South Mountain Company is a worker owned architecture, building, and energy firm located on Martha’s Vineyard. South Mountain was founded in 1975 by John Abrams and converted to a worker owned cooperative in 1986. Since its founding, South Mountain has grown substantially in size, service offerings, and revenue. The complexity of the company’s governance and management structures has also evolved considerably over the last three decades. With a total of 33 employees, including 21 worker owners, and $9.5 million in annual sales, South Mountain has grown into a critical member of the Martha’s Vineyard community and a shining example within the worker cooperative sector.
Industry: Construction
Location: West Tisbury, Massachusetts
Number of employees: 35
Became employee owned: 1986
Assistance: ICA Group
From the company
- https://www.southmountain.com/
- South Mountain – Employee Ownership at South Mountain Company (2017)
- South Mountain – The SMC Equity Journey (2015)
- Abrams – Companies We Keep: Employee Ownership and the Business of Community and Place (book) (2005)
Learn more
- Vineyard Gazette – Same Model, New CEO; South Mountain Looks to the Future (2020)
- DAWI – Successful Cooperative Ownership Transitions (South Mountain excerpt) (2014)
- The Guardian – South Mountain: loving your company and letting it go (2014)
- CNN Money – Where workers make their own rules (2009)
- Northcountry Cooperative Foundation Center – Using Worker-owned cooperatives to enhance the economic well-being of rural residents (2004)
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