What happens when you combine employee ownership with human services? In this episode, I sit down with Eric Strickland, CEO of 3TLs—a purpose-driven group of 18 employee-owned companies with nearly 700 employee owners across five states. Eric shares his 20-year journey from CFO to CEO, including the rare "ESOP-to-ESOP" transaction that launched 3Ls and his innovative approach to building employee wealth through vertical integration.
We explore how Eric thinks about employee ownership as an asset allocation problem, why culture requires intentional investment, and how to drive innovation in purpose-driven organizations. From quarterly town halls to investing in early-stage healthcare tech, Eric reveals what it takes to make employee ownership work in mission-focused businesses where workers care more about impact than retirement accounts.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction and Eric's Background
03:00 The First ESOP and Why It Closed to New Participants
07:00 The Rare ESOP-to-ESOP Leveraged Buyout
12:00 Three Ls and the Vertical Integration Strategy
20:00 Investing in Culture and Building Trust
30:00 Driving Innovation Through Frontline Creativity
36:00 Innovation as Asset Allocation
39:00 Common Myths About ESOPs
45:00 Quickfire Questions and Final Advice
Key Takeaways:
About Eric Strickland:
Eric Strickland is the CEO of 3Ls, a purpose-driven organization of 18 employee-owned companies serving human and health services across five states. With a 20-year tenure that began as CFO of OmniVisions in 2005, Eric has become a leading voice in the employee ownership movement, bringing a systems-minded, numbers-focused approach to social entrepreneurship.
Connect with Eric Strickland:
LinkedIn:https://linkedin.com/in/eric-strickland-3ls/
Website: https://3ls.com
Connect with Andy Farquharson:
LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/andyfarquharson/
Instagram - https://instagram.com/andyfarq
Website - https://abettermonday.me/
Email - andy@bettermonday.me
