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:
Acquire small and mid-sized businesses.
Convert the businesses to employee ownership.
Create quality jobs in those employee-owned businesses.
Train new employee owners.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
VIEW BIOJohn McMicken
Chief Executive Officer
John oversees day-to-day operations and is responsible for ongoing business planning and the evaluation of new service offerings for the Evergreen Cooperative Corporation business units. McMicken has 20 years of experience in technology services, having held senior-level positions in business development and operations management.
He has successfully launched a variety of technology startups. In 2009, he founded Virtical Technologies, LLC, a Cleveland consulting firm. Prior to that he was president of Inventus Technologies, which provides document-management services to law firms, where he was instrumental in opening four new markets over a five-year period. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary.
Jeanette Webster
Chief Investment Officer
VIEW BIOJeanette Webster
Chief Investment Officer
Jeanette oversees Evergreen’s Fund for Employee Ownership, which supports good sustainable jobs through acquiring and converting companies to employee-owned organizations.
She has served in senior finance positions in major manufacturing and service companies, including as CFO. She has years of mergers and acquisition experience, having overseen acquisitions in 17 countries. A native of the United Kingdom, Jeanette earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Windsor, in Windsor, Ontario, and an MBA from Ashland University in Ohio. She is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Financial Planner™.
Janet Hayward
DE&I Human Resources Manager
VIEW BIOJanet Hayward
DE&I Human Resources Manager
Janet serves as the HR manager for Evergreen Business Services. In that role, she provides leadership support to two Evergreen laundry facilities, in the Collinwood and Glenville neighborhoods. Janet, who grew up in the Glenville neighborhood, is proud to be a part of a company whose mission is to build wealth and create opportunities in the very neighborhood in which she was raised. Janet is a graduate of Cleveland State University, where she earned a business administration degree with a concentration in Human Resources. In her free time, she serves as a volunteer with Stasha’s Kids, a non-profit that serves inner-city youth.
Regina Johnson
Accounting Manager
VIEW BIORegina Johnson
Accounting Manager
Regina, a Cleveland native, has worked with Evergreen Cooperatives for a decade. She has more than 25 years of experience in the finance and accounting field. She previously worked for Dollar Bank of Cleveland, as Accounts Payable Supervisor for The Blonder Wallcovering Company and as Accounts Payable/Payroll Manager at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as one of the original staff members of the museum.
Regina holds an associate degree in data processing from Sawyer College of Business, a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Dyke College of Business and a Master’s Degree in Business from the Keller Graduate School of Business. In her spare time, she works as a videographer. She enjoys preserving special moments for clients through capturing and creatively editing video. She is proud to be part of an organization such as Evergreen that creates innovative sustainable markets, strives to maintain thriving businesses within neighborhoods, and helps to create job opportunities for those living within the area.
Emma Sherrie
Business Development Manager
VIEW BIOEmma Sherrie
Business Development Manager
Emma Sherrie is the Business Development Manager working with the Fund for Employee Ownership. She has been with Evergreen since 2019 and manages support for the Fund and its network of coops in various capacities, along with coordinating company-wide IT infrastructure, project management, and marketing and design.
Emma has years of experience with middle-market mergers and acquisitions, executive management support, and design. Emma graduated magna cum laude from Kent State University with a bachelor’s in anthropology and a non-profit management certificate. Emma is a proud facilitator at Joel’s Place, a peer-to-peer grief support group for kids, teens, and families.
Board of Directors
Rosalyn Ciulla
Former Senior Vice President and Manager of Key Community Development Corporation
VIEW BIORosalyn Ciulla
Former Senior Vice President and Manager of Key Community Development Corporation
Rosalyn (“Roz”) A. Ciulla is a community and economic development finance professional with 30+ years of experience in small business and commercial real estate lending, mezzanine financing, and equity investing. She effectively structures complex community development transactions that meet client’s needs while mitigating risks and ensuring economic viability.
Formerly, Ms. Ciulla was the Director, Finance for Evergreen Cooperative Corporation (ECC). Prior to Evergreen, Ms. Ciulla was a Senior Vice President and Manager of Key Community Development Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of KeyBank National Association. She initiated investment and lending activities on a national basis in businesses and projects that promoted community welfare by providing affordable housing, creating jobs, and stimulating reinvestment in low-to-moderate-income communities. She managed a staff of eleven, an equity portfolio of nearly $1.3 billion and a loan portfolio of nearly $700 million.
Ms. Ciulla holds an MBA from Lake Erie College, Painesville, Ohio and a B.A. in Business Administration and Accounting with a minor in Finance from Notre Dame College of Ohio in South Euclid, Ohio.
