Employee Ownership as an Operating Model | Owners Session with RainTech

For most founders, employee ownership comes up in the context of succession planning. RainTech CEO Andrew Jahnke had a different question in mind: how could the ownership structure better reflect the company RainTech had already become? In April 2026, the Colorado-based managed IT services firm transitioned to 100% employee ownership through an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) — not as an exit, but as a way to reinvest in and formalize a culture that had been years in the making. In this Owners Session, Common Trust CEO Zoe Schlag sits down with Andrew and Jefferson Black, RainTech's Service Delivery Manager and an employee-owner elected by his colleagues to serve on the company's board, to talk through what that looks like in practice — from both the founder's perspective and the experience of an employee-owner. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿:   • How RainTech built an ownership culture before becoming employee-owned   • What "People, PERIOD.®" looks like in practice, from a 32-hour workweek to employee voice   • Why RainTech uses AI as a human amplifier, not a replacement   • How profit sharing, governance, and employee ownership work together   • What changed after the transition, and what stayed the same 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲:   • What is Employee Ownership?: https://hubs.la/Q04mdqRL0   • RainTech transitions to an EOT: https://hubs.la/Q04mdqRT0 — 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁: Common Trust helps business owners explore employee ownership and transition to Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs), supporting thoughtful, long-term succession. Learn more at https://hubs.la/Q04mdqS20