State House Democrats believe Colorado could be on the crest of a new wave in the business marketplace: employee-owned companies. While the concept has been around a long time — and occasionally has been put into practice — it seems to hold new allure amid the uncertainties of the rapidly changing, 21st century economy. It also draws inspiration from the likes of Fort Collins’s own New Belgium Brewing Co., a 100 percent-employee-owned dynamo in our state’s booming craft-brew trade. As of 2015, New Belgium was the fourth-largest craft brewery and eighth-largest overall brewery in the United States.
Which is why state Rep. James Coleman, D-Denver, wants to give employee ownership a boost. His House Bill 1214, which passed the House Business Affairs & Labor Committee Thursday on a party-line vote, directs the state Office of Economic Development and International Trade to promote employee ownership as part of its small business assistance center.
Read the rest at Colorado Politics
Go to the GEO front page
Add new comment