CT Center for Employee Ownership

06/03/2026

Are you curious if Employee Ownership is right for your business? Thank you to our friends in Colorado for this post explaining the various models. Contact us if you want more information or want to explore your options.

05/28/2026

Interested in learning more about employee ownership? Our friends at the Vermont Employee Ownership Center are hosting their annual conference in just a few weeks where you can ask questions, meet fellow business owners, and learn about the various forms of employee ownership. Register today!

24th Annual Vermont Employee Ownership ConferenceWhen: Friday, June 12, 2026Where: The DoubleTree by Hilton BurlingtonFor 24 years the Vermont Employee Ownership Center has organized an annual employee ownership conference. It is one of a handful of conferences all about employee ownership in the na...

05/21/2026

Had a productive day learning about Web Industries, Inc. and their work in Dayville while planning our upcoming video shoot that will highlight the power of employee ownership. They have been a model of success for other companies since establishing their Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) over 50 years ago. Can’t wait to share the final product! Special thanks to the Employee Ownership Expansion Networkn Network for the grant to Connecticut Center for Employee Ownership (CTCEO) for funding this project.

04/23/2026

Know a small business owner thinking about retirement?
Check out this New Hampshire small business that the employees just bought from the owner!

The employees of Earth Sky + Water, a New Hampshire-based publisher of laminated, fold-up field guides, formed a cooperative and bought the business from their boss this month.

Steven Lewers, 77, started and ran the company for 25 years before deciding to sell it to his employees. About a year ago, Mr. Lewers started thinking seriously about what to do with the business when he retires.

“I knew book publishers who were interested in buying my company, but naturally I was worried what they would do with it,” Mr. Lewers said. “I concluded that Earth Sky + Water would have the best chance of surviving and thriving if the people who work here owned it, rather than if I sold it to an outsider or to a large company.”

“A part of my thinking was, of course, my legacy; I want the company to do well after I leave, and I also felt an obligation to my employees and to the community we’ve worked in all these years,” Mr. Lewers added.

When he floated the idea of transitioning to a worker-owned cooperative to his staff, many were incredulous.

“It seemed too good to be true,” said Heather Carver, one of the worker-owners who has worked at Earth Sky + Water for the past seven years and has now taken on the position of General Manager. Among other questions, Heather wondered, “could the employees really come up with the financing to buy the business?”

Read the full story here: https://cdi.coop/earth-sky-water-new-hampshire-publishing-worker-owned-cooperative/

04/07/2026

Excited to meet Connecticut National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) conference attendees while also learning from our fellow State Centers and experts from across the country. Stop by to say hello at the State and Regional networking session!