Colorful. Liberating. Rooted in consent, accountability, and transformation.That’s Spring Up—a Denver-based, majority Black and queer worker cooperative founded in 2013 and collectively owned by nine members. Spring Up teaches and practices the skills to be free together through generative conflict, shared power, and collective decision-making. Rooted in a deep commitment to liberation and care, their… Continue reading Where Values Meet Capital: Spring Up’s Journey with Non-Extractive Financing
The US worker cooperative movement is surging. According to the 2021 Worker Cooperative State of the Sector report, there were 612 worker co-ops in the United States and hundreds more startups underway. Less noticed is that nonprofits have helped to make much of this rapid growth possible.
Colorado Tech Worker Co-ops: An IntroductionRMEOC had the opportunity to talk with co-owners of three local tech worker coops based in Boulder and Denver. These values-oriented tech companies design and build software for websites and applications. They are friends and allies who often collaborate with each other. We’ll add to the profiles below as we… Continue reading Colorado Tech Worker Coops: An Introduction
You can read the full story on the Colorado Sun Ramon Lucas Ramon’s journey began in the small village of Chichnan, in Santa Eulalia, Guatemala. For the past 20 years, Ramon has called the United States his home, but his path to this new life was far from easy. His story is one of perseverance,… Continue reading A Worker Ownership Solution for Colorado’s Failed Mushroom Farm
Recently, I spent a mid-morning near Colfax and Colorado, going door-to-door to meet local business owners and spread the word about the virtues of employee ownership. As I moved eastwards, from Steele street across Colorado and towards Monaco, I passed dozens of shops, talked to numerous owners, and learned a powerful truth: Colfax has two… Continue reading Two Faces of Colfax
My grandfather, Lambert Berger, was a businessman in Johnstown, CO. He believed that businesses should support their communities, and communities should support their businesses. His belief that “we're all in this together” helped create a thriving local economy in my hometown.Today, I work to elevate and perpetuate his legacy by helping employee-owners who are supporting… Continue reading Why I Give: Jen Briggs
Colorado Gives Day provides Coloradans with the opportunity to exercise two of the “better angels of our nature,” gratitude and generosity. A recent visit to my pharmacy presented me with a vivid example of why I should donate to The Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center during the 2021 drive. My response will be to contribute… Continue reading “They won’t allow it” by Bill Kirton
For Erica Maldonado and Diego Pons, co-founder-owners of the San Luis Valley (SLV) Language Justice Cooperative, being bilingual wasn’t always a good thing. This sentiment changed, however, when they learned to leverage their bilingualism in a way that advanced them professionally and allowed them to fulfil a need within their community. Pons and Maldonado met… Continue reading The San Luis Valley Language Justice Cooperative: Empowering people through language
More and more people are recognizing that our current economic system benefits a small few at the expense of many, especially working-class communities and communities of color. What many people don’t know is that there’s a better way already taking place that represents a path forward to create a more just and sustainable economy — an economy… Continue reading An Economy That Works For Everyone: Employee Ownership & The Story of RMEOC
How popular is employee ownership?Whether in the form of an ESOP or co-op, employee ownership is more common than you might think.According to a 2018 article in the Harvard Business Review, about 10% of Americans hold equity stakes in their workplaces. That accounts for the upwards of 14 million employees who are vested employee-owners.(Colorado alone is home… Continue reading 33 Well-Known Companies Creating Equity Through Employee Ownership
In October 2020, the Aspen Institute hosted a webinar aimed at addressing the question: Can employee share ownership improve racial and gender wealth equity? Speakers from worker cooperatives, think tanks, universities, and public radio came together to confront the systemic inequality that workers at the bottom end of the opportunity scale face in this economy. “Broadening opportunities to participate… Continue reading Building Racial & Gender Equity Through Employee Ownership
As the nation’s premier gathering on employee ownership, the NCEO’s annual conference provides an ideal opportunity to learn, network, and share your knowledge with others!Their 2019 conference will take place in Pittsburgh, PA (April 9–11, with preconference on April 8) and will build on the sold-out success of their 2018 conference in Atlanta, where over… Continue reading NCEO 2019 Employee Ownership Conference
RMEOC presents “Finacial Reports that Increase Employee Engagement.” as a part of our Webinar series. We are happy to announce Greg Weiss, MBA, CPA/CFF, CVA will be leading our Webinar! When: March 26th, at 11 am- 12 pmWhere: OnlineRegister Here (THIS IS NOW CLOSED)
Happy Employee Ownership Month!RMEOC presents “Marketing your Employee Owned Business” as a part of our Webinar series. We have the founder of Certified Employee Owned as our guest speaker to bring more business to your Employee Owned company. When: October 16th, at 11 am- 12 pmWhere: OnlineTHIS EVENT IS CLOSED
Recently the Main Street Employee Ownership Act (S. 2786) was passed in the Senate. Introduced by Senator Gillibrand and 6 additional co-sponsors, this bill is the culmination of many months of hard work by ASBC staff, members, and allies. It provides funding and technical assistance to help companies transition to being worker-owned. A companion bill introduced… Continue reading Worker Ownership Bill Passes the Senate