Ocala's Fidelity Manufacturing Is Now 100% Employee-Owned After Founders Sell to an ESOP

Fidelity Manufacturing, an Ocala company that builds generator enclosures, fuel tanks and complete standby power packages, is now 100% owned by its employees. Founders Brad and Wendy Dinkins sold the company to an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), which acquired all of the company's stock on Sept. 30, 2026, according to the company's Oct. 7 press release. Employees, more than 550 of them, learned the news at a companywide gathering in Ocala on Monday, Oct. 5.

Fidelity Manufacturing's Plant 1 and main office on NE 25th Avenue in Ocala. Photo: Fidelity Manufacturing.

At a Glance

• What happened: The Fidelity Manufacturing ESOP bought 100% of the company's stock on Sept. 30, 2026


• Sellers: Founders Brad and Wendy Dinkins; Fidelity was founded in 2014


• Employees: More than 550; eligible employees receive shares at no cost to them


• Announced to staff: Monday, Oct. 5, at a companywide gathering in Ocala


• Leadership: Mitch Twardosky is CEO; Brad Dinkins stays on the board; Paul Dinkins moves from chief strategy officer to executive chair


• Ocala plants: Plant 1 and main office, 1900 NE 25th Ave., Ocala, FL 34470; Plant 2, 1101 SW 37th Ave., Ocala, FL 34474


• Expansion: A planned 200,000-square-foot plant in McGregor, Texas, with about 450 new jobs over four years

What Does Fidelity Manufacturing Make?

Fidelity custom-engineers standby power equipment for what it calls mission-critical facilities. The release lists generator enclosures, sub-base fuel tanks, stairs and platforms, and complete generator packages, sold to healthcare systems, utilities, data centers, government agencies and industrial sites, both directly and through generator dealers and equipment makers. The company's website lists the same four product lines.

The company's history page says Brad Dinkins founded Fidelity in 2014 with a team of 28, moved into a renovated Ocala plant in 2015 and opened Plant 2, an 86,000-square-foot facility in Ocala, in 2019. Plant 2 has since been expanded to 100,000 square feet, and the company reports 35 acres of operating space. It earned ISO 9001:2015 certification in 2024.

Who Owns Fidelity Now, and Who Runs It?

The ESOP trust owns all of the company's stock, and eligible employees receive shares as a company-funded retirement benefit tied to Fidelity's long-term performance, the release says. The company says its staff, operations and customer relationships are unchanged.

CEO Mitch Twardosky said the move is about protecting what has made Fidelity successful and keeping the company independent. Brad Dinkins, chairman and co-founder, said employee ownership "places Fidelity's future in the hands of the people who helped build it." He remains on the board. His son Paul Dinkins moves from chief strategy officer to executive chair, and Paul's brother, Ken Dinkins, joins the board along with two independent directors, Southeast Milk CFO Albert Antoine and Baylor University professor Michael Rodriguez.

What Is an ESOP?

An employee stock ownership plan is an employer-sponsored benefit plan that gives employees an ownership stake in the company where they work, according to the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO). ESOPs are most often set up to buy shares from the owners of a closely held company. Employees do not buy the shares themselves: the company funds the purchase, a trust holds the shares on employees' behalf, and employees are paid the value of their shares in cash after they retire or leave. ESOPs are required to have the stock appraised every year by an independent, outside appraisal firm hired by the plan's trustee. The NCEO counts 6,411 ESOP companies in the U.S., covering 15.1 million employees.

Where Is Fidelity Expanding?

Fidelity remains headquartered in Ocala. It is also expanding to McGregor, Texas, where the Oct. 7 release said the company was preparing to begin operations that month in a planned 200,000-square-foot facility and expected to create about 450 new jobs over the next four years. Every employee hired there joins an employee-owned company and can become eligible for the ESOP.

How Do You Apply for a Job at Fidelity in Ocala?

The "Jobs" link on fidelitymfg.com opens an Indeed search of Fidelity Manufacturing openings in Ocala. The company's main number is (352) 414-4700, and the release points anyone interested in the McGregor, Texas, plant to the same website.

More on Working in Ocala

Our guide to jobs in Ocala covers the area's major employers and job market. The Ocala job fair guide lists upcoming hiring events, and new businesses in Ocala tracks openings and expansions across Marion County.

Sources: Fidelity Manufacturing press release, "Fidelity Manufacturing becomes 100% employee-owned," Oct. 7, 2026 (einpresswire.com), including the ESOP sale, dates, employee count, leadership, board, products and the McGregor, Texas, expansion; Fidelity Manufacturing website (fidelitymfg.com), including the plant addresses, phone number, product lines and Jobs link; Fidelity Manufacturing "About" page, including the company's history and plant sizes; National Center for Employee Ownership, "How an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) Works" (nceo.org), for the ESOP explainer. Checked Oct. 21, 2026.