RLMG’s strong company culture creates smooth path to employee ownership

Watertown, MA — RLMG has been designing interactive, educational media installations for museums and other public spaces since it was founded in 2011. Their clients have included the Carnegie Science Center, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, and the Moonshot Museum in Pittsburgh, PA.

In 2019, Richard Lewis, RLMG’s founder and previous owner, started thinking about what would happen to the business and his team after he was gone. That’s when he realized that he already had a willing and able buyer right under his nose: his employees.

The employees already put in a lot of energy into making the business successful, so giving them a stake in the business made sense. When the idea of transitioning the business to an employee-owned cooperative was presented to RLMG’s staff, nearly all of the firm’s 40 employees voted to join the cooperative. The employees bought out the business in early 2022. The transition brought together the ideas and unique skill sets of different ages and backgrounds, making the business even stronger.

We caught up with the RLMG team three years after the business transitioned to an employee-owned cooperative. Watch the video to hear how they did it and where they are now.