History of Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers, Inc., has been a publicly owned, nonprofit corporation since Aug. 18, 1923, when original articles of incorporation were filed with Wisconsin’s secretary of state.

One of the more remarkable business stories in American history, the Green Bay Packers organization has been kept viable by its shareholders — its unselfish fans. Even more incredible, the Packers have survived and thrived during the current era, permeated by free agency and the NFL salary cap.

Fans have supported the team financially through five stock sales: 1923, 1935, 1950, 1997 and 2011.

Today, approximately 361,300 people (representing approximately 5,009,400 shares) are owners of the iconic franchise.

The organization's fifth stock offering, which ended Feb. 29, 2012, was a tremendous success with the organization adding more than 250,000 new shareholders becoming owners. For the first time in a Packers stock offering, international sales in Canada were issued for a short while and accounted for approximately 2,000 shares.

More than 269,000 shares were sold during the offering that began Dec. 6, 2011.

All proceeds from the offering are going toward the expansion of Lambeau Field, a $143 million project that includes approximately 6,700 seats, new HD video boards, a new sound system and two new gates. The new sound system was in place for the 2011 season, the new video boards and one gate were launched in 2012 and the new seats and second gate will debut for the 2013 season.

2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders

The Green Bay Packers will present four candidates for shareholder vote at July’s Annual Meeting to join the Packers Board of Directors: LeRoy Butler, Laurie Radke, Sachin Shivaram and Christopher Stiles.

The candidate information will be included in proxy information being sent in June to more than 539,000 shareholders in advance of the Annual Meeting, set for Monday, July 24, at 11 a.m. in Lambeau Field. The four candidates were presented to the organization’s Board of Directors at its meeting this week.

Butler is a Pro Football Hall of Famer and a former Green Bay Packers safety, as well as the originator of the famed Lambeau Leap tradition. Radke is the president and CEO of the Greater Green Bay Chamber, leading economic and workforce development efforts. Shivaram is the CEO of Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry, a 115-year-old family-owned manufacturing company based in Manitowoc, Wis. Stiles is president, CEO and chair of Morley-Murphy Company, a 119-year-old holding company composed of operating businesses, real estate investments and a charitable foundation.

“We’re excited to present these four nominees for a vote of our shareholders,” said Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy. “LeRoy joins other alumni on the Board, who are particularly helpful with the unique perspective they bring. Each of these candidates has valuable experience which will be very helpful to our Board. We’re excited to welcome them to the organization.”

The shareholders meeting also will see four members take on emeritus status: Jerry Ganoni (originally elected in 2013), Gary Rotherham (1999), Bobbi Webster (2020) and Mike Weller (2007).

“We are grateful for the work each of these directors has contributed during their time on the Board,” Murphy said. “They have all provided key insights from their wide variety of experiences in the community. We appreciate all they’ve done for the Packers.”

Shareholders will be provided four Annual Meeting tickets for each shareholder account, including accounts that have a joint or custodial registration. Shareholders receiving meeting materials electronically will be able to access print-at-home tickets upon voting their shares. New shareholders are reminded to look for their materials to arrive in the mail or electronically mid-June, whichever method they selected upon purchasing their shares, and are asked to vote their shares promptly.

Information about the Annual Meeting, which will be updated as the date approaches, also can be found online at packers.com/community/shareholders or packersowner.com.

The Packers also are asking shareholders who have not received any communications from the organization in the last 12 months to contact Shareholder Services to update their address, including street and email addresses. Shareholder Services can be reached via telephone at 855-8GO-PACK (855-846-7225) or email at shareholderservices@packers.com. Information is also online at packersowner.com.

2021 Green Bay Packers Stock Sale

The Green Bay Packers' sixth stock sale, which ended Feb. 25, 2022, was an outstanding success, with the organization adding 176,160 new shareholders. 

While exact totals are not yet available, more than 198,000 shares were sold at $300 each during the offering that began on Nov. 16. Including previous offerings, the organization now has more than 537,000 shareholders.

Approximately $65.8 million was raised during the offering, with net proceeds going toward ongoing construction projects at Lambeau Field, including new video boards and concourse upgrades. 

"We were very pleased with the enthusiastic response from our fans during the recent stock offering," said Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy. "We are proud to welcome a new generation of shareholders from across the country and Canada. Their support is a critical component of our ability to continue enhancing the fan experience and investing in Lambeau Field. Maintaining our stadium as a top-tier facility that serves as a year-round destination contributes to the sustained success of both the franchise and our community." 

New shareholders joining the ranks include fans in Wisconsin, who account for approximately 17 percent of the shares purchased in the recently completed offering. Next in order were fans in California (8 percent), Texas (5 percent), Illinois (5 percent), Florida (4 percent) and New York (3 percent). In Canada, Packers fans purchased approximately 3,500 shares.