When the bonuses were announced, some employees initially thought it was a prank (Image source: NBC News)
An American businessman has caught widespread attention for an act of generosity after sharing nearly Rs 2,155 crore ($240 million) in bonuses with his roughly 540 employees. Graham Walker, 46, the former CEO of Fibrebond, distributed the windfall after selling the electrical equipment enclosure manufacturer to Eaton Corporation earlier this year for Rs 15,265 crore ($1.7 billion).
Even though Fibrebond’s employees did not hold company stock, Walker insisted that they benefit directly from the sale. According to a Wall Street Journal report, he refused to finalise the deal unless potential buyers agreed to set aside 15 per cent of the proceeds for employees. In June, the payouts—averaging about $443,000 per employee—were triggered, with the money to be distributed over five years.
When the bonuses were announced, some employees initially thought it was a prank. Since then, many have used the money to pay off debts, purchase vehicles, cover college tuition fees, or invest in their retirement, the report said.
Lesia Key, a longtime employee, expressed deep gratitude for the bonus. She joined Fibrebond in 1995 at the age of 21 and steadily advanced within the company. By the beginning of this year, she was leading a team of 18 people and overseeing facilities spread across 254 acres.
“Before, we were going paycheck to paycheck. I can live now; I’m grateful,” said Key, who earned just $5.35 an hour when she first started at the company.
Asked whether the Walker family had considered allocating even larger bonuses, Walker responded, “Close to a quarter-billion dollars in employees’ hands felt fair.”
NEW: Louisiana CEO gives away $240 million in bonuses ahead of Christmas to 540 full-time employees.
Graham Walker, who is the now-former CEO of Fibrebond, gave away an average of $443,000 per employee to be paid out over the next five years.
Walker recently sold the… pic.twitter.com/6KZuRPtzGO — Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 27, 2025
The incident quickly drew attention, amassing a wave of reactions. “He’s going to look back and see the change he made in people’s lives. That’s living,” a user wrote. “Incredible. Great Humans doing incredible things. You love to see it,” another user commented.
“If my boss pulled this, I’d be the happiest employee alive. This is how you actually reward loyalty and hard work — respect,” a third user reacted.
According to the report, Fibrebond was founded in 1982 by Claud Walker, the father of Walker, along with 11 others. Over the decades, the company has endured major setbacks, including a factory fire in 1998 and the turmoil of the dot-com bubble, while its employees have remained loyal through challenging times.
In a bold move, Fibrebond later invested $150 million to expand its capacity to build infrastructure for data centres. It paid off in 2020 when demand surged, setting off a sequence of events that ultimately led to employees receiving substantial bonus payments following the company’s sale.