Last April, Dan Price — the CEO of Seattle-based credit card processing company Gravity Payments — raised his company's minimum wage and lowered his own salary to $70,000 annually. Greatly impacted by the change, his employees decided to give back, according to The Seattle Times.
On July 14, Gravity Payments employees led Mr. Price outside the office, where a new Tesla Model S was awaiting him, according to a Vimeo post. Almost all of the company's 135 employees pitched in to purchase the car, whose starting price is $70,000, according to the report.
Ryan Pirkle, a spokesperson for Gravity Payments, said the idea came from Alyssa O'Neal, an employee who was among those "most impacted" by the raise, according to the report.
Mr. Price later posted a photo of the Tesla on Facebook and wrote, "Shocked. Still in disbelief. Never imagined this was possible. Gravity employees saved up and pitched in over the past six months and bought me my dream car. ... How do I even begin to say thank you?"
The surprise gift comes on the heels of Mr. Price winning a lawsuit involving shareholder rights brought by his brother and co-founder Lucas Price, according to The Seattle Times.
Click here to watch a video of Mr. Price receiving the Tesla.