The family has absolute and total control of the company. And as another poster has pointed out, the company is great to its employees. Freeport would be nothing more than a yuppie bedroom for Portland if the company were not there to employ most of the native Freeporters. I don't know the new CEO, but I've never heard anything bad about him. I don't work for the company and never have; I do hunt with members of the family and have for years. LL Bean is one of the finest companies in this country, IMHO, with a real dedication to its employees, its customers and its State.
Interesting.
I guess we're talking to completely different "sources" then.
Mine indicated that things started going downhill 3 or 4 years ago; for a couple of years they significantly reduced or cut out those bonuses entirely.
The last disgrutled former employee I chatted with (have known several) said he worked there for several years with considerable satisfaction until things got so petty that he up and quit recently. Similar issues as the other ones.
It seems that they are having a lot more turnover than they used to for some reason.
Daughter worked there seasonally when in college - hard work in the warehouse but OK with it - particularly liked the "E-store"; fantastic deals there!