The Owners' Manual - Issue 7

In 1986, the NY Mets, Bears, Celtics and Canadians were sports champions, Aerosmith and Run DMC mixed rock and hip hop with “Walk This Way”, Top Gun and Cheers were on screens both big and small and historically BL Companies started its epic journey in the A/E world.

Thirty years of BL Companies is to be celebrated this summer. Whether you were here from early on or just joined BL recently, you are part of the history of this firm and as such will continue to transform our business and culture through your hard work, dedication, teamwork and accountability.

30

BL Companies was established in 1986 by a wife and husband team (Eve Barakos and Bob Landino - (Does that solve the BL name mystery for you?) This once family-owned business offered traffic, transportation and survey services at the start.

2

The number of employee owners who have been at BL before 1990. Can you figure out who they are? Hint: They started in 1988 &1989.

By the turn of the century, BL had expanded its service offerings to provide a full array of Architecture, Engineering, Environmental and Land Surveying services throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.

2000

44

of our employee owners are younger than BL born in 1987 or later.

BL became an ESOP in 2006. BL turned a new page in ownership and leadership in 2001 with the departure of Eve Barakos who stepped down as President and left the business. In 2005, Bob Landino sold the business to a small group of senior employees at BL. Those senior leaders decided to move BL towards a broader based ownership structure via an ESOP (initially 70%) which started BL’s journey with employee ownership and engagement.

100

In 2011, BL Companies became 100% employee-owned.

7

Number of employee owners celebrating a 30th birthday this year as well. (You know who you are but can we guess?)

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