Company Stories
Learn by example! Below are stories of real business owners across the country who were able to achieve their business and personal goals through effective exit strategies.
Ward Lumber had been family-owned for four generations. Their founder wanted to preserve jobs and company legacy. Learn how he did that through an employee ownership transition.
The owners of children’s care center, A Child’s Place, in Queens, NY sold their business to their employees after more than 30 years in business. Click the video to hear their story.
The owner of a landscaping company, A Yard and a Half, in Waltham, MA decided to sell the company to her employees when she retired. Learn more about their story.
The Home Beautiful, one of central New Hampshire’s largest home decorating centers, serving homeowners, made an intentional transition to employee ownership. Click the video to hear their story.
“The idea that we could actually sell the business or turn the business over to our employees was one of the best things we thought we could ever do.”
Cal Solar was able to weather the pandemic and continues to thrive and support workers because of a successful transition to worker-ownership. Check out their inspiring story.
Alternative Technologies began in 1989 with a visionary founder who wanted to help non-profits meet their tech needs. When he wanted to retire, he also wanted to maintain the founding vision by transitioning the business to his employees. Learn more.
Learn how the Colorado-based filmmakers of Truce Media won a state-wide grant for employee ownership conversion and are now a media cooperative. You can also read their story here.
The Circle Court Motel is an iconic, family-owned inn in Ticonderoga, NY. Recently, it transitioned ownership to a new, local family. The sale involved number of local partners all dedicated to preserving local ownership and jobs. Read their story here.
“When I was preparing for retirement, I was trying to determine what I was going to do with the business…We had grown to a staff of almost 40 people. How would I want to be treated if I were them?… They were responsible for the growth of the organization. It doesn’t feel right to have them report to a new owner who may not have the same values. They should have the opportunity to benefit through ownership.”
The family-to-family sale of the historic Belvadere restaurant on Saranac Lake in New York is an example of how successful transition planning is an investment in community too. Read the transition story here.
The Silver Bay General Store has seen locals and visitors since 1927. Successful transition planning led to finding new owners excited to maintain its local legacy while incorporating fresh ideas to grow the business. Learn more.
“Aspiring business owners often face challenges accessing capital to complete the purchase…Offering Owner Financing can improve the likelihood that a business will transfer successfully and ultimately help sustain other local businesses and jobs.”
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