Employee Ownership Office

Today, the Polis Administration and the Colorado Employee Ownership Office, housed within the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), announced four new businesses transitioning to employee-ownership with the help of the Employee Ownership Office including Idaho Springs’ Beau Jo’s Pizza. These conversions are part of a growing trend of employee-ownership in Colorado and continue the work of the Polis Administration to save businesses money while ensuring that everyone can benefit when a business thrives. 

Peak Food & Beverage, located in Durango, Colorado, began as a brewing company in 1996 and has since grown to hold five restaurants in southwest Colorado. After launching in the 90s, the business started growing in different ways, acquiring real estate, finding investors, and opening new restaurants, all while exploring an LLC with profits sharing structure to allow financial shares and voting rights to employees. 

Today, the Colorado Employee Ownership Office, housed within the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) announced 5 businesses that have converted to employee ownership with assistance from the Employee Ownership Grant.

DENVER -- Today, the Colorado Employee Ownership Office of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) and the Exit Planning Institute released the 2022 Colorado State of Owner Readiness Report, offering key insights into the future of small businesses in Colorado. As a growing number of business owners approach retirement, the report sheds light on how prepared they are and how the State of Colorado can help these owners transition out of their businesses, realize the economic benefits of their hard work, and retain jobs across the state.

Exigo Corporation is an aerospace defense consulting firm offering enterprise and solution architecture, systems engineering, and project management. They primarily work with the United States Space Force assisting them with systems engineering for satellite command and control and just recently, launch. Exigo was established in 2016 and is based in Colorado Springs.

The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) has named Nikki Maloney Director of Business Support. This position is instrumental in supporting small businesses throughout the state to prosper as a critical part of Colorado’s economy.

Tucked between North Table Mountain and the east edge of the Rocky Mountains, Baseline Engineering Corporation was founded in Golden, Colorado in 1998. While Founder John McLain started the company to provide traditional civil engineering services, he held a vision for the foundation of the business to be centered around rewarding employees. Over the past two decades and beyond, Baseline Engineering has since done this vision justice as it’s expanded its expertise, locations, and workforce.

To create the genuine, authentic environment they always envisioned for their business, the founders of I Am Me Mentors knew that it all started with culture. A culture that emphasized human-centric processes, valued individualized student and client experiences, and put decision making into the hands of those doing the work - the employees.

DENVER -- Governor Jared Polis has been awarded the inaugural Torchlight Award for his leadership in advancing employee ownership and employee stock ownership plans (ESOP), an honor that comes from The ESOP Association. 

With high elevation, low humidity, and intense sunlight, gardening in Colorado is not for the faint of heart. Despite these challenges, OrganaGardens has been providing custom landscaping services to the Pikes Peak Colorado Springs area since 1995.