Wednesday, January 16th, 2008

Employee Ownership For Smaller Companies

Meeting Details

As a follow up to last month's discussion of ownership succession which touched on Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), this session will focus on employee ownership for smaller companies. 

Jon Crystal and Don Jamison from the Vermont Employee Ownership Center will give an overview of the reasons for sharing ownership with employees, will briefly review how an ESOP works, and will focus on employee ownership structures that can suit smaller companies, particularly the worker cooperative. 

Don Schramm and Katie Cultrera will share the story of one of Vermont's longest-lived cooperatives, Burlington-based Data Systems.

There will be plenty of time for discussion, and attorney Steve Magowan will be on hand to address legal aspects of implementing employee ownership.

Bios

Jon Crystal serves as Executive Director of the Vermont Employee Ownership Center. He has been working with employee-owned companies since 1985, consults to small businesses on strategic and financial planning, and has also worked in higher education administration at UVM and Castleton State.

He holds a BA degree from Wesleyan University and an MBA from MIT's Sloan School of Management.

Don Jamison is a founder of the Vermont Employee Ownership Center where he currently serves as Program Director.  He has worked in the employee ownership arena for twelve years, and is a graduate of Haverford College and Columbia University.

Steve Magowan previously worked for Gravel and Shea.  Effective October 15th 2007 he opened the Burlington, Vermont office of the Philadelphia-based law firm of Steiker, Fisher, Edwards and Greenapple and the Philadelphia/New Jersey based financial consulting and record-keeping firm, SES Advisors, Inc..