Here are some resources to learn more about small business conversions to worker cooperatives and employee ownership in rural areas.
Company Stories
- Regenerative Design Group – Greenfield, MA
- Snow River Cooperative – Crandon, WI
- Burial Grounds Collective – Olympia, WA
- Marine Surveys and Assessments – Port Townsend, WA
- W.J. Wheeler Insurance – South Paris, ME
- Ward Lumber – Jay, NY
- Le Voyeur – Olympia, WA
- California Solar Electric Company – Grass Valley, CA
- Working Systems – Olympia, WA
- Orca Books – Olympia, WA
- Alliance Mechanical – Essex Junction, VT
- Mainer News – Woolwich, ME
- Insource Renewables – Pittsfield, ME
- Railroad Avenue Supply Company – Stamford, NY
- Random Harvest Market – Craryville, NY
- New Frameworks, Winooski VT
- Rock City Employee Cooperative – Rockland, ME
- Capital Homecare Cooperative – Olympia, WA
- Echo Adventure Cooperative – Groveland, CA
- Ewing Controls – Greenfield, MA
- Milkweed Mercantile, Rutledge MO
- Northwind Solar – Stevens Point, WI
- Earth Designs Cooperative – Rosendale, NY
- New Roots Cooperative Farm – Lewiston, ME
- Peninsula Home Care – Port Townsend, WA
- Acadia Landscape + Design, Mount Desert Island, ME
- Timber Homes – Vershire, VT
- Rock Steady Farm and Flowers – Millerton, NY
- Big Water Coffee Roasters – Bayfield, WI
- New School of Montpelier – Montpelier, VT
- Baldwin Apple Ladders – Brooks, ME
- Vermont Computing Cooperative, Randolph VT
- Earth-Bound Building – Brandywine, MD
- Island Employee Cooperative – Deer Isle, ME
- Letterbox Farm Collective – Hudson, NY
- H&R Agri-Power – Hopkinsville, KY
- Northwest Construction Cooperative – Olympia, WA
- New Moon Cooperative Cafe – Olympia, WA
- Real Pickles – Greenfield, MA
- Chelsea Green Publishing – White River Junction, VT
- Agua Gorda Cooperative – Long Prairie, MN
- Blue Scorcher Bakery – Astoria, OR
- PT360 – Williston, VT
- Catamount Solar- Randolph, VT
- Fifth Season Cooperative – Viroqua, WI
- Opportunity Threads – Morganton, NC
- Green Mountain Spinnery – Putney, VT
- Tourne-Sol Co-operative Farm, QC
- King Arthur Flour – Norwich, VT
- Bellingham Bay Builders – Bellingham, WA
- Red House Building – Colchester, VT
- South Mountain Company – West Tisbury, MA
- Blue Heron Construction – Port Townsend, WA
- Workers Owned Sewing Company – Windsor, NC
- Once Again Nut Butter – Nunda, NY
- Plywood Cooperatives – Pacific Northwest
Places
Maine
NPQ – Nonprofit Takes Leadership Role to Address Business Succession “Tsunami”
From NPQ: Here at NPQ, we have noted that a business ownership succession […]
Press Republican – Keeping North Country businesses alive
From the Press Republican: More than 10,000 business owners nearing retirement in […]
Business ownership by workers: are worker cooperatives a viable option?
From Iowa State University: One possible strategy for both succession and new […]
USDA – Worker-owned / ESOPs can help preserve business in rural America
From the USDA: Employee ownership can help a business prosper by creating […]
North Carolina
NPQ – Nonprofit Takes Leadership Role to Address Business Succession “Tsunami”
From NPQ: Here at NPQ, we have noted that a business ownership succession […]
Press Republican – Keeping North Country businesses alive
From the Press Republican: More than 10,000 business owners nearing retirement in […]
Business ownership by workers: are worker cooperatives a viable option?
From Iowa State University: One possible strategy for both succession and new […]
USDA – Worker-owned / ESOPs can help preserve business in rural America
From the USDA: Employee ownership can help a business prosper by creating […]
Vermont
NPQ – Nonprofit Takes Leadership Role to Address Business Succession “Tsunami”
From NPQ: Here at NPQ, we have noted that a business ownership succession […]
Press Republican – Keeping North Country businesses alive
From the Press Republican: More than 10,000 business owners nearing retirement in […]
Business ownership by workers: are worker cooperatives a viable option?
From Iowa State University: One possible strategy for both succession and new […]
USDA – Worker-owned / ESOPs can help preserve business in rural America
From the USDA: Employee ownership can help a business prosper by creating […]
Wisconsin
NPQ – Nonprofit Takes Leadership Role to Address Business Succession “Tsunami”
From NPQ: Here at NPQ, we have noted that a business ownership succession […]
Press Republican – Keeping North Country businesses alive
From the Press Republican: More than 10,000 business owners nearing retirement in […]
Business ownership by workers: are worker cooperatives a viable option?
