What we do

Business Ownership Solutions (BOS) works with business owners and their employees to think through whether conversion to employee ownership is feasible and could meet their needs, whether as a succession plan or as a growth strategy.

We provide the expertise needed to execute a successful conversion to an employee-owned company, including:

• Cooperative design
• Financial analysis
• Business planning
• Transaction structure and financing
• Education and training

A Win-win for all

• For business owners, conversion is one of the best ways to get a fair price for the business, sustain the legacy they’ve built, and, if structured properly, can provide substantial tax benefits for the current owner.
• For employees, conversion can improve wages and benefits, and offers an opportunity to build wealth through ownership.
• For communities, employee ownership conversion preserves local control and sustains the jobs and economic activity the business provides.

BOS promotes a model of economic and community development that is equitable and sustainable, builds on the assets and strengths of our people, and supports broadly shared prosperity.

CDI is proud to be a partner of the Northeast Transition Initiative (NETI), a partnership of organizations and lenders with deep experience in exit-planning and ownership transitions. Visit NETI’s website for more resources about business ownership transition options and videos about how business owners can start their exit plan: ownershiptransition.org.

Why your exit plan matters

Many business owners have not prepared adequately for a smooth transition to the next generation of ownership, leaving the future of the jobs, products and services they provide in question. The facts give us reason to worry:

• 60 – 80 percent of business owners want to retire within the next decade
• Of these, only about 20 percent have a plan for what to do with their business
• Only about 30% of family businesses survive into the second generation of the owner’s family
• Businesses sold to an outside investor have a 50-50 chance, at best

Converting independent businesses to worker-owned cooperatives would likely sustain these businesses. In fact, research shows that well-planned employee buyouts succeed about 80% of the time.

The Home Beautiful, New Hampshire’s largest home decorating centers, transitioned to employee ownership after more than 40 years in business. Watch the video below to hear their story.

Meet the BOS team

Rob Brown is the Director of CDI’s Business Ownership Solutions (BOS) Program. He is a nationally recognized expert in the field of employee ownership transitions, assisting business owners and their workers explore, assess, structure, and execute transitions to worker-owned cooperatives. He has developed extensive education programs and training for boards, management and members in new worker-owned cooperatives, and leads programs at the local, regional, and national level to educate and advise business owners on the exit planning process and options. Rob studied economics and public policy at the University of Maine and College of the Atlantic. He and his family live along the beautiful coastline of Penobscot Bay in Northport, Maine.

Contact Rob: rbrown@cdi.coop

Heather Foran is a Cooperative Development Specialist in CDI’s BOS Program. Heather comes from an experiential education background with both youth and adults. She co-founded the Field Academy, a traveling high school program and prior to coming to CDI, Heather worked with Coverdale O.D., a U.K.-based organization providing experiential training programs for leaders that build skills in shared leadership and systems transformation. Heather is also part of a global collaborative of facilitators with YES!, an organization that works at the intersection of personal, interpersonal, and systemic change.

Contact Heather: hforan@cdi.coop

Ryan Demers is a Cooperative Development Specialist in CDI’s BOS Program. Prior to joining CDI, Ryan was the General Manager at the North Country Food Co-op, the only full-service grocery store in downtown Plattsburgh, NY. During his time there, he grew the co-op to 16 employees and nearly $2MM in sales and successfully stewarded the business through the Covid pandemic. He brings great skills and experience in cooperative management and board development, conflict resolution, human resources, and financial analysis and education. Ryan has a deep appreciation for excellent customer service and its vital importance to business success, and made extensive customer service training central to his staff management. Ryan’s formal education was in Atmospheric Science, but after graduate school, he decided to take a different path when he discovered a passion for the cooperative business model.

Contact Ryan: rdemers@cdi.coop

Ariaun is a Cooperative Business Development Specialist in CDI’s BOS Program. She possesses a wealth of HR expertise cultivated from her career in large corporations and small businesses, and as the founder of her own HR consulting business, C.HR Services (Community Human Resources). She brings to CDI an entrepreneurial drive, expertise in developing and managing people, and an ability to cultivate strategic partnerships and connect with diverse communities.
Ariaun serves on the Springfield Creative City Collective Executive Board, where she initiated the Creative Industries Hiring Event, a platform that united diverse creative businesses and professionals to share opportunities and expertise with the Springfield community. She also played a pivotal role in planning Springfield’s inaugural Fashion Week, bringing together business owners, creatives, and the community.

Contact Ariaun: astewart@cdi.coop

Terri Bruce is the Program Project Coordinator for the Northeast Transition Initiative (NETI) in CDI’s BOS program. She has over twenty years of experience in the non-profit and government sectors, primarily in community, economic, and workforce development, with a combination of high-level policy development and direct service experience. She specializes in program evaluation, strategic planning, and organizational development, delighting in helping programs and organizations measure their impact and gain the evidence-based tools they need to tell the story of the work they do. Prior to joining CDI, she worked providing training and technical assistance to nonprofits across the country on a variety of organizational development and strategic planning topics including data management, data analysis, and evaluation.

Contact Terri: tbruce@cdi.coop

Help us reach our $30,000 goal!

It’s our 30th anniversary! We’re celebrating our birthday with a $30K for 30 years fundraising campaign that will help us continue creating economic opportunities in our communities and scale our impact. Give $1,000 or more and receive an organic-cotton CDI tote bag made in the USA!

Employment opportunities, marketing, professional development, technology, and other expenses at CDI are dependent on grants, project income, and donations from private donors like you. Support our mission and help us reach our goal by making a donation today!