Tag Archives: conversions

The Government Will Not Save Us

Posted on February 3, 2020 by John McNamara

Regardless of the outcome of the Iowa Caucus tonight, our salvation as a community (however you define it) and as a species will not come from politicians. It will will only come from our collective efforts to build a better … Continue reading →

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New Belgium Brewery Goes Flat

Posted on December 30, 2019 by John McNamara

A couple of weeks ago, a tremor ran through the “employee ownership” establishment when New Belgium Brewing announced that it had sold itself to Kirin, a Japanese conglomerate with international holdings. New Belgium was a highly touted ESOP (Employee Stock … Continue reading →

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All Systems Go! Working Systems Co-op

Posted on October 30, 2019 by John McNamara

In July of 2018, while the Main Street Employee Ownership Act was working its way into the Omnibus Defense Bill and NWCDC was preparing its Legacy Project aimed at raising the profile of worker ownership, I got a call from … Continue reading →

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Blue Scorcher: Bread and Circles

Posted on October 11, 2019 by John McNamara

The Blue Scorcher Bakery and Café in Astoria, Oregon is a very unique worker co-op. This worker co-op started out as The Bread Collective, a small group of bread bakers. As the collective grew in reputation, production, and staff, a … Continue reading →

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Black Moon Rising: The New Moon Café

Posted on October 8, 2019 by John McNamara

Today in the National Co-op Month series, the focus is on Olympia’s second oldest active worker cooperative.
The New Moon Café converted to a worker-owned organization in August, 2013. The sale was financed though member equity and the previous owner. In … Continue reading →

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Le Voyeur–The Next Generation

Posted on October 1, 2019 by John McNamara

Le Voyeur has been a mainstay of Olympia’s scene since 1997.
“Le Voyeur offers vegan-friendly food, drunk-friendly drinks, and punk-friendly entertainment. It’s also a good spot for some Olympian people-watching, as college kids and townies mix with K Records royalty and … Continue reading →

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