From Iowa State University: One possible strategy for both succession and new […]
USDA – Worker-owned / ESOPs can help preserve business in rural America
From the USDA: Employee ownership can help a business prosper by creating […]
Sectors
Solar
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Ethos.png)
Ethos Green Power Cooperative — Viroqua, WI
Location: Viroqua, WI Industry: Renewable Energy Number of employees:7 Became employee-owned: 2021 […]
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Cal-Solar.png)
California Solar Electric Company – Grass Valley, CA
Industry: Solar Location: Grass Valley, California Number of employees: 30 Became employee owned: […]
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Insource-Renewables.png)
Insource Renewables – Pittsfield, ME
Insource Renewables is a solar installation business in Pittsfield, Maine. The original […]
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Sun-Light-Power.png)
Sun Light & Power – Berkeley, CA
Industry: Solar Location: California Number of employees: 80 Became employee owned: 2018 […]
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/North-Wind-Renewable-Energy.png)
Northwind Solar – Stevens Point, WI
North Wind Solar is a solar power system design and installation company […]
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ReVision-Energy.png)
ReVision Energy – Portland, ME
Industry: Solar Location: Portland, Maine Number of employees: 250 Became employee owned: 2017 […]
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/TFS.png)
Technicians for Sustainability – Tucson, AZ
Technicians for Sustainability (TFS) in an employee-owned cooperative in the solar industry […]
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Sustainergy.png)
Sustainergy – Cincinnati, OH
Industry: Solar Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Number of employees: 5 Became employee owned: […]
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Catamount-Solar.png)
Catamount Solar- Randolph, VT
Industry: Solar Location: Randolph, Vermont Number of employees: 11 Became employee owned: […]
Construction
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/pur.png)
Urban Projects Collaborative – New York City
Location: New York City Industry: Project Management for Real Estate & Construction […]
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Oxbow.png)
Oxbow Design Build – Easthampton, MA
Industry: Construction, Architecture and Design Location: Easthampton, Massachusetts Number of employees: 7 Became […]
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Mexcon.png)
Mexcon – Philadelphia, PA
Industry: Construction Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Number of employees: 40 Became employee owned: […]
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Alliance.png)
Alliance Mechanical – Essex Junction, VT
Industry: Construction Location:Essex Junction, Vermont Number of employees: 125 Became employee owned: […]
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Hivemind.png)
Hivemind – Philadelphia, PA
Industry: Construction Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Number of employees: 10 Became employee owned: […]
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Davis-Home-Pros.png)
Davis Home Pros – Walnut Creek CA
Davis Home Pros is a 15-person residential remodeling cooperative in Walnut Creek […]
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/New-Prairie-Construction.png)
New Prairie Construction – Urbana, IL
New Prairie Construction is a 25-employee general contractor in Urbana, Illinois, with […]
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Brooklyn-Stone-and-Tile-e1532706773697.jpg)
Brooklyn Stone and Tile, Brooklyn NY
Location: New York Industry: Manufacturing Number of employees: 8 Became employee owned: […]
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/A-1-Builders.png)
A1DesignBuild – Bellingham, WA
A1DesignBuild is a 21-employee worker cooperative that does residential sustainable design and […]
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/PWA-Handyman.png)
Cooperativa PWA – Philadelphia, PA
Industry: Construction Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Number of employees: 8 Became employee owned: […]
Farming
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/New-Roots-Cooperative-Farm.png)
New Roots Cooperative Farm – Lewiston, ME
Industry: Farming Location: Lewiston, Maine Number of employees: 4 Became employee owned: […]
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Rock-Steady-Farm.png)
Rock Steady Farm and Flowers – Millerton, NY
Location: Millerton, New York Industry: Farming Number of employees: 7 Became employee owned: […]
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Letterbox-Farm.png)
Letterbox Farm Collective – Hudson, NY
Location: New York Industry: Farming Number of employees: 7 Became employee owned: […]
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Agua-Gorda.png)
Agua Gorda Cooperative – Long Prairie, MN
Location: Long Prairie, Minnesota Industry: Farming Number of employees: 3 Became employee […]
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Fifth-Season.png)
Fifth Season Cooperative – Viroqua, WI
Location: Viroqua, Wisconsin Industry: Farming Number of employees: 5 Became cooperatively owned: […]
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Tourne-Sol.png)
Tourne-Sol Co-operative Farm, QC
Location: Quebec Industry: Farming Number of employees: 5 Became employee owned: 2005 […]
![](https://becomingemployeeowned.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Fedco.png)
Fedco Seeds – Clinton, ME
Consumers own 60% of this cooperative and worker members own 40%. Industry: […]