the employee experience.” And, as an ESOP, this dedication is second nature for us all.

Each year, Great Place to Work® certifies roughly 2,000 US companies. The rating is based entirely on what the companies’ active employees say about their experience working for the company. Employees anonymously complete an extensive Trust Index™ survey to determine numerous things, including their satisfaction with resources and responsibilities they are given, as well as if they think management is fair and ethical. When summed up, 93% of DVL’s 130+ associates said DVL is a great place to work. This figure is a whopping 34 percent higher than the average US company. A summary of these ratings can be found here. 

Conversely, some of our survey results were not as high as we would’ve liked. These findings serve as useful tools, as leadership can find and address areas in which improvement is needed. Whether a score is on the lower side or a number that dropped from last year’s results, these anonymous responses are an opportunity for the company to hear employee’s honest feedback. Once armed with this valuable input, we work together to improve in ways that matter to our associates.

Currently, DVL is on the lookout for our next employee owners. So, if you or someone you know would like the opportunity to have “not just a job, but a career” (as CEO Gary Hill likes to say), then check out our current open positions located in PA, CO, NM, and UT. Thanks to the Trust Index survey results, we know that if you’re hired, you can rest assured that 96% of your future co-workers agree that “when you join the company, you are made to feel welcome.” So, whether you’re on Day 1 or Day 10,950 (like some of our longest tenured employees) you’ll be a valued member of the DVL family.

“There is no more profitable investment than investing in yourself.” - Roy T. Bennett

Our customers often mention the dedication of DVL associates as one of the many reasons they continually turn to us for their critical infrastructure needs. From our Sales Engineers’ ability to find unique ways to cost-effectively solve project challenges, to each DVL Technician’s diligence to quality for maintenance and emergency calls; the most significant ingredient in the DVL Secret Sauce may be that we are a 100% employee owned company.

DVL became partially employee owned in 2006, and eventually 100% employee owned in 2012. We are an organization that is driven by employee owners—subsequently, our Mission and Vision aren’t just arbitrary concepts, but are brought to life by an entire group of people inspired to achieve a shared success.

In 1974, Congress passed The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), which formally established a legal framework for ESOPs (employee owned companies). Since then, according to the National Center for Employee Ownership, the practice of employee ownership has proven to motivate employees, increase productivity, improve worker retention, and contribute to business longevity. If you directly benefit from the success of your company, you’ll be all-the-more motivated to succeed, and more importantly, encourage your co-owners to succeed as well. If their success is your success, teamwork is inherently engrained in everything you do!

To ensure we garner the very best from each and every one of our associates, from day one, we go all-in with investing in their development as a professional, and as a valued member of our team. So, just like many of the 6,400+ ESOPs in the country, we empower our people by educating, sharing, and involving. This includes the following measures:

• Friend-tor Program: New associates are assigned a Friend-tor, another associate, by their manager, so they can have a colleague for one-on-one conversations if they have questions about the company or employee ownership.
• ESOP 101: This course is held quarterly so new associates can take part in an in-depth lesson on ESOPs, and also how our business works. What effects the stock value? How does the performance of your department positively or negatively effect the bottom line? These questions and many more are addressed.
• Finance 101: This course is held twice a year, and provides a foundation for associates to understand the performance figures that are shared with the company . This way, there are no surprises with the financials, and everyone understands what contributes to the stock price, which is determined once a year.
• Lastly, we have the DVL ESOP Communications Committee, which bears the responsibility and mission of educating (and ultimately engaging) the employee owners of DVL Group. We strive to assure the committee is an accurate cross-organizational representation of the company so that all departments and offices have a voice.

From our own experiences as an ESOP, we can whole-heartedly agree with the NCEO’s findings. Afterall, as CEO Gary Hill likes to say, “we have careers here at DVL, not jobs.” Which is why going #BeyondTheProduct will always be our modus operandi.