BRATTLEBORO, Vt. – Southern Vermont is home to one of New England’s strongest communities of employee-owned businesses. From nationally recognized ESOPs to worker-owned cooperatives and community-based enterprises, employee ownership has become an important part of the region’s economic landscape. This November, Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC), in partnership with the Vermont Employee Ownership Center (VEOC) and regional partners, will bring together business owners, employee-owners, advisors, and community leaders for a full day of learning, networking, and collaboration centered on the power of shared ownership.
The event will feature multiple educational tracks focused on employee-owned companies and business transition strategies, creating opportunities for organizations at every stage – from those simply curious about employee ownership to established ESOPs and cooperatives looking to deepen their ownership culture.
The full-day event features two complementary educational programs designed for different audiences while encouraging shared learning throughout the day. To register, visit www.veoc.org/sovt-eo-forum.
Everyone registered is welcome for lunch, from 12-1 p.m., and reception, at 4:30 p.m.
The morning program, “Business Owner Succession Workshop,” from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., is an interactive, small-group session designed for business owners who are actively considering retirement, succession planning, or transitioning their business. Participants will work through key questions surrounding business readiness, valuation, timing, financing options, and ownership transition strategies. The workshop will explore a variety of succession pathways, with a focus on key employee or broad-based employee ownership conversion.
The afternoon transitions from 1-5 p.m. to a broader regional forum focused on employee-owned businesses, bringing together people from employee-owned companies, business owners, and advisors from across Vermont, southern New Hampshire, and western Massachusetts.
Sessions will explore topics including building ownership culture, open-book management and financial education, employee ownership committees, governance and cooperative leadership, leadership succession at employee owned businesses, practical tools for existing ESOPs and worker cooperatives, and roundtable discussions connecting business leaders and practitioners.