Two monumental bills in support of employee-owned companies have received federal bipartisan and bicameral support, The Main Street Employee Ownership Act in the House of Representatives and the Small Business Employee Ownership Promotion Enhancement Act in the Senate. In her statement, bill sponsor Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) remarked, “Baby Boomers own a vast number of […]
Rock City Roasters Location: Rockland, ME Industry: Cafe Number of employees: 25 Conversion date: 2018 Professional support from: Cooperative Development Institute In Source Renewables Location: Pittsfield, ME Industry: Energy Number of employees: 10 Conversion date: in progress Professional support from: Cooperative Development Institute A Child’s Place Location: Queens, NY Industry: Childcare Number of employees: 50 Conversion date: in
For most businesses, the employees are the most valuable assets. Imagine, if job satisfaction skyrocketed, how much would that increase the productivity of a business and keep people in their jobs longer term? Studies conducted by the National Center for Employee Ownership found that after becoming employee-owned business productivity increases 4-5% on average and job
The business owner’s best kept secret to success and succession Read More »
Project Equity was invited to write a piece for The Democracy Collaborative, a national research institution working to build a more democratic economy by growing and preserving community wealth. In it we show, by inventorying retiring business owners, city by city, across the nation, we can gauge how many businesses and jobs are our communities at risk of losing.
With 1 in 6 jobs at risk, how do we turn lemons into lemonade? Read More »
Our most recent publication highlights the role of participatory management in high-performing businesses, including a spotlight on New Belgium Brewing, a 100% employee-owned company. Participatory management is a management philosophy and approach in which employees at all levels of an organization are engaged in planning and decision-making to optimize organizational effectiveness. This publication serves as an
In her latest article for Forbes, Trump Has Manufacturing All Wrong – And So Do The Rest Of Us, founder of Make it in LA and the host of The Art of Manufacturing podcast, Krisztina ‘Z’ Holly, busts 8 myths about American manufacturing starting with: “The biggest risk to American Manufacturing isn’t outsourcing, it’s the Silver Tsunami.” Holly, then, asks us
In January 2018, Hilary Abell and Franzi Charen from Project Equity had the opportunity to participate in the Workers to Owners collaborative’s national gathering. Workers to Owners convenes practitioners from across the country (technical assistance providers, coop developers, lenders, and business support organizations) to share best practices and accelerate conversions of businesses to employee ownership.
Policy Roundtable: Exploring Worker-Owned Cooperatives in Long Beach, CA In April 2017, the City Council in Long Beach, CA adopted a Blueprint for Economic Development, providing every Long Beach resident pathways of opportunity to fully participate in the economic life of its city as employers, entrepreneurs, consumers, and citizens. Alison Lingane, co-founder of Project Equity, presented employee
ASSETS, Project Equity’s outreach partner in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is a non-profit organization focused on transforming their community through business. They provide training, 1-on-1 coaching, and financing to entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs looking to start or grow their businesses in the region. In a recent study Project Equity completed in partnership with ASSETS, we found more than 11,500 businesses
New study encourages retiring business owners to sell to workers Read More »
Manufacturing accounts for a whopping 21% of the San Francisco Bay Area’s regional GDP. In the city of Fremont, CA, alone, the manufacturing cluster provides one in every four jobs. These are solid middle class jobs that pay well, have professional advancement opportunities, and are generally accessible to people without a four-year college degree. In our recent
Fremont, CA seeks to curb effects of the silver tsunami Read More »
