VEOC: Austin Design transitions to a worker-owned cooperative

Vermont Employee Ownership Center The New England architecture firm has long taken a different approach to its design work. Now it has joined the movement for a different type of ownership.

A sampling of words that came to mind for Austin Design’s architects and designers when asked to briefly describe what architecture means to them: Purpose-driven. Enhanced living. Life-focused. Collaboration. The words stand out not only as helpful descriptions of what high-quality architecture can achieve, but also as reflections of some of the core ideals that continue to shape and propel forward the movement of companies becoming employee-owned, a movement which the team of 10 workers at Austin Design has joined as of early September.

Bill Austin started the architecture firm Austin Design, Inc., in Colrain, Massachusetts, in 1993, offering architecture services for a mix of residential and commercial clients, ranging from small renovations to large-scale new construction. Now operating primarily out of its office in southern Vermont, the firm has earned a reputation as the go-to firm in New England for craft breweries, and boasts some of the region’s best-known names as its clients, including The Alchemist in Stowe and Lawson’s Finest Liquids in Waitsfield.

This month, after a forty-year career in architecture, including thirty years at Austin Design, Austin retired, leaving the firm in the skilled hands of its employees to own and operate the business democratically as a worker cooperative.

“Over the last several years, our office evolved into a tight, effective team serving our clients to the best of our abilities,” Austin said. “We developed an exceptional, if diverse, portfolio in affordable housing and craft breweries, among other areas of architectural design. During the last year, we developed a plan to create a worker-owned cooperative to take the reins of Austin Design, Inc.”

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Oct. 1-31 EOVT Vermont Foodbank Fundraiser VEOC is excited to once again be teaming up with Employee Owners of Vermont and Vermont's employee-owned companies for the 5th Annual Vermont Foodbank Fundraiser. Donate to the EOVT Vermont Foodbank fundraiser at the link below. Donate

Oct. 3, 12 Regional Co-op Celebrations Join cooperators from your region to celebrate co-op month. Southern VT: Oct. 3, 5:30-7pm, Living Memorial Park, Brattleboro Central VT: Oct. 12, 5-7pm, Rabble-Rouser, Montpelier Chittenden: Oct. 3, 5-7pm, 12-22 North St., Burlington

Oct. 13, 5-7:30pm Employee Ownership Month Celebration Come raise a glass to Employee Ownership Month at employee-owned Switchback Brewing Company on Thursday, October 13th from 5:00-7:30pm! Open to employee owners and supporters of the model, the event will feature Switchback beer, pizza, and other munchies. RSVP

Oct. 21, 12-1pm Intro to Broad-Based Employee Ownership This brief virtual talk will cover the basics of broad-based employee ownership models such as Employee Stock Ownership Plans and worker-owned cooperatives. Register

Oct. 26 Co-op Month Virtual Summit This 1-hour event will include a brief moment for updates from representatives across Vermont's sector. Participants will then be split into small breakout groups to facilitate in-depth discussion and building relationships across co-ops. Register

Gardener’s Supply Chose to Keep Its Values Intact: Gardener's Supply Company ESOP Story This latest ESOP Formation Story from The ESOP Association shares the motivations behind Gardener's employee-ownership conversion and how it shapes the company culture today.

In Spain, an industrial-sized conglomerate owned by its workers suggests an alternative future for capitalism. How Mondragon Became the World's Largest Co-op Nick Romeo in The New Yorker gives the story of Mondragon's past, present, and possible futures.