In the end, Jason celebrated Alliance’s ESOP for allowing he and Shaun to receive the value they were happy with when they sold to employees in 2018 and then creating the opportunity for a meaningful payday for employees in April.

As an intern at VEOC and first-time attendee my one takeaway from this conference is that to build community resilience and sustainability companies must consider employee ownership as a viable business approach.

Thanks to the 2022 earmark from Senator Bernie Sanders, the VEOC is thrilled to announce the availability of $50,000 in technical assistance grant dollars for those interested in exploring employee ownership!

Included in the Omnibus was the Retirement Improvement and Savings Enhancement to Supplement Healthy Investments for the Nest Egg (RISE & SHINE) Act of 2022, which includes the Worker Ownership, Readiness, & Knowledge Act (WORK Act).

In celebration of Employee Ownership Month, the Employee Owners of Vermont, an active group of local employee-owned companies, raised more than $30,865 and collected 480 pounds of food in October for the group’s fifth annual fundraiser for the Vermont Foodbank.

The New England architecture firm has long taken a different approach to its design work. Now it has joined the movement for a different type of ownership.

VEOC board treasurer and Gardener's Supply executive Cindy Turcot participated in the symposium at Oxford on September 7 & 8.

On July 21, with the weekend forecast showing no relief, the worker-owners announced their decision to temporarily reduce the cafe's weekend hours to avoid the hottest part of the day.

Historically, owning a home has been the primary avenue for Americans to have a stake within their local communities, while owning a business has been another powerful means of local ownership for a much smaller subset of the population. Today, however, we’re at an historic moment where broad-based employee ownership is gaining momentum across the nation.

Representatives at employee ownership organizations across the country tell why they are proud to be SBDC Ambassadors, and how they are partnering with state SBDCs to broaden capital ownership and help build stronger businesses and resilient communities.

The center will use the funds to reach more Vermont business owners and entrepreneurs, administer technical assistance grants to businesses considering or converting to employee ownership, and create legal resources to simplify employee ownership transactions for Vermont business owners, employee groups, and entrepreneurs.

SSBCI specifically created an opening for states to use their programs to finance employee ownership transitions.

With the aim of diversifying its graphics and printing offerings, Tuttle Printing, d/b/a QuickPrint of Rutland, has purchased Green Screen Graphics, combining customers and printing capabilities while bringing Green Screen employees into the fold of Tuttle’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan.

Collectively, the group raised $29,923, providing approximately 50,000 meals for kids, seniors, and families who don’t have enough to eat on a regular basis.

Turcot received the award in recognition of her dedication to the company’s innovative management style and her commitment and furtherance of employee ownership.

According to a recent survey from John Zogby Strategies, employee owners are doing better all-around than traditional employees during the pandemic.

After converting to worker ownership with the help of the Vermont Employee Ownership Loan Fund in late 2014, Vermont Computing has paid back their loan, creating new opportunities for employee groups seeking to convert their workplace to employee ownership!

Among other elements, the Act makes the conversion of a business to employee ownership via a worker co-op or Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) eligible for Small Business Administration (SBA) 7(a) loans.

We’ve chosen to call our group “Employee Owners of Vermont.” Our plan was not to promote any individual company, but rather to represent employee owners as a community that is connected in our common beliefs.