Resources & Case Studies

 

case studies

 

A Yard & A Half

  • Landscaping

  • 35 Employees

  • Waltham, MA

Arbor Assays

  • Biomedical Manufacturing

  • 11 Employees

  • Ann Arbor, MI

 

Metis Construction

  • Construction

  • 25 Employees

  • Seattle, WA

 

Pattycake Bakery

  • Bakery

  • 15 Employees

  • Columbus, OH

 

A Child’s Place

  • Childcare

  • 50 Employees

  • Queens, NY

 

Visitec

  • Marketing

  • 10 Employees

  • St. Charles, IL

 
 

Case Studies:

Case Studies: Business Conversions to Worker Cooperatives: Insights and Readiness Factors for Owners and Employees

  • By Project Equity

  • Case studies of twelve businesses that transitioned to employee ownership. 

Successful Cooperative Ownership Transitions: Case Studies on the Conversion of Privately Held Businesses to Worker Cooperatives

  • By the Democracy at Work Institute and the Center for Cooperatives at the University of Wisconsin

  • Case studies of five businesses that transitioned to employee ownership.

Case Studies on Project Equity’s Website

Case Studies on the Becoming Employee-Owned Website

Financial Structure:

The Original Community Investment: A Guide to Worker Co-op Conversion Investments

  • By Project Equity

  • An overview of the worker cooperative model, the transition process for existing businesses, and details on the financing options.

The Lending Opportunity of a Generation: FAQs and Case Studies for Investing in Businesses Converting to Worker Ownership

  • By the Cooperative Fund of New England, Project Equity, and the Democracy at Work Institute

  • An overview of the worker cooperative model and the transition process for existing businesses, plus a more detailed discussion of loans to cooperative businesses from the perspective of banks and other lenders, including five case studies.

Legal Structure:

Selling Your Business to Your Employees: Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP) & Worker-Owned Cooperatives

  • By the Ohio Employee Ownership Center and the Cooperative Development Center at Kent State University

  • A detailed description of the differences between ESOPs and cooperatives.

Choosing a Business Entity: A Guide for Worker Cooperatives

  • By the Democracy at Work Institute

  • An overview of the legal entities that can support a cooperative structure with a matrix that compares key issues like liability and taxation.