Why we went public.

• Author: Tindell, Kip
• Position: THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - Column - Brief article

From Uncontainable by Kip Copyright [c]2014 by Thqiis Tindell LLC. Published by Grand Central Publishing (www.hachettebookgroup.com).

0n November 1,2013, we rang the bell at the New York Stock Exchange, signaling our debut as a public company. The day was absolutely stunning, with more than 120 employees, family (my Dad included!), and friends of the company joining us on the trading floor as we launched our ticker symbol, TCS.

Our decision to go public, which we knew would affect so many people near and dear to us--well, as you can imagine, it wasn't made lightly. My seven years on the Whole Foods board helped tremendously as I watched and learned how a public company would operate under the tenets of Conscious Capitalism.

Why did we make this dramatic move after 35 years? In short, to get more stock into the hands of our beloved employees and to maximize autonomy of our culture and management team. As I've said over and...