The ESOP Playbook: Brian Allen on Ownership, Quality, and Long-Term Growth

Precision Walls’ transition to employee ownership represents a deliberate commitment to protecting culture, rewarding the people doing the work, and building long-term value beyond short-term profit. In this conversation, Precision Walls President and CEO Brian Allen shares the journey of leading a second-generation construction company to 100% employee ownership through an ESOP. From growing up with a “no such thing as good enough” standard to walking away from private equity and choosing employees instead, Brian explains why ownership changes how people think, how quality becomes personal, and why education and stewardship matter. Discover how employee ownership reshapes job site decisions, strengthens customer relationships, and creates lasting opportunity for the people building the company’s future.

In this episode of Under the Roof, hosts Todd Kavanaugh and Matt Elbon sit down with Brian Allen, President and CEO of Precision Walls, to discuss the company’s transition to 100% employee ownership through ESOP, exploring the leadership decisions behind the move, the realities of implementation, and Brian’s vision for building long-term strength through ownership, quality, and stewardship.

What You’ll Learn:

Why Brian walked away from a strong private equity offer to protect culture and employees
How Precision Walls diversified from less than 2% outside drywall to nearly half of revenue across other divisions
What changes on job sites when people start thinking like owners
Why it takes about four years for many employees to truly believe ESOP ownership is real
How education and repeated communication create real ESOP alignment
What Brian would do differently in the early years of an ESOP rollout
Why “sign your name to it” creates pride, accountability, and better quality
How ESOPs help create real wealth-building for field employees over a long career
Why customer relationships, safety, schedule, and quality deserve priority thinking not just budget pressure
What servant leadership looks like when you stop relying on title and start earning trust

Brian Allen is President and CEO of Precision Walls, a top-ranked specialty contractor consistently recognized among the top firms in the country. A second-generation leader, Brian helped grow Precision Walls from a drywall-focused business into a diversified construction company with expanding divisions and acquisitions, including the purchase of a glass company in 2023. In 2019, Brian led Precision Walls through a transition to 100% employee ownership (ESOP), driven by a commitment to long-term culture, employee retirement outcomes, and sustainable growth. He now serves as an independent board member on Baker Roofing’s ESOP board, supporting Baker’s employee ownership journey with real-world experience.

Episode Highlights:

[00:00] Introduction
[01:03] Meet Brian Allen: President and CEO of Precision Walls
[03:13] Growing Up with "No Such Thing as Good Enough"
[04:56] Building a Top 10 Specialty Contractor: From Drywall to Diversification
[10:21] The ESOP Decision: Rejecting Private Equity for Employee Ownership
[13:44] Addressing Fear: How to Communicate ESOP to Shareholders and Employees
[15:54] Real Stories: Field Supervision Making Long-Term Decisions
[17:07] The "Sign Your Name" Quality Commitment Framework
[19:05] Why Brian Joined Baker's ESOP Board as Independent Member
[20:18] Early ESOP Success: Education, Timing, and Share Sustainability
[23:21] ESOPs vs. Private Equity: Why Employee Ownership Wins Long-Term
[25:02] Vision for Baker Roofing: Service Growth and Frontline Intelligence Sharing
[29:05] Collective Ownership: The Power of Aligned Employee-Owners
[30:24] Servant Leadership: Leading Through Belief, Not Title
[31:34] Key Takeaways and Final Thoughts

Episode Resources:

Todd Kavanaugh on LinkedIn
Matt Elban on LinkedIn
Baker Roofing Company Website