Hypertherm, a U.S. based manufacturer of plasma, laser and waterjet cutting systems, has announced the transfer of all its common stock into an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), making the company 100 percent employee owned under an S-Corporation structure. Previously, Hypertherm’s ESOP, known internally as the Hypertherm Stock Ownership Plan or HSOP, held approximately one-third of the company’s stock. Controlling shareholders Dick and Barbara Couch created the plan in 2001, followed by a Global Stock Value Program (GSVP) for international associates in 2004.