By Drew Mousetis, Executive Director of Tandem Center for Shared Business Success
A feature piece from our Spring 2025 issue of the Lancaster Thriving Publication.
For decades, if not centuries, business owners have wrestled with and refined tactics to attract and retain new hires, engage their employees, and establish a way for their companies to live beyond them.
While there are many paths to fulfill these desires and objectives, one unique business model—Direct Employee Ownership—is emerging as a powerful option poised to change the business landscape in Lancaster and beyond.
Direct Employee Ownership is a flexible, low-cost solution designed to help companies transition ownership sustainably and gradually, while allowing them to retain the culture that has already been built and empower their employees to be leaders in the company.
At the forefront of this business movement is Tandem Center for Shared Business Success. Established in 2023 by Chip Cargas, this locally-based nonprofit provides businesses with tools and support needed to implement Direct Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing programs within their companies.
For Drew Mousetis, Executive Director of Tandem, employee ownership was life-changing. Drew is a former employee owner at Cargas, where Chip established an employee ownership program in 1998. Emboldened and empowered by his experience, Drew is now on a mission to position Lancaster as a national leader for Direct Employee Ownership.
“Being an employee owner gave me meaning and purpose to show up to work every day, and it also provided the financial means for my wife and I to buy the home to raise our four children in,” Drew shared. “I want to see every person in Lancaster County experience that impact.”
These programs have great impact for both owners and employees. For owners, it has been shown to unlock a higher level of commitment and creativity from their teams, which affects the company both financially and emotionally. It also allows founders to sell incrementally as they take a step back or work towards retirement, gradually building a nest egg outside company ownership while continuing to participate in the company’s growth and success..
Rather than selling to private equity firms or external buyers, businesses then pass ownership to those who understand and care about company success: The employees. This model can also work seamlessly with family businesses who want to pass ownership to the next generation while allowing other key leaders in the company to step up and guide the business towards the future.
For employees, the opportunity to become employee owners causes a psychological shift, where they feel valued, invested, and motivated to contribute as they build their own generational wealth and entrepreneurial spirit.
Drew frames it this way: “Imagine a customer service rep at a weekend barbecue. Someone asks about their job, and they light up with pride, saying, ‘I don’t just work there—I own part of the company.’ In that moment, they’ve transformed from employee to ambassador because they understand the company’s success is their success.”
Drew and the Tandem team believe Lancaster could one day be renowned for its employee-owned businesses.
“I relocated to Lancaster in 2012, and what I found was a friendly, kind, generous community—a perfect place to grow roots and raise a family,” he reflected. “With a rich history of entrepreneurial spirit and collaboration, Lancaster is uniquely positioned to lead in this space. By giving people a stake in the outcome of the businesses in which they work, we can create an even deeper stake in this community as a whole.”
Tandem acknowledges ownership transition and change at any sized company comes with questions, which is why they’ve established a five-phase process using hard-won knowledge from over four decades of combined experience.
They walk alongside business owners and key stakeholders through actionable steps that make implementation of these game-changing models easier. The beauty of both Direct Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing is the adaptability they offer, as you work collaboratively with Tandem to fit them into your company’s culture, needs, and future plans.
“These programs are a way to leave a positive legacy for your business and help the community continue to thrive,” Drew said. “It’s a generational model and will solidify Lancaster County as a really beautiful place to have a business, go to work, and live life to the fullest.”
Learn more about Direct Employee Ownership, Tandem, and its programs at tandemcenter.org.
Contact Drew at dmousetis@tandemcenter.org
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