Ann M. Conn
Chief Executive Officer at McGregor Foundation
VIEW BIOAnn M. Conn
Chief Executive Officer at McGregor Foundation
Ann Conn serves as President and Chief Executive Officer for the McGregor Foundation with more than 20 years of experience working in the Senior Living Industry. She provides leadership to McGregor whose mission is to serve seniors through both direct service provision and philanthropic support. McGregor provides rehabilitation, nursing, housing, and hospice services in conventional settings as well as working to keep seniors as independent as possible in the community through its Program for All-inclusive Care for the Elderly.
Ann received her BS in Business Administration from Youngstown State University and her executive MBA from Case Western University in Cleveland, Ohio. For the first five years of her career, she worked in public accounting performing audit, tax and business valuation engagements. In 2000, she joined Asbury Heights, a continuing care retirement community located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In an effort to relocate to Ohio, she joined a family owned-chain of nursing facilities located in Ohio and Pennsylvania where she worked until joining McGregor. Ann currently serves on the board directors for the Leading Age Ohio and Evergreen Cooperative Board.
Ann lives in Chardon with her husband, Paul and two children – Mason and Madison. When not working, Ann and her family enjoy supporting local sports teams, golfing, attending local theater and visiting with family who still live in Northeast Ohio.
Steve Downey
Chief Supply Chain & Support Services Officer at Cleveland Clinic
VIEW BIOSteve Downey
Chief Supply Chain & Support Services Officer at Cleveland Clinic
Mr. Downey is a healthcare expert with a passion for helping the industry treat and serve patients better. His experience includes organizations across the healthcare spectrum, including medical device, services, GPOs and health systems. He is a recognized supply chain expert, an in-demand speaker and well published author on the subject.At Cleveland Clinic, Mr. Downey serves as the Chief Supply Chain & Support Services Officer, where he leads a multi-disciplinary team that spans sourcing, materials management, technology/P2P, analytics and support services, including food services, linen and laundry, patient transport, Cleveland Clinic’s Red Coat program and service express (call center). He also leads the Excelerate GPO, a Cleveland Clinic joint venture with Vizient and OhioHealth, as the CEO.
Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic, Mr. Downey led the Supply Chain Operations business for Vizient, which included operating multiple health system supply chains, setting national best practices and leading supply chain technologies. Mr. Downey joined Vizient from GEODIS, an international supply chain transport and logistics firm, operating in 67 countries where he served as vice president of both the consumer electronics and healthcare verticals. Prior to this position, he led commercial supply chain teams at Integra Life Sciences and Scott Medical Products.
Mr. Downey graduated from Lehigh University with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s degree in management of technology. He serves as co-chair of the Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation and board member of Friends Health Connection. He and his twin boys reside in Cleveland, Ohio.
Arlishea L. Fulton
Chief Commercial and Real Estate Counsel and Deputy Secretary of the Corporation at Case Western Reserve University
VIEW BIOArlishea L. Fulton
Chief Commercial and Real Estate Counsel and Deputy Secretary of the Corporation at Case Western Reserve University
Arlishea L. Fulton is Chief Commercial and Real Estate Counsel and Deputy Secretary of the Corporation at Case Western Reserve University. She joined the university's Office of General Counsel in 2007. Her practice focuses on a broad range of commercial and real estate transactions as well as corporate governance. Prior to joining CWRU, Ms. Fulton was an attorney in the Business Law Group and the Real Estate Law Group at the law firm of Ulmer & Berne. She received her B.S. from the School of Business & Industry at Florida A&M University, and her J.D. from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
Percival I. Kane, Jr., MHA
Chief Operating Officer, University Hospitals (UH) Ahuja Medical Center
VIEW BIOPercival I. Kane, Jr., MHA
Chief Operating Officer, University Hospitals (UH) Ahuja Medical Center
Percival I. Kane, Jr., MHA, was named Chief Operating Officer of University Hospitals (UH) Ahuja Medical Center and began his new appointment January, 2022.
Mr. Kane is responsible for improving the value of UH Ahuja Medical Center’s services to the community, including enhancing the hospital’s growth and market share, continually improving clinical quality, safety, and patient experience, and furthering integration initiatives within the UH system.
Mr. Kane recently led a $236.1 million Phase 2 expansion project, which officially opened in June of 2023. The expansion has brought new and improved services and hundreds of jobs to the community, including labor and delivery services, a new neonatal intensive care unit, the largest sports rehab complex in Northeast Ohio, a comprehensive breast health center, a new ambulatory surgical center, an expanded emergency department and more.
