07-29-2026IMPACT COUNCIL

These 5 pillars helped our company thrive for 60 years

Here’s what other businesses can learn from us.

[Photo: Getty Images]

The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of top leaders and experts who pay dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership, and more.

Leading a company can pose many challenges. The reality is that many businesses don’t stick around for long. Rather than finding a way to transition leadership and grow from decade to decade, they get caught up in the present moment, never stopping to think about—or plan for—the long road ahead.

That’s why we were proud and excited to see DLR Group reach its milestone 60th year in business this past spring.

But reaching this milestone wasn’t simply good fortune. There’s been vision and strategy behind DLR Group since the very beginning, before I was even part of the company, let alone its CEO.

Three industry professionals—architects Irv Dana and Bill Larson, along with engineer Jim Roubal—established DLR Group (named for the initials of their last names) on April 1, 1966, in a 12-by-12-foot space in a basement at 102nd and Wright in Omaha.

Over the 60 years that have followed, DLR Group has been guided by—and credits its longevity to—five pillars that make its business style unique.

These pillars won’t apply to every business—but you may glean value from what we’ve implemented and find a way to use it for your own success.

1. Employee ownership

Since the beginning, profit and incentive sharing has been a foundational element of our business practices, and it’s one that continues today in an even bigger way.

DLR Group started its first employee stock ownership program in 1978. This meant employees gained an ownership stake in the........

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