GIVING BACK

When Joe Lueken retired, he could easily have sold his thriving grocery business to a large corporation and reaped the benefits of his 46-year career. But the 70-year-old from Bemidji, Minn., instead decided to transfer ownership of his two supermarkets to his 400 employees. Workers will receive shares at no cost based on how long they’ve worked for Lueken, and the value of the shares will rise if the firm keeps growing. Lueken opted for the scheme after his sons chose not to take over the company. “You can’t always take,” he said. “You also have to give back.”