Percival comes to us from Cleveland Clinic Marymount Hospital, where he served as Chief Operating Officer. Marymount is comprised of a 269-bed acute care regional hospital, an ambulatory surgery center and is the only Catholic Hospital within the health system. In his tenure, he provided executive leadership contributing to growth in admissions, surgical volume, emergency department visits and OR optimization. He also helped the team achieve favorable engagement scores in the midst of the pandemic.
Prior to his work in health care executive roles in Cleveland, Percival served as the Chief Ambulatory Officer and Senior Vice President of the Physician Network at North Oaks Health System in Louisiana. He earned his Master of Health Administration from Saint Louis University School of Public Health, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Health Administration from Dillard University in New Orleans.
Percival is actively involved in the community and professional organizations. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), the National Association of Health Service Executives (NAHSE), the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), President of University Settlement Board of Directors and Board Chairman of the Cleveland Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
Percival received his Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health Administration from Dillard University in New Orleans, LA, a Master’s of Health Administration degree from Saint Louis University in St. Louis, MO and is beginning his pursuit of Doctorate in Education in Healthcare Leadership at LSU via the Shreveport campus. Lastly, he also holds a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification.
Andrea Kanter Grodin, JD
Executive Director of Operations at Cleveland Clinic
VIEW BIOAndrea Kanter Grodin, JD
Executive Director of Operations at Cleveland Clinic
Andrea Kanter Grodin, JD, is the Executive Director of Operations at Cleveland Clinic. Reporting to the Chief of Operations, she has executive oversight for Buildings + Design, Clinical Engineering, International Operations, Marketing and Communications, Supply Chain & Patient Support Services, Philanthropy, Protective Services and Hotels. She leads initiatives related to strategy, policy, system integration and change for the health system, as well as collaborates with other local anchor institutions to develop inclusive economic development strategies that leverage resources to benefit our local communities. She serves on numerous cross-functional teams across the enterprise.
She started her career at Cleveland Clinic as the Administrator of the Beachwood Family Health Center. She later held several administrative positions of increasing responsibility including executive leadership in the Medicine Institute, Regional Hospital Administration, and as Chief Operating Officer of South Pointe Hospital. Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic, Andi was the VP of Administration and Planning for Montefiore, a not-for-profit health-care organization for seniors, and before that, practiced municipal law for 10 years. She currently serves on the boards of trustees of Evergreen Cooperatives (Vice Chair) and Jewish Community Housing. She is a Life Trustee and former Board Chair of Milestones Autism Resources.
Andi graduated summa cum laude from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Arts in economics. She has a Juris Doctor degree from Boston University School of Law.
Kirk Neiswander
President of EDGE
VIEW BIOKirk Neiswander
President of EDGE
Kirk Neiswander is President of The Entrepreneurs EDGE, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization which he founded in 2005. EDGE fosters entrepreneurship, innovation and economic development in Northeast Ohio and focuses on growing the value of existing mid-market companies that sell some of their goods and services outside the NE Ohio region. The organization is market driven and is self-funded. Kirk was an officer of Enterprise Development, Inc., and created the Entrepreneurial programs at the Weatherhead School of Management in 1983. Over a 22-year career at Case Western Reserve University, he created many new courses, conferences, retreats, breakfast series, recognition events, networking events and specialized services for entrepreneurs and mid-market companies.
Kirk serves as an advisor to a number of smaller growth companies, and has developed a substantial level of expertise in Creativity/Innovation, entrepreneurship, economic development, management strategy and planning, as well as managing growth. He serves on the Advisory Board for the Evergreen Cooperative, a program created by the Cleveland Foundation to establish inner city businesses to employ inner city residents; was the Founding Chairman of E City and still serves on the board of the organization it merged with Youth Opportunities Unlimited – (YOU); and is on the Board of the McGregor Foundation. He has an MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University in General Management, and a BA from Denison University in Mathematics/Economics.
Julie Rehm, Ph.D.
Vice President, Advancement, Cleveland State University (CSU) Executive Director, Cleveland State University Foundation
VIEW BIOJulie Rehm, Ph.D.
Vice President, Advancement, Cleveland State University (CSU) Executive Director, Cleveland State University Foundation
Julie manages the Advancement Division which is responsible for all fundraising and includes alumni relations and communications. As Executive Director for the CSU Foundation, she manages a 35-person Board of Directors which includes multiple committees and an endowment of ~$120 million for CSU.
Previously, Julie was the Vice President of Government and Foundation Relations at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). She secured funding from local and national foundations, and managed CWRU activities with federal, state, and local elected officials. She also oversaw community relations.Prior to joining CWRU, Julie worked at the Cleveland Clinic and Battelle Memorial Institute.
