Workshop on Employee Ownership for Small Companies coming to Brattleboro
The Vermont Employee Ownership Center (VEOC) is offering an intermediate-level workshop entitled “Employee Ownership for Small Companies” on September 24, 2010 from 10 am to 12 pm at the Marlboro College Graduate Center in downtown Brattleboro.
The workshop will explore different models of employee ownership – including worker cooperatives – for companies that may be too small for an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). It’s primarily designed for companies with roughly 20 or fewer employees, though some of the ownership models can be applied to larger companies as well.
Presenters include VEOC Executive Director Jon Crystal and attorney Steve Magowan. Steve is the Burlington, VT, principal of Steiker, Fischer, Edwards & Greenapple, a Philadelphia-based law firm with a national practice focusing principally on ESOPs and ESOP transactions, and of SES Advisors, a financial consulting firm that specializes in analyzing and finding financing for ESOP transactions.
“Employee ownership can be a great option for small business owners who are nearing retirement, but it can also be a way for owners to share equity with employees while continuing to stay on in the business,” says Ursula Jones, Marketing and Communications Manager for the Vermont Employee Ownership Center. “This workshop will examine the different ways that small companies can transition to an employee-ownership structure.”
The workshop is co-sponsored by the Vermont Small Business Development Center, the Marlboro College MBA in Managing for Sustainability, and the Brattleboro Chamber of Commerce. There is no registration fee, but advance registration is required. Attendees may register online at www.veoc.org, by phone at 802-861-6611, or by email atinfo@veoc.org. Refreshments will be served.
About the VEOC
The Vermont Employee Ownership Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and fostering employee ownership. The group’s goals are to broaden capital ownership, deepen employee participation, retain local ownership of businesses and the jobs they support, increase living standards for working families, and stabilize communities. VEOC works directly with owners interested in selling their business to their employees, employee groups interested in purchasing a business, and entrepreneurs who wish to start a company with broadly-shared ownership. For more information, visit www.veoc.org.