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As a Business Owner

What will your legacy be?

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The North Carolina Employee Ownership Center serves as the central hub for information and resources around employee ownership in North Carolina.

Smiling Business Owner - over 50 or owners of color

Why is this a key moment for employee ownership in NC?

Employee ownership is a business model in which employees collectively own a percentage
of the business for which they work. Two of the main forms are Employee Stock Ownership
Plans (ESOPs) and worker cooperatives. In both, employees are given a financial stake in
the business. As the business prospers, employees prosper

  • Over the next 10 years, more than 4 million U.S. businesses owned by retiring baby boomers will change hands or dissolve
  • More than half of all small business owners do not have a succession plan
  • Many businesses will be sold and leave the state of NC, or close their doors permanently, resulting in lost jobs, tax base, and community impacts

Why consider employee ownership?

  • It is an ownership succession plan that preserves jobs and community impacts, while giving the selling shareholders preferred tax treatment
  • It is a proven strategy for employee recruitment and retention
  • When employees have a stake in the company’s success, everyone benefits
Maricela Lopez and

How can the North Carolina Employee Ownership Center help?

  • The NCEOC mission is to educate business owners and their advisors (lawyers, bankers, accountants, wealth advisors) on the benefits of employee ownership via Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), worker cooperatives, and Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs). NCEOC provides resources, case studies and articles, and a list of service providers who can assist with employee ownership transitions. NCEOC serves the entire state of North Carolina.
Assembling Rotors - Eastern NC
Learn more about employee ownership options