Evergreen Cooperatives

“Ours is a phenomenal Cleveland story that is getting attention from around the country.”

John McMicken, CEO

The Evergreen Initiative

About Evergreen Cooperatives

Our initiative to revitalize low-to-medium income neighborhoods through employee ownership has drawn national and international media attention and wide interest from economic development experts.

The Evergreen Model

Evergreen’s founders and several anchor institutions set out in 2008, developing an economic initiative that creates dynamic communities that are home to successful employee-owned businesses, vibrant neighborhoods, and high-quality jobs.

What has become known across the United States as the “Evergreen Model” is our approach to transforming and revitalizing struggling neighborhoods.

Our strategy focuses on economic inclusion and building a local economy from the ground up:

01

Acquire small and mid-sized businesses.

02

Convert the businesses to employee ownership.

03

Create quality jobs in those employee-owned businesses.

04

Train new employee owners.

05

Provide ongoing business support to the worker cooperative.

A Nationally Watched Initiative in Grassroots Economic Development

The Evergreen Model supports economic growth initiatives in wealth building through profit sharing with its network of worker-owned cooperatives.The successful impact of Evergreen’s initiative extends far beyond northeast Ohio, as cities across the globe replicate and adapt the Evergreen Model  to develop quality jobs and create vibrant communities.

“These are not your traditional small-scale co-ops,” wrote The Nation, noting Evergreen Cooperatives’ large ambitions, and the national buzz it created for “The Cleveland model.”

The Evergreen Mission

Transforming lives and neighborhoods through community wealth building.

Our mission is to build thriving businesses and vibrant local economies by creating quality jobs through a network of employee-owned enterprises in Northeast Ohio.

Economic Opportunity

Promote, coordinate and expand economic opportunity for low-income individuals, through a growing network of sustainable  community-based enterprises.

Community Stabilization

Promote community stabilization and revitalization of the divested neighborhoods in Northeast Ohio and beyond.

Public Understanding

Promote public understanding of cooperative principles and how cooperatives and other community wealth-building models function.

Local Program Implementation

Encourage and enable cities and other areas throughout Ohio and the United States to implement their own local programs, inspired by Evergreen’s mission, vision, strategy and principles.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Evergreen Cooperatives’ strives for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) in our workplaces. We are guided by our DE&I vision, mission and purpose:

Our DE&I Vision

To create the most diverse group of cooperatives, empowering its members to build wealth for themselves and future generations.

Our DE&I Mission

We will cultivate a thoughtful and inclusive culture where all persons can prosper.

Our DE&I Purpose

Ensure a healthy workplace by sustaining and respecting our diverse workforce.

View DE&I Framework

Our Anchor Partners

We proudly partner with anchor institutions, helping create sustainable jobs and driving economic stability in nearby low-wealth communities. Their ongoing commitment to our initiative has been an integral part of our success. Read more about our partners.

Associated Partners

Certified EO

Evergreen Cooperatives is a member of Certified Employee Owned (Certified EO), the leading certification program for employee-owned companies in the United States. Certified EO works directly with members to help them make their employee ownership more visible to their workers, clients, and their communities. The organization has more than 175 companies and 120,000 employee owners.

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Employee Ownership Equals (EO=)

Employee Ownership Equals (EO=) is a campaign to expand the employee ownership movement, helping more small businesses thrive, empowering workers with higher quality jobs, and building more equitable communities. The EO= campaign is designed to help business owners learn about employee ownership and connect them with experts to find the solution that will work best for their situation.

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Ohio Employee Ownership Center (OEOC)

Through the Ohio Employee Ownership Center (OEOC), new employee owners in Evergreen’s cooperatives receive online training about employee ownership and the business basics. The OEOC is a non-profit outreach center of Kent State University, and supports the development of business across Ohio and around the world by its efforts that are proven to save jobs, create wealth, and grow the economy. The OEOC’s work rests on a simple philosophy: broader ownership of productive assets is a good thing for employees, communities, and the United States.

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The Evergreen Team

“We know that employee ownership is a powerful tool through which small businesses thrive, workers are empowered with higher quality jobs, and sustainable communities flourish.”

Jeanette Webster, CIO

Leadership

John McMicken

Chief Executive Officer

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Jeanette Webster

Chief Investment Officer

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Janet Hayward

DE&I Human Resources Manager

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Regina Johnson

Accounting Manager

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Emma Sherrie

Business Development Manager

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Board of Directors

Rosalyn Ciulla

Former Senior Vice President and Manager of Key Community Development Corporation

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Ann M. Conn

Chief Executive Officer at McGregor Foundation

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Steve Downey

Chief Supply Chain & Support Services Officer at Cleveland Clinic

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Arlishea L. Fulton

Chief Commercial and Real Estate Counsel and Deputy Secretary of the Corporation at Case Western Reserve University

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Percival I. Kane, Jr., MHA

Chief Operating Officer, University Hospitals (UH) Ahuja Medical Center

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Andrea Kanter Grodin, JD

Executive Director of Operations at Cleveland Clinic

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Kirk Neiswander

President of EDGE

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Julie Rehm, Ph.D.

Vice President, Advancement, Cleveland State University (CSU) Executive Director, Cleveland State University Foundation

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Nicole Rosenbaum

Program Officer, Workforce Development & Talent Cultivation

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Jon Utech

Senior Director of the Office for a Healthy Environment at Cleveland Clinic

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Angela D Wilcoxson

EVP / Chief Commercial Banking Officer CNB Bank

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Evergreen Business Services

Evergreen Business Services (EBS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Evergreen Cooperatives, was developed to support the network of cooperatives focused on driving and developing new business opportunities consistent with Evergreen’s mission.

Business Services

Our employee-ownership experts offer essential services including:

Consulting

Feasibility Studies

Business Planning

Commercial Healthcare Laundry Operations (or Support)