Cleveland Cooperative StartsUp Businesses, Grows Employment Opportunities

There’s an interesting organization in Cleveland that is currently starting up businesses, aiming to increase Ohio’s efforts to be green while building jobs in the state. The organization is Evergreen Cooperatives, and they are launching a network of employee-owned businesses in Ohio that will leverage the procurement power of the city's largest medical and educational institutions. Evergreen is a partnership between the residents of six of Cleveland’s neighborhoods and some of Cleveland’s most important institutions – the Cleveland Foundation, Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic, to name a few.

Evergreen develops business concepts that are green and, of course, strategically sustainable. They vet several business ideas, and make decisions on which businesses to develop based on marketability, profitability and viability. For instance, each business must employ at least 50 workers, and, over the course of seven or eight years, earn that person about $65,000 of equity in the company. The intent is to create profitable businesses that not only pay back their start-up loans, but also contribute to a fund that seeds additional startups.

The Evergreen Cooperative Laundry just opened in October. Not only did Evergreen work to find a location where laundry service was in demand, but also they thoroughly researched the industry, finding that laundry businesses generate healthy profits for their owners. Next to open will be Ohio Solar Cooperative, which will perform large-scale solar panel installations on the roofs of Cleveland's largest nonprofit institutions. In winter, the company will perform weatherization services on area homes and businesses.

Click here to learn more about Evergreen Cooperative and their latest and upcoming business ventures.

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• Published under Ohio Business Climate Improvement, Region 8 - Northern Ohio