Austin Palmer, founder and president of employment services firm Palmer Group, has sold the business to the Palmer Group Employee Stock Ownership Plan, according to a release. The company has been owned since its founding in 1998 by Austin and Stacie Palmer. The ESOP provides employees with the opportunity to earn stock in the company and is designed as a long-term retirement benefit for all employee owners. According the release, Palmer Group has 65 employment professionals and hundreds of temporary and contract workers across the state. “It’s been a labor of love and I am extremely proud of the company we’ve built to date,” Austin Palmer said in the release. “Des Moines has been extremely good to us and continuing with local ownership was paramount in our decision. Perhaps most gratifying is the ability to provide ownership to the people that have helped build Palmer Group over the years.” Palmer will remain as president and David Leto will continue as executive vice president.