Spanx founder rewards workers with $10,000 and first-class plane tickets
CBSN
When it comes to expressing gratitude to employees, Spanx founder Sara Blakely could teach Jeff Bezos a thing or two. A day after reaching a deal to sell the underwear maker to a private equity firm, she gave each of her 500 workers first-class plane tickets and $10,000 in spending money.
Blakely revealed her largess at a party last week to celebrate an October 20 announcement that Blackstone was buying a majority stake in the Atlanta-based maker of slimming briefs, bras, pantyhose and other undergarments. The transaction, which values the company at $1.2 billion, will have Blakely keeping a sizable interest and continuing to run the company with its current management team. She'll also be executive chairwoman once the deal closes.
To celebrate, Blakely told her employees they were all getting two first-class plane tickets to anywhere around the world along with $10,000 to cover the cost of accommodations, prompting cheers and some tears in a video posted to social media.