Julie earned her Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Chemistry from University of Rochester, her Bachelor’s in Chemistry from Rochester Institute of Technology, and two Associate degrees from Niagara County Community College.
Nicole Rosenbaum
Program Officer, Workforce Development & Talent Cultivation
VIEW BIONicole Rosenbaum
Program Officer, Workforce Development & Talent Cultivation
Nicole Rosenbaum joined the Cleveland Foundation in December2022 as a Program Officer for Workforce Development & Talent Cultivation. In her current role, Nicole is responsible for addressing talent attraction and retention challenges and opportunities in the Greater Cleveland area to support equitable economic growth.
Prior to joining the foundation, Nicole managed a competitive grant through the Department of Labor. In that capacity, Nicole engaged local employer partners and nontraditional sources of talent to design and implement pre-apprenticeship/apprenticeship models of education and on-the-job-training to increase employment, academics, and retention deliverables in Cuyahoga County.
Nicole started her professional career as a second-grade teacher in the Cleveland community. Nicole currently holds a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Urban Studies from the University of Pittsburgh with a certification in women and gender studies.
Jon Utech
Senior Director of the Office for a Healthy Environment at Cleveland Clinic
VIEW BIOJon Utech
Senior Director of the Office for a Healthy Environment at Cleveland Clinic
Jon E. Utech is the Senior Director of the Office for a Healthy Environment at Cleveland Clinic, where he develops sustainability strategies to emphasis the triple bottom line. Jon directs the Clinic's sustainability program covering energy demand reduction, carbon neutrality, climate resilience, green building, recycling, sustainable food, greening supply chain, tree planting, engagement and reporting. Jon leads the organization’s climate action which includes policy engagement, climate resilience, energy efficiency and renewable energy. Jon is a carbon accountant and has calculated and published Cleveland Clinic’s carbon footprint since 2014. Jon serves on the Healthcare without Harm Climate Council, Healthcare Sector Steering committee for the Better Climate Challenge, National Academy of Medicine Climate Collaborative Working Group, and Evergreen Cooperatives. Jon’s team works to engage Cleveland Clinic caregivers and the community in this effort to support the overall goal of improving environmental health and human health. Jon has also led Cleveland Clinic’s ESG reporting since 2013 reporting annually with a hybrid UN Global Compact/GRI report.
Jon earned an MBA and MPOD from Case Western Reserve University and a BA in History from Dartmouth College.
Angela D Wilcoxson
EVP / Chief Commercial Banking Officer CNB Bank
VIEW BIOAngela D Wilcoxson
EVP / Chief Commercial Banking Officer CNB Bank
Angela Wilcoxson joined CNB Bank, as Executive Vice President, Commercial Banking in August 2020. She was promoted to Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Banking Officer on January 1, 2022. In this role, she is responsible for guiding the commercial teams in each region, covering all aspects of commercial banking from strategy to loan and deposits. In addition, Angela was a member of the steering committee that created, CNB’s sixth bank division, Impressia Bank. Impressia Bank is focused on women in business. Angela has worked in the banking industry for 30 years and held leadership position in Portfolio Monitoring and Business Banking. Prior to joining CNB, she worked for KeyBank for 23 years. In her last role at KeyBank she served as Senior Vice President/Business Banking Sales Leader for Northeast Ohio. Angela also served in various relationship and portfolio management and underwriting roles in Middle Market, Healthcare Finance and National Commercial Banking groups. She spent 18 months at Huntington National Bank in portfolio and relationship management roles with areas of focus including Commercial Banking, Non-profit and Healthcare. Prior to KeyBank, Angela spent four years with Bank One, Cleveland (now known as JP Morgan Chase) in Commercial Banking portfolio management and underwriting positions.
A native of Oakwood Village, OH, Angela holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Kent State University and a Master of Arts in Applied Biblical Studies from Moody Bible Institute. She was named to Kaleidoscope Magazine’s 40 under 40 list in 2010. Angela was featured in the 2012, 2013 and 2018 issues of Who’s Who in Black Cleveland. She is a recipient of the 2013 YWCA Women of Professional Excellence Award. She is also a graduate of Cleveland Bridge Builders in 2015.
Angela currently serves on the boards of Evergreen Cooperatives and The McGregor Foundation. In addition, she is board President for Evergreen Business Services and Evergreen Cooperative Development Fund. She has held a previous board seat and served as Secretary for Cleveland Kids in Need.
Angela lives in Twinsburg with her husband of 20 years. They have four young adult children.
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.
Our employee-ownership experts offer essential services including:
Consulting
Feasibility Studies
Business Planning
Commercial Healthcare Laundry Operations (or Support)