Background Statement
Founded as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in 2012, RMEOC works across the state of Colorado to promote and advocate for employee ownership, provide education on employee owned business models, and work one-on-one with businesses to help them become employee owned. We are the only nonprofit organization in Colorado wholly dedicated to helping businesses convert to employee ownership.
Colorado is facing a business succession crisis, as baby boomer business owners get ready to retire and seek buyers for their businesses. For many companies, finding a buyer will be difficult and businesses will close, negatively impacting local communities. Employee ownership provides business owners with a viable way to grow their businesses and/or create succession plans, continue their legacies, and save jobs. Employee ownership reduces wealth inequality by creating companies where employees become owners, sharing in profits and having a voice in their workplace.
Over the years, we have worked with hundreds of Coloradans in our education, advocacy, and technical assistance programs. In 2017, RMEOC helped to pass Colorado House Bill 1214, Encouraging Employee Ownership of Small Business, which created a revolving loan fund for conversions, and in 2019 we began partnering with the state of Colorado (the Employee Ownership Commission and state Office of Employee Ownership) to grow our technical assistance program for business conversions to all parts of the state. In the last year we've served over 200 businesses in our programs.