Employee Owned Companies: How Having More Will Help Build Resilient, Future-Focused Companies

Collective health is at the center of Superstruct’s taxonomy for a reason. We need to be healthy to show up as our best selves, be present and make reasonable decisions. We need a good night's rest that allows our brain to get to a restorative, NREM stage, along with exercise and eating decent meals, to name just a few good habits that stack overtime in ways that influence our health.

While the list is long for why modern work culture impacts our collective health, here is an oversimplified snapshot:

The salary / wages provided do not allow the average worker of the business to afford housing near work, so there is a significant commute. So forget that morning jog.
Childcare is ridiculously expensive. Often more than rent or the mortgage. People have to cut down costs to balance their budget and food is a significant ticket item.
The gig economy is the moment – a reflection of companies treating employees as disposable, with frequent layoffs and little long-term investment. And also, to loop back to the low wages, the reality is many people have side hustles to try to get ahead.

At Superstruct, we’re working to change that story by building businesses that center collective health, community, and long-term sustainability. We believe that worker ownership—through structures like cooperatives, employee-ownership trusts and in the U.S. Employee Stock Owned Plans (ESOPs)—offers solutions to today’s systemic challenges.

What is a Worker Cooperative?

As I look at the governance structures of a worker cooperative, I see the building blocks of solutions. For those who need a refresher, a worker cooperative is a business that’s owned and democratically run by the people who work there. Instead of having a boss or outside owners making all the decisions and taking the profits, the workers share responsibility, vote on big decisions, and split profits more fairly. Everyone has a real stake in how the business runs, so it’s more about teamwork and shared success than just working for a paycheck.

What’s the Difference Between a Worker Cooperative and an ESOP?

In the U.S., when talking about employee-owned companies, it's important to distinguish worker cooperatives, which combine ownership and democratic governance, from ESOPs (Employee Stock Ownership Plans), which provide financial ownership but typically retain traditional management structures.

While both models involve employees having a stake in the company, the key difference lies in control. In a worker cooperative, each employee-owner has one vote in major decisions, and governance is shared democratically. In contrast, an ESOP is a retirement plan that holds company stock in trust for employees—giving them a financial stake but not necessarily a voice in how the company is run.

While ESOPs don’t always offer the same level of democratic governance as traditional worker co-ops, they still align employees' financial success with that of the company. They’re a powerful tool for companies looking to transition toward more equitable and resilient ownership structures—especially at larger scales where full cooperative governance might be harder to implement.

What about Employee Ownership Trust (EOT)s?

Another emerging model in the U.S. is the Employee Ownership Trust (EOT)—a structure where a business is owned by a perpetual trust on behalf of its employees. Unlike ESOPs or worker cooperatives, EOTs don’t require individual employees to buy shares or participate in governance directly. Instead, a trustee oversees the business in the best interests of all employees, ensuring profits are shared and the mission stays rooted in long-term employee benefit. While more common in the United Kingdom, EOTs are gaining traction in the U.S. as a flexible, mission-aligned way to transition ownership and preserve legacy without selling to private equity or outside buyers.

Why Worker Ownership Aligns with Superstruct’s Vision

1. Resilience Through Shared Ownership

Superstruct is building businesses that can adapt and thrive in uncertainty—environmental, social, or economic. One key to this is employee ownership. When workers are also owners, they care more deeply about the company's success. Leaders are more likely to make smart, long-term decisions that support sustainability, not just quarterly gains.

Traditional shareholder models often lead to short-term thinking—layoffs, benefit cuts, or cost-slashing to meet investor expectations. Worker-owned models are different in that they align the interests of employees and the company, creating more stability and long-term vision, especially in times of disruption.

2. Collective Health Starts With Economic Security

Superstruct’s concept of collective health is about more than individual wellness—it’s about economic security, community care, and access to the basics. ESOPs and cooperatives directly contribute to this by allowing employees to build wealth and feel secure in their futures.

When workers are also owners, job satisfaction goes up. Turnover goes down. People are more connected to their company’s mission and values, which builds a positive culture rooted in mutual respect and shared purpose.

3. Innovation From the Ground Up

Innovation isn’t just about flashy tech—it’s about practical ways of solving problems. Employee-owned companies tend to foster a culture where ideas can come from anywhere, because everyone’s invested in making the business better. When people feel ownership, they’re more likely to speak up, share creative solutions, and take initiative.

In an uncertain world, this kind of decentralized, collaborative problem-solving is a major asset. It allows companies to adapt faster, with input from the people who know the day-to-day realities of the work.

4. Sustainable Growth Over Short-Term Gains

At Superstruct, we define success not just by financial metrics, but by long-term community impact and environmental sustainability. Traditional companies often prioritize profit for distant shareholders. Worker-owned companies are different: they tend to grow at a sustainable pace, reinvest in their people, and stick around longer.

Because employees are stakeholders, decisions aren’t just made for short-term gain—they're made with the future in mind. That means more responsible business practices, greater environmental awareness, and stronger community ties.

5. Community Impact and Local Resilience

Worker-owned companies are more likely to stay rooted in their communities. They offer stable jobs, invest in local infrastructure, and support other small businesses. This kind of economic anchor is especially important in rural or underserved areas.

When employees live and work in the same place, they’re more likely to care about the broader impact of the business—on schools, the environment, and the people around them. That’s how we create truly resilient, future-ready communities.

Highlights of American Employee-Owned Companies

One of the most recognizable names associated with employee ownership is Bob’s Red Mill, based in Oregon. Known nationally for its whole grains and natural foods, Bob’s Red Mill is an ESOP—Bob Moore transferred ownership to his employees through an employee stock ownership plan, which gives them a financial stake but not necessarily full democratic control.
Cooperative Home Care Associates in the Bronx, New York is the largest worker cooperative in the U.S., providing home health care services and focusing on empowering low-income caregivers, especially women of color, through worker ownership and democratic management.
Equal Exchange Equal Exchange is a Massachusetts-based company that sells fair trade coffee, tea, and chocolate. It operates as a true worker cooperative, where each worker-owner has an equal vote and share in the company’s profits and governance.
Though no longer a cooperative, New Belgium Brewing in Colorado was once one of the most famous examples of employee ownership. The maker of Fat Tire and other craft beers was operated under an ESOP structure before being sold to an international company in 2019.
Namaste Solar, also in Colorado, is a worker-owned cooperative in the renewable energy space. It’s known for its democratic workplace and sustainability mission, and it continues to grow within the clean tech sector.

Moving Forward

Employee-owned companies offer real, grounded solutions to the exact challenges we face in today’s work culture. Because workers have a say in how profits are distributed, cooperatives are more likely to prioritize fair wages and adjust compensation based on real needs—not just market benchmarks. They also tend to reinvest in benefits that matter, like on-site or subsidized childcare, flexible scheduling, and parental leave policies that reflect real life. And unlike the gig economy, which thrives on instability and worker disposability, cooperatives build long-term roles that offer stability, voice, and ownership. They flip the script by treating people as the core asset, not a cost to be minimized.

At Superstruct, we believe that building resilient businesses requires rethinking how companies are owned, governed, and operated. That’s why we support models like worker cooperatives and ESOPs—not just because they’re fairer, but because they’re smarter for the long haul.

If we want a future where companies are more than just profit machines—where they invest in their people, give back to their communities, and help solve big systemic problems—we need more employee-owned businesses. It’s one of the clearest, most actionable ways to align business with wellbeing, purpose, and economic growth.

The future of business is collective. The future of work is ownership. And the path to resilience starts with sharing who gets a seat at the table.