Objectives
& Services
The
OEOC's information and outreach activities are designed to promote the possible
uses of employee ownership under a variety of circumstances, ranging from succession
planning to employee buyouts. The OEOC provides
free preliminary technical assistance to companies and unions that are interested
in exploring the possibility of employee ownership for their particular situation.
Although the Center does not provide professional legal, accounting or valuation
services, it does maintain a database of lawyers, investment bankers, valuators
and other professionals who specialize in providing ESOP services.
Education
& Training
While
ownership is a necessary condition for company performance improvement, it is
insufficient by itself. A number of studies have demonstrated that it is the combination
of employee ownership with structures for employee participation, training to
understand those structures, and open communication about the business that lead
to high performance in employee-owned firms. As a consequence, the OEOC provides
advice to individual companies on structuring employee participation systems and
conducts ownership education programs on a single and multi-company basis. The
OEOC also provides specially tailored training programs to employee-owned companies
on a fee-for-service basis.
Ohio's Employee
Owned Network
The
Network provides a forum for those working within employee-owned companies to
learn from each other how to make employee ownership work more effectively at
their firms. Coordinated by the OEOC since 1989, the Network facilitates communication
among employee owners to help them climb the learning curve about how to run an
employee-owned company. A second goal is to assist individuals and companies to
experience the cultural change from conventional to employee ownership, where
everyone feels the risk of ownership as well as sharing in the profits. With joint
planning and financial support of member companies, the Network sponsors roundtables,
forums, and training workshops which address the unique challenges of ESOPs.
Succession
Planning Program
The
OEOC teams up with the Greater Cleveland Growth Association's
Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE) and CAMP,
Inc. to provide a comprehensive series of succession planning seminars to
area business owners. Program participants receive An Owner's Guide to Business
Succession Planning, a Service Provider
Directory of local practitioners, worksheets, selected readings and presenter
packets. Experienced consultants are available to answer questions and there are
opportunities to interact with other business owners. This program was initially
funded by the The Cleveland Foundation
and The George Gund Foundation as an effective
means to retain jobs that might otherwise be lost from failure to plan for succession.
It is now supported by private sponsors.
Resources
The OEOC has an active
research and publication program on employee ownership. The Center publishes
a monograph series as well as an occasional papers series and the newsletter Owners
At Work.
For
additional information about the OEOC, contact:
Ohio
Employee Ownership Center
Kent State University
113 McGilvrey Hall
Kent, OH 44242-0001
Voice: 330.672.3028
Fax: 330.672.4063
Ohio Employee
Ownership Center/Kent State University, Copyright© 2001
For problems with
or questions regarding this site contact oeoc@kent.edu
