© 2024 MICHIGAN PUBLIC
91.7 Ann Arbor/Detroit 104.1 Grand Rapids 91.3 Port Huron 89.7 Lansing 91.1 Flint
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Stateside: Howard Cooper, world's most generous boss?

Let's give a shout-out to a man who may have set the new "gold standard" for generous bosses.

Long-time Ann Arbor auto dealer Howard Cooper is retiring this month.

As his employees reported for work this week, they got an unexpected "expression" of Mr. Cooper's appreciation: a check for $1,000 for every year of service.

All 89 employees!

George Davis is the General Manager at Howard Cooper. Davis told us that Howard Cooper has been so good to the employees, that they weren't surprised by the gesture, but they were surprised by the amount of money involved.

Davis have been with Howard Cooper for 20 years, so you can do the math for how big his check was.

"There's just not a lot of people like Howard, so not all are going to think this way. I think in one of the papers I read about how the CEOs walk away with a big bonus and a golden parachute and the troops get nothing. Howard never acted that way when he owned the business, and surely didn't act that way when he sold the business," said Davis.

Davis said for many people at Howard Cooper, this is a windfall, for some it's more money than they've ever had in the bank before.

"It's my responsibility to make sure they handle it properly," said Davis.

So he's counseling with the staff so they can find good advice about what to do with the money.

There are two ways you can podcast "Stateside with Cynthia Canty"

Stateside is produced daily by a dedicated group of producers and production assistants. Listen daily, on-air, at 3 and 8 p.m., or subscribe to the daily podcast wherever you like to listen.
Related Content