Ten years ago today, Project Equity officially launched! We are marking our first decade with a year-long celebration, including a series of reflections and activities. If you are reading this, you are part of our journey, and we hope you will celebrate with us. At Project Equity, we spend most of our time focused on […]
Employee Ownership Then and Now — a 10 Year Look Back Read More »
Recognizing the important role that business advisors play in influencing whether business owners learn about or seriously consider employee ownership, Project Equity has developed learning products that provide continuing education credits for exit planners and financial advisors. We are proud to announce that these products are accredited by the two leading exit planning organizations (Exit
Exit planners and financial advisors can now earn CE credit from Project Equity Read More »
Above mural, ‘Our Liberation,’ in Oakland, California, by muralist Rachel Wolfe Goldsmith Over the last 10 years, Project Equity has demonstrated the power of employee ownership conversions to preserve legacy businesses and build wealth for both selling owners and employees. In 2023, we launched the Black Employee Ownership Initiative to deepen our commitment to expanding
Over the past few years, the Berkeley Office of Economic Development has partnered with Project Equity to advance employee ownership and succession planning in the city. While we’ve helped several Berkeley businesses transition to employee ownership (EO), we believe there is still more potential to be tapped across the East Bay in collaboration with other
Unlocking the power of employee ownership in the East Bay Read More »
In 2018 the Kendeda Fund, a philanthropic foundation based in Atlanta, decided to make a series of big bets in areas that were both critical and timely. One of those areas was employee ownership and the investment made by Kendeda was historic. Five years later, Kendeda partnered with the Ohio Employee Ownership Center (OEOC) to
EO organizations reflect on the Kendeda Fund’s Big Bet Grant Read More »
Cities across the U.S. are adding employee ownership to their toolkit. Why? Many leaders are recognizing the benefits of employee ownership as a strategy to: Retain local businesses, jobs, and tax base as more than half of local business owners are nearing retirement and without many options to sell their business. Provide meaning pathways to
How 3 cities are building equitable local economies through employee ownership Read More »
U.S. workers and communities need high-quality jobs more than ever, and employee ownership is a powerful strategy to support job quality. The U.S. Department of Commerce recognized this when they put together their Job Quality Toolkit, an outline of proven, actionable tools employers can use to distinguish themselves and recruit, retain, and reward talent. Employee
A playbook for creating quality jobs through employee ownership Read More »
Becoming employee-owned without giving up WBE certification In 2011, after two years of careful planning, Sue Butler and Tracy Till began the process of selling their marketing agency, Butler/Till, to their employees. Using a common form of employee ownership, an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). They began by selling 51% of the business to their
How one company managed to become 100% employee-owned and certified women-owned Read More »
As we continue celebrating Employee Ownership Month, Project Equity asked members of its team to share thoughts and resources surrounding employee ownership. “It’s inspiring to see so many funders embracing employee ownership as a strategy for strengthening communities and building wealth for workers, particularly workers of color and low-to-moderate incomes. Earlier this year, funders joined
Funders embrace employee ownership as a strategy to strengthen communities Read More »
Last week, the LA County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion by Supervisor Holly Mitchell to create a countywide Worker Ownership Initiative (WOI). To raise awareness and support businesses across the county, the WOI will build on LA’s rapidly growing worker ownership ecosystem, which includes LA Coop Lab, Project Equity, and an increasing number
