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NewsCut
Bob Collins

With big bonuses, a company boss remembers those who helped make his fortune

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Here's a little something to drop on the boss' desk:

In western Michigan, the owner of a company that sells foam that's used in floral arrangements, is giving his 200 employees $4 million in bonuses.

Lee Schoenherr has wanted to do this for years, according to the Detroit Free Press, and he told his board earlier this year that this needed to be the year.

The average bonus will be $20,000 and will be based on length of service with the company. Senior executives in the firm aren't taking part; it's for the workers.

"My wife, Joan, and I are blessed in so many ways. We want to share these blessings with the men and women whose energy, passion and loyalty inspire us every day,” Schoenherr said. “A few years ago, I began thinking that I would like to do something more targeted for our employees, who really are the heart and soul of FloraCraft."

In its entire history, the company has never had a layoff.

"They've been ecstatic," CEO Eric Erwin tells CNBC of the reaction from the employees. "But I think the one word is 'unexpected.' I've head that so many times.... [T]hey know that Lee has been a generous man and has kept people working through good times and bad, and they've got a great amount of loyalty to him. But I don't think anyone expected the size of the gift that Lee gave away."