The past fiscal year has been huge at Empowered Ventures—two acquisitions, two new team members, and a growing community of employee owners. With so much change, it’s the perfect time to reflect on what’s happened and what’s next.

In this episode, Chris Fredericks sits down with Emily Bopp, EV’s Chief of Staff, to recap the past year. They talk about welcoming Benoure Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning, and Whitney Brothers into EV, what stood out about each acquisition, and why employee ownership is a great fit for these businesses.

They also touch on Healthcare for Us, an initiative aimed at improving benefits for EVers. Emily shares how it started, what they’ve learned so far, and how they’re thinking about the future.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. Why Acquisitions Matter: Growth isn’t just about adding companies—it’s about building a stronger employee owner community.
2. The Impact of Employee Ownership: What it means for the 130 new employee-owners who joined this year.
3. The Evolution of Healthcare for Us: How the initiative took shape and what’s coming next.
4. What’s Ahead for Empowered Ventures: A look at the priorities and opportunities for the next year.

Jump into the conversation:
(00:00) Introduction to Emily Bopp
(00:59) Two acquisitions, new hires, and EV’s future
(02:26) Why Benoure Plumbing and Whitney Brothers joined EV
(07:24) New employee-owners and their impact
(08:54) Healthcare for Us: Employee-driven healthcare change
(15:18) Overcoming challenges and building long-term success