Skip to content

As a Business Owner

What will be your legacy?

The Missouri Center for Employee Ownership serves as the central hub for information and resources around employee ownership in Missouri and eastern Kansas.

man wearing goggles works on machinery in a factory

Why is this a key moment for employee ownership in MO and KS?

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 MO, 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
factory workers tend to large machinery

How can the Missouri Center for Employee Ownership help?

  • The MOCEO's 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). MOCEO provides resources, case studies and articles, and a list of service providers who can assist with employee ownership transitions. MOCEO serves the entire state of Missouri.
employees hands at table, coworkers meeting
LEARN MORE ABOUT EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP OPTIONS

MOCEO Newsletter

We're on a mission to turn the state of Missouri into a place where every working person can also be an employee-owner.

The MOCEO is grateful to the following organizations for their significant financial support