Acadian

Founded in 1971 with support from veterans of the Vietnam War, Acadian became a 30% ESOP-owned company in 1993 and a majority employee-owned company after 1998. It has grown to become the nation's largest privately held paramedic firm. Today, the company has over 400 ambulances, helicopters, and fixed-wing aircraft, and 4,000 employees. Acadian has expanded into medical transportation, safety management, security systems, and online EMS education, fields in which it owns six subsidiaries. In 2014, the southwest chapter of the ESOP Association honored Acadian as Company of the Year, an award they also received in 2007 and again in 2012.