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Supermarket Owner Gives Away Stores to His 400 Employees
Business  (tags: Joe Lueken, Bemidji Minnesota, Wahpeton North Dakota, grocery stores, transfer ownership, honorable, sharing, caring, retirement )

Dandelion
- 166 days ago - news.yahoo.com
Joe Lueken, who owns and manages two grocery stores in Bemidji, Minnesota, and one in Wahpeton, North Dakota, is retiring at age 70. Instead of selling his stores to highest bidder, though, he will transfer ownership to the stores' 400 or so employees.
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Comments

Tamara Hayes (171)
Monday December 10, 2012, 11:42 am
That man is a saint! Thanks for sharing Sheryl!
 

Vincenzo Correale (197)
Monday December 10, 2012, 11:45 am
Thanks Sheryl! A huge congratulations to Mr. Joe Lueken, and a bigger thank you for being such a formidable guy!
 

Yvette T. (256)
Monday December 10, 2012, 11:48 am
Wondering if he employed any First Nations in ND?
 

tasunka m. (324)
Monday December 10, 2012, 11:59 am
Sweet man.
Kudos to him
Thanks Dandelion
 

Penny R. (155)
Monday December 10, 2012, 12:08 pm
TY for such a neat story. He should be cloned.
 

Kit B. (321)
Monday December 10, 2012, 12:21 pm

Excellent - When this does happen it rarely makes the news. Great story, Dandelion.
 

Barbara K. (80)
Monday December 10, 2012, 1:06 pm
Now this is the way it should be in this country. Glad someone realizes how they got so wealthy in the first place. Thanks for the posting, my friend.
 

Christeen Anderson (180)
Monday December 10, 2012, 1:07 pm
Awesome. Thanks for sharing this wonderful news.
 

Nancy C. (751)
Monday December 10, 2012, 1:10 pm
Someone doing the right thing...
 

Allan Yorkowitz (192)
Monday December 10, 2012, 1:48 pm
Fantastic story - an accountant's nightmare.
 

Michael Kirkby (60)
Monday December 10, 2012, 2:38 pm
What a remarkable idea. The store stays in the hands of the local community and its economy and the people profit. Excellent. Thank you sir.
 

Mary away T. (189)
Monday December 10, 2012, 2:38 pm
Thanks Dandelion, What a great man who knows that someone else help make his company what it is, Bravo to Joe Lueken.
 

Jae A. (302)
Monday December 10, 2012, 3:15 pm
Amazing ...not many people think of others in such a way...and to do this for his employees...what a guy..what a heartwarming fellow . So, there rally are those who value their employees . My congrads to he and his employees ...
 

Darlene B. (231)
Monday December 10, 2012, 3:39 pm
An awesome man he is -- bless his soul!! Hopefully this will set an example for others to follow. Can't say enough good about this man for what he is doing.
 

Dandelion G. (357)
Monday December 10, 2012, 4:02 pm
I certainly agree, one can't say enough good about this man. Is why I had to share his story, so others would hear of him. It should of made National News many times, so he could be used as an example, but wait, mainstream is Corporate, nah....they wouldn't want that news to be aired too many times.
 

LMj Sunshine (89)
Monday December 10, 2012, 9:32 pm
Bless his heart and him!! Agree above with Dandelion and thank you for sharing this news!!
 

Jim Phillips (2907)
Monday December 10, 2012, 9:42 pm
I hope that he and his wife enjoy their retirements and do some traveling.

What he, Joe Lueken, did for his employees and community is just simply awesome.

Ty, Dandelion.
.
 

Dorothy N. (63)
Monday December 10, 2012, 9:59 pm
This is a very special couple - enough of those would make any country great...
 

Susanne R. (208)
Monday December 10, 2012, 10:14 pm
Wonderful story, just in time for the holidays! Can we send a copy of this article to Ebenezer Koch and his equally heartless brother?
 

Edith B. (125)
Monday December 10, 2012, 10:25 pm
Thanks for this post, good to know there are still some good guys out there.
 

Dandelion G. (357)
Tuesday December 11, 2012, 6:10 am
Indeed Susanne, although I have a feeling that the Heartless Ones, like the Cockroaches, would no doubt think the man was not working with a full deck. These Heartless Ones think they are working from the correct place, that is why they are so dangerous.
 

Terrie Williams (540)
Tuesday December 11, 2012, 1:57 pm
Kudoes to him! Giving it to his employees makes of him a GASP....Socialist. Love that!!!!! It makes him a human being who recognizes who made him his wealth and knows it is the right thing, the just thing, the ethical thing, to give back to those who got you to the top of your game!!! I hope he enjoys a long and wonderful retirement with good health and a loving family around him.
 

Lois Jordan (42)
Tuesday December 11, 2012, 4:23 pm
Thanks for this great article, Dandelion....gives me that "holiday feeling." I was particularly impressed that the new boss began as a janitor at the store. Amazing and wonderful.
 

Sandra M Z. (114)
Wednesday December 12, 2012, 11:03 pm
Clone him.

Thank you Dandelion.
 

devon leonard (53)
Thursday December 13, 2012, 9:13 am
These are the kind of "true" stories that warm our hearts and keep the ember's of Hope, Faith, and Love glowing and growing in people's hearts...we need more stories of generosity and compassion ...it is food for our spirits... and sunshine within the garden of our soul.................
Thanks for the smiles !!
 

SuSanne P. (140)
Friday December 14, 2012, 4:49 pm
Thank you for sharing this with me Dandelion. I am too touched to speak..
Tried to send you a star but too soon.
 

Arthur S. (78)
Tuesday December 18, 2012, 11:15 pm
Way to go Joe. Thank you for posting this story Dandelion.
 

Phyllis P. (405)
Saturday December 22, 2012, 6:23 pm
Wow!!
 
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