India, Dec. 28 -- Graham Walker, a Louisiana businessman, rewarded his 540 full-time employees with a combined $240 million in bonuses following the sale of his family-owned company Fibrebond.

The generous amount averaged about $443,000 per employee to be paid over the next five years.

Graham Walker,46, is the son of Claud Walker. Claud founded Fibrebond in 1982 in Minden, Louisiana. The company originally focused on telecom and electrical equipment enclosures.

The company had, over the years, weathered economic ups and downs, including a devastating factory fire in 1998. At the time, as well not a single employee paycheck or client order was missed. Moving production outdoors allowed the business to continue operating during the recon...