About this Event

In Canada, nearly 200,000 business owners will retire in the next ten years. This phenomenon will be comparable in the U.S. and Europe.

The unprecedented scale of this phenomenon means that many businesses are at risk of not finding individual buyers -- or having only foreign competitors to sell to.

Business transfer to employees using the co-operative model appears increasingly to be a very promising option to maintain and develop locally owned businesses and employment in many places.

• Experts from Canada, the United States, and other countries will share their experiences with business succession and conversion.

Tools have been created by co-operative networks to facilitate effective business succession to employees.

• Specialists from Canada and abroad will present the tools and approaches developed.

Partner organizations are also involved in business succession, including financial institutions, trade unions and public and non-profit agencies.

• These partners will share intervention strategies and analysis of the issues of business transfer to co-operatives managed by their workers.

Come and be inspired by the practices in a variety of different countries, network with other players concerned with this issue, and grow your expertise!

This bilingual event (English-French) is aimed at all consultants, professionals and other stakeholders working in economic and social development.

Featured presenters include:

• Marie-Claude Boisvert, Chief Operating Officer of Desjardins Venture Capital and Vice-President, Development Capital and Business Ownership Transfers of Desjardins Group
• Patrick Lenancker, President, National Confederation of Worker Co-ops (CG Scop), France
• José Orbaiceta, President, Federation of Worker Co-ops of Argentina (FECOOTRA)
• Alberto Zevi, President, Legacoop Education Centre, Italy
• Roy Messing, Coordinator, Business Succession Planning Program, Ohio Employee Ownership Center (OEOC), Kent State University, United States
• Mikel Lezamiz, Director of Co-operative Dissemination, Mondragon, Spain
• Bruno Roelants, Secretary General, International Organization of Industrial, Artisanal and Service Producers’ Cooperatives (CICOPA), Belgium
• Félice Scalvini, Co-President, Cooperatives Europe, and Vice-President, International Co-operative Alliance (ICA), Italy
• Alain Bridault, President, Orion Counseling and Research, Québec
• Hélène Simard, Executive Director, Quebec Council of Co-ops and Mutuals (CQCM)
• Nancy Neamtan, President-CEO of the Québec Social Economy “Chantier” (Network)
• Serge Kirouac, Executive Director, Promo Plastik
• Léopold Beaulieu, Executive Director, Fondaction
• Martin-Éric Tremblay, President, The Co-operators Québec
• Michael MacIsaac, Executive Director, Canadian Labour Congress
• ...and many more!

If you are interested in the other Conference, click here.