Ingersoll Rand Inc. (NYSE: IR) celebrated its $150 million equity grant to nearly 16,000 employees worldwide with a virtual ringing of The Opening Bell® at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
"This is a $150 million investment in our employees," remarked Vicente Reynal, Chief Executive Officer. "We are not aware of any other industrial company our size having done something like this; it's a meaningful way to build an ownership culture where all employees can benefit from creating value as they all contribute to our success. Our employees have carried us through the beginning of a successful integration between Gardner Denver and the Ingersoll Rand Industrial segment, built a solid foundation and now position us to pivot to growth and achieve great things in the future. United by a common purpose and set of values, we believe our 16,000 employees around the world are unstoppable."
From an hourly assembly worker on the production line in Quincy, Illinois to a sales representative based in Shanghai, China, all eligible employees received a grant equal in value on the grant date to 20% of that employee's annual base cash compensation.* The grant date was August 20, 2020 and grant value was calculated using the grant date close price of $34.63 per share.
The grant follows a similar approach Gardner Denver initially took in giving its employees ‘skin in the game' in the company through an equity grant. When Gardner Denver returned to the public markets in May 2017, CEO Reynal, along with Chairman Pete Stavros, KKR's Co-Head of Americas Private Equity and current Ingersoll Rand Board Chairman, announced a grant of more than $100 million in deferred stock units to all Gardner Denver employees worldwide. Employees who held on to that equity grant have seen an 80% appreciation. **
Over the last decade, Stavros and his team at KKR have pioneered this model of employee ownership in manufacturing companies by granting equity to employees in the industrials companies KKR acquires in the Americas, including Gardner Denver.
"Across our investments in the industrials sector, we have seen firsthand the positive results that occur when you make everyone an owner and afford them the opportunity to participate in the value they help to create," said Stavros. "It's an obvious but often overlooked point: employees are the single most important driver in building stronger companies. Today, we are thrilled to continue to invest in Ingersoll Rand's future by investing in and empowering Ingersoll Rand's employees."
Reynal continued, "If everybody thinks and acts like an owner, we all share in the benefits of any future value creation as the company continues its growth strategy and improves its profitability. Overall, we view this grant as a core strategy for increased employee engagement, an ownership mindset and sustainable long-term shareholder value enhancement."
*All permanent employees in good standing were eligible for the grant except senior management employees who are part of the company's annual long-term incentive plan and employees in Vietnam and Philippines where local laws prohibited the company from granting equity.
**Last all-employee grant took place on May 12, 2017 with the grant date share value equal to $20.00 USD/share. 80% return is based off the closing price of Ingersoll Rand Inc. common stock on September 11, 2020 of $35.98. Past performance of IR stock is no guarantee of future results.
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