The Dunn family, owners of P Graham Dunn Inc., has announced the sale of P Graham Dunn to its employees in an employee stock ownership program (ESOP). The company will retain all of its 300 employees in the transition, and eligible employees will become owners.

“An ESOP is our best tool for transitioning P Graham Dunn from one generation of leadership to the next,” said Peter Dunn, founder and CEO. “The first two employees LeAnna and I hired, Carol Curie and Robert Shetler, are still with us after 42 years. An outright sale of the company to a competitor would highly jeopardize fellow workers that have been with us for decades. An ESOP assures a secure future and a continuation of our values for those that have shown dedication and loyalty to us. Our ongoing management team representing 133 years of employee experience will be augmented with outside skilled leadership on our board of directors.”

P Graham Dunn will retain its name, and an experienced team of leaders will direct the company. Patrick Helmuth will become the newly appointed CEO. Joe Knutson will continue serving as president. Robert Shetler, longtime vice president of manufacturing; Franklin Geiser, vice president of technology; Andy Yost, vice president of sales; and Anthony Burdette, vice president of marketing and product development will continue in their current roles. Peter Dunn will continue to contribute to product development and operations, lending his expertise as an advisor to the employee-owned company.

“On behalf of the employees, I want to thank the Dunn family for giving us this opportunity to keep the business locally owned,” Helmuth said. “Our people are what make P. Graham Dunn a leader in the industry. They will be the key drivers behind our future success.” 

“Our retailer customers should experience the same excellent service from our customer service team and our sales and marketing partner, OneCoast,” the new CEO added.

The company displays its products in OneCoast showrooms in Atlanta and Dallas, and operates its own showroom in Las Vegas. It also operates its factory, warehouse and retail presence in Dalton, Ohio, in the heart of Amish country. 

P Graham Dunn started more than 40 years ago as a mission assignment in New York City and now, as an international business, serves thousands of accounts. It has developed new sales channels and product categories beyond inspirational décor, including dedicated lines of coastal, Christmas and craft products.

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