See What’s Possible with Employee Ownership
Real stories of business owners choosing a new path for succession, and creating stronger futures for their businesses and employees.
Equinox Woodworks
Employees: 17
Industry: Residential Construction
Location: Burnsville, NC
In March 2023, The Industrial Commons supported Equinox Woodworks to become employee owned. Previous owner Todd Kindberg was looking for a way to share ownership risk and responsibility and to ensure worker retention so that Equinox could stick around for the long haul. Today, the residential construction company has 12 employees and 5 Worker-owners.
“We are able to do things I‘ve wanted to do for 10 years - that are possible because we have more people to attend to them...because we were going with the status quo - parts of the company didn’t have time to give the energy needed because of only having one owner. By sharing and delegating we can take on more.”
Cooperative Homecare Associates
Employees: 1,800
Industry: Home Healthcare
Location: NYC
Founded as a 12-person worker-owned company in 1985, Cooperative Home Care Associates grew into the largest worker cooperative in the U.S., with 1,800 workers and $57 million in revenue in 2021. Nearly half of its employees are worker-owners. In an industry facing persistent challenges with employee retention, regulation, and job stability, CHCA’s scale and longevity demonstrate how cooperative ownership can build a more resilient business and workforce.
Ward Lumber
Employees: 50
Industry: Construction Materials Distribution
Location: Jay, NY and Malone, NY
Ward Lumber stayed in the Ward family for four generations, since 1890 - becoming a pillar for the family, and the local community that relied on it for quality construction materials. When Jay Ward realized he wouldn’t be able to pass the company on to his kids, he was inspired to explore other options. This transition was facilitated by the Cooperative Development Institute.
“Rather than choose liquidation or selling to some other business that would change the culture, I wanted to look at employee ownership. Employee ownership vests the control of the company in the hands of the people that work it every day, who live in the communities that we serve, and have that vested interest in ownership. I really wanted to empower the employee team to make decisions on their behalf for their benefit”
Alternative Technologies
Employees: 40
Industry: IT Services
Location: Berkeley, CA
Jerry Skomer, founder of Alternative Technologies, credits the company’s long-term employees with helping shape the decisions that built customer trust and contributed to the company’s growth and stability. With coworkers who had been with the business for 15, 20, and more than 25 years, Skomer saw his employees as the people best equipped to carry the company forward. As he planned for retirement, he chose to transition Alternative Technologies to a worker-owned cooperative, giving the team that helped build the business a role in its future. This transition was facilitated by Project Equity.
“If you are a business owner considering retirement, investing in employee ownership is easily the most rewarding thing you could do. Especially if you built up a company that is made up of good people. The rewards that you get are more than just monetary. If you know you are leaving a company to people who have worked hard on behalf of the company, that’s something that money can’t buy.”
Adams & Chittenden Scientific Glass
Employees: 8
Industry: Manufacturing
Location: Berkeley, CA
Tom Adams and George Chittenden built a successful company that manufactures and sells laboratory glassware. In this specialized niche, the duo understood that making a successful sale isn't guaranteed. Instead, they opted to sell their business to the people they already knew and trusted: their employees. This transition was facilitated by Project Equity.
“When it came time for us to think about succession, the thought of finding someone to buy us out seemed highly improbable. We have a very distinct niche in the manufacturing world, and there wasn’t any obvious path forward.”