OEOC's Annual Giving Campaign 2010-2011 

November 2010,

Dear Friend of the OEOC,

It has been a year of transition here at the OEOC. It was the first year without our founder and leader, John Logue. His passing in December of 2009 was mourned greatly by OEOC staffers past and present, who were privileged to call John a colleague, teacher, mentor, and perhaps most meaningful of all, friend.

There is a saying in the world of business succession planning: "When a business owner dies, the business often dies with them." Some may have expected, perhaps, that the OEOC would be less able to continue John's work. The staff of the OEOC will not allow that to happen.  John's energy, drive, and vision will certainly be missed. However it is clear the OEOC is well equipped with the talent, experience, and passion to begin a new chapter in John's dream. His example of hard work and tireless advocacy for employee ownership, small business, and working families in our local communities made clear that the work of the OEOC, and the vision of John Logue, should (and will) continue.

To paraphrase the poet, we have miles to go before we sleep.

Here are some of the items that we are most proud of since the last letter:

If you have checked out our new website lately (www.oeockent.org) or received our newsletter (Owners at Work; it's a free subscription!) you will have heard of the Evergreen Cooperative Initiative. The initiative is a collaboration between the OEOC, the city of Cleveland, The Cleveland Foundation, and Shore Bank of Cleveland. The intent is to leverage large anchor institutions in urban areas (in the case of Evergreen around the University Circle area of Cleveland), create jobs, and generate wealth for low-income residents while also stabilizing neighborhoods. A critical tactic is the creation of new employee owned businesses, largely structured on the co-op model, whose products and services would match the procurement needs of large nearby institutions.

The initiative has become a model for other urban areas in Ohio and around the country. As such, the Evergreen Project, along with the OEOC and John Logue, were honored at the 2010 Association of Cooperative Educators (ACE) Institute annual conference held in Cleveland in July.

You may remember that we reported last year that the Common Wealth Revolving Loan Fund (CWRLF) was able to triple its assets to $1.5 million (now it's $2 million!). We are pleased to report that this year, the CWRLF was designated a Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI) which gives the fund access to additional monies for lending to the employee ownership community.

And, as we were proud to say last year and prouder to say again this year, the CWRLF has yet to make a bad loan; employee owned companies are STILL a better bet. If you are interested in investing in CWRLF and supporting employee owned businesses in Ohio, check that box on the return envelope and we'll send you more information.

Finally, this past year we received a grant from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to set up a cooperative development center at Kent State University. While the center will assist in all manner of cooperative business development, it will have a special focus on the development of employee owned cooperatives. One of the first projects completed under the grant was the writing and publication of a new book, Selling Your Business to Your Employees, a guide for business owners looking to transition their business to their employees. You can get your copy by making a donation to the Center, and checking the box on the enclosed envelope.

As you can read in the attached annual report, we have continued our core activities supporting employee ownership and employee-owned companies throughout Ohio. That program continues to be an outstanding success - and worthy of replication. We have also devoted a lot of energy to continuing the expansion of our business owner succession planning program as part of our core program. If you are interested in learning more, check the box for a copy of the new edition of our Owner's Guide to Business Succession Planning including the DVD on the enclosed envelope.

As a supporter of the OEOC, you can be proud of helping make these accomplishments possible. But there's more to do in Ohio and throughout the country. Be a part of it: continue to contribute generously as a Friend of the OEOC. With the continuing strain on federal and state budgets for supporting the work of the OEOC, your willingness to become a Friend of the OEOC is more important than ever.

If you haven't contributed in the past, as you think about year-end charitable donations, consider aiding the work of the OEOC. Your contribution is tax exempt to the extent allowed by law. Make checks payable to: OEOC/KSU Foundation.

As another year draws to a close, all of us here at the OEOC wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season and all the best in 2011.

Sincerely,
The staff of the Ohio Employee Ownership Center 

This letter in PDF click here

Click here for our 2010 Annual Report

If you would like to make a contribution and pay online via credit card, click here. In the box labeled "event" type in "Friend of the Center Contribution."

You can also mail in a check to the OEOC, payable to the OEOC/KSU Foundation. If you would like to mark your contribution in remembrance of John Logue, please specify in your check's memo field.