From Whatcom Talk (pdf): The idea of selling A-1 Builders to their employees made a lot of sense to the pair. But although worker-owned cooperatives are becoming increasingly popular—due to their many benefits, including impressive productivity and high staff morale—the process of transitioning from a standard business to a worker-owned model is less common. Yet […]
From the Greenfield Recorder (pdf): Both men decided to move to co-op ownership, giving their employees a chance to buy into the business and allow for democratic governance, with each of the worker-owners having an equal share in the business. “For Tom and I, it was very much a business decision,” said Ewing, who specializes […]
From the Bellingham Herald (pdf): When Rick Dubrow and Cindi Landreth began pondering passing their business on to someone else, they were not excited about selling it to strangers. They feel much better turning it over to the people who have created much of the wealth in the business. In July A-1 Builders Inc. will officially […]
From In These Times (pdf): The federal government estimates that more than 10,000 baby boomers retire every day—4 million people every year. Between them, soon-to-retire boomers own 2.34 million businesses, with nearly 25 million employees. Boomer-owned businesses generate $949 billion in payroll, and $5.14 trillion in sales. Yet the vast majority of boomer business owners lack a written […]
From the Asheville Citizen Times (pdf): In Western North Carolina the 12,000 retiring small business owners (nearly half of the total according to our latest study) do have options. For example, they could sell their businesses to outside corporations looking to acquire more diverse assets for their portfolios. This often means layoffs, relocation, changes in […]
From the Minnesota StarTribune (pdf): The deal-making crowd is understandably excited about the fees to be earned in helping baby boomers sell their businesses on their way into retirement. None of the business brokers and bankers appear to have yet pointed out what the nonprofit group Nexus Community Partners has been saying, that this big […]
From In These Times (pdf): “…two bills introduced to relatively little fanfare Thursday. The first, the WORK (“Worker Ownership, Readiness and Knowledge”) Act, would direct more than $45 million in funding to state-level employee ownership centers, aimed at providing training and technical assistance to current and prospective worker-owners. A second piece of legislation would establish […]
From Commondreams.org (pdf) Hacking the American Dream: Progressive Senators Go Big for Worker Ownership Two common-sense pieces of federal support for employee business ownership on the table The best-kept business model secret of our age is about to get the spotlight it has long deserved. It’s employee ownership—a proven, common-sense pathway to reduce inequality, anchor […]
From Marketplace.org (pdf) Baby boomer entrepreneurs hope co-op model will keep business going Berkeley’s reclaimed trash company Urban Ore has diverted tons of garbage from the dump and into the hands of customers, and the company has become a key part of Berkeley’s recycling ecosystem. But it could disappear. That’s because the owners of the […]
From the Denver Business Journal (pdf): Colorado Legislature passes measure to promote employee-owned businesses Colorado is about to get into the business of teaching individuals how to pass along their businesses to their employees. The state Legislature has passed a bill that that requires the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade to promote the […]