NewsVGM Group’s Heather Johnson Named Employee Owner Of The Year By The ESOP Association’s IA/NE Chapter

Heather Johnson, VGM Education Training And Compliance Manager and employee owner since 2016, was named Employee Owner Of The Year by the Iowa/Nebraska Chapter of The ESOP Association (TEA). The award was presented at the IA/NE Chapter’s Winter Conference held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on February 26.

The Employee Owner Of The Year Award honors an exemplary employee owner of an ESOP company who has taken the initiative to learn about the ESOP, educate and motivate colleagues, and actively promote the employee ownership culture.

“It can’t be overstated all the work Heather has done for VGM Group and its employee owners,” said Amber Brauner, Compensation and Retirement Director, and employee owner since 2018. “As an Employee Owner Ambassador, she not only became a thought leader regarding employee ownership, but she became a go-to source for many employee owners. “

Heather played a pivotal role in the development of VGM ESOP University—a series of online courses specifically tailored to VGM employee owners to learn more about employee ownership. Heather worked with VGM’s corporate communications team to develop the content and design of the 6-course series.

VGM’s ESOP University officially released during Employee Ownership Month in October 2025. Within one week of launching, 900 of the VGM’s 1,600 employee owners completed the first course. Moving forward, the courses will be used for all new hires during their onboarding at VGM.

Heather has also served as a VGM Journey Guide for multiple years. Many of VGM’s customers, prospects and community members visit VGM Headquarters, and as their guide, Heather takes them on a tour through VGM’s campus while providing insight into the multiple service lines and history at VGM. During her time as a Journey Guide, Heather has frequently contributed to revisions and improvements to the overall tour, helping craft how we present employee ownership beyond the walls of VGM. 

“This is such an incredible honor,” said Heather as she accepted her award. “I can’t do this alone, so I have to thank the VGM team and the Employee Ownership Ambassadors. They helped me grow as an employee and enabling me to promote and celebrate employee ownership.”