What Evergreen Cooperatives does

Evergreen Cooperatives (Evergreen Cooperative Corporation, ECC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, that operates a network of employee-owned cooperatives anchored by Cleveland's major institutions. Founded in 2008 by Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, the Cleveland Foundation, and the City of Cleveland, the organization launches and acquires businesses, converts them to at least 80% employee ownership, and provides ongoing capital, governance, and training support through the cooperative network.

The portfolio includes Evergreen Cooperative Laundry (healthcare commercial laundry operating LEED Gold-certified facilities in Cleveland's Glenville and Collinwood neighborhoods, processing approximately 16 million pounds of linen annually for Cleveland Clinic and other healthcare customers); Berry Insulation; Phoenix Coffee (six retail locations plus wholesale roasting, the only employee-owned coffee company in Ohio); Intellitronix (LED automotive aftermarket gauges); LEFCO Worthington (custom wood crates and skids); Xacto Signs (channel letter and monument signage); and North Coast Sign and Lighting. The Fund for Employee Ownership (TFEO), launched in 2018, acquires lower-middle-market businesses in Northeast Ohio with $250K–$2M EBITDA from retiring owners and converts them to employee ownership on a five-to-seven-year exit timeline. Evergreen Business Services (EBS) provides consulting and replication services to outside organizations.

Revenue is generated through service contracts (laundry for healthcare anchor institutions), retail and wholesale operations (coffee), and product sales (signage, crating, automotive gauges, insulation). Pricing is negotiated through anchor institution contracts; no public pricing is disclosed. The go-to-motion combines enterprise field sales to large healthcare and institutional buyers with sales-led outreach to retiring business owners through TFEO. The network employs more than 250 workers across its cooperatives.

Name

Evergreen Cooperatives

Legal name

Evergreen Cooperative Corporation

Website

https://evgoh.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Evergreen Cooperatives is a Cleveland-based nonprofit operating a network of employee-owned cooperatives in Northeast Ohio, including commercial laundry, insulation, specialty coffee, manufacturing, and signage businesses, serving healthcare systems, institutional buyers, and consumers via its Fund for Employee Ownership acquisition engine.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cooperative Business Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Federated Giving Organizations (e.g., United Way-type) (BPAGAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community-Owned / Nonprofit Grocery Stores (CRAHALAB), Federations/Centrals & Cooperative Banking Networks (2nd-Tier Co-ops) (FSABAEAL)

Keywords

• Employee ownership cooperatives
• Commercial laundry services
• Community wealth building
• Business acquisition conversion
• Cooperative business network

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Commercial Laundry Services: Evergreen Cooperative Laundry provides premium laundry services to Cleveland-area hotel, hospital and nursing home industries. Services include linen supply, pickup and delivery with a fleet of vehicles. Revenue generated through service contracts with anchor institutions like Cleveland Clinic.
2. Employee Ownership Transition Services: TFEO acquires businesses and converts them to employee ownership, providing solutions for retiring business owners. Revenue model involves investment returns as employee-owned companies grow and eventually buy out Evergreen's stake.
3. Consulting Services: Evergreen Business Services provides consulting services including feasibility studies, business planning, and commercial healthcare laundry operations support to organizations interested in replicating the Evergreen model.
4. Cooperative Network Revenue: Multiple employee-owned cooperatives generate revenue through their respective business operations: Berry Insulation (insulation services), Phoenix Coffee (coffee shops and wholesale), Intellitronix (LED automotive products), LEFCO Worthington (wood crating), Xacto Signs (signage manufacturing), North Coast Sign and Lighting (signage and lighting services).

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Evergreen Cooperatives operates a network of employee-owned cooperative businesses in Northeast Ohio, anchored by Evergreen Cooperative Laundry, which provides LEED Gold certified commercial laundry services to healthcare systems, hotels, and nursing homes. The Fund for Employee Ownership acquires small-to-medium-sized businesses and converts them to employee ownership, while Evergreen Business Services offers consulting to organizations seeking to replicate the community wealth-building model. All cooperatives in the network maintain at least 80% majority employee ownership.

Product overview

Evergreen Cooperatives operates a network of employee-owned businesses focused on community wealth-building in Northeast Ohio. The organization functions as a platform-plus-portfolio model consisting of: (1) the Evergreen Cooperative Network - a platform connecting multiple worker-owned cooperatives; (2) the Fund for Employee Ownership (TFEO) - an investment fund that acquires and converts existing businesses to employee ownership; and (3) Evergreen Business Services (EBS) - a consulting subsidiary. The current cooperative portfolio includes: Evergreen Cooperative Laundry (healthcare laundry services), Berry Insulation (insulation/weatherization), Phoenix Coffee (specialty coffee roasting), Intellitronix (LED automotive products), LEFCO Worthington (custom wood crates), Xacto Signs (signage manufacturing), and North Coast Sign and Lighting (signage and lighting services). TFEO has completed multiple acquisitions since 2018, converting existing businesses to employee ownership while providing ongoing capital access, governance oversight, and employee ownership training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Evergreen Cooperative Laundry (ECL) Commercial healthcare laundry services providing premium linen processing, supply, pickup, and delivery to Cleveland-area hospitals, hotels, and nursing homes. Operates from LEED Gold certified facilities in Cleveland's Glenville and Collinwood neighborhoods and processes approximately 16 million pounds of linen annually for Cleveland Clinic.
• Berry Insulation (BI Cooperative) Insulation and weatherization services improving energy efficiency, interior comfort, and safe environments for residential homes, multi-unit apartments, commercial properties, new construction, and industrial facilities.
• Phoenix Coffee (Ohio PC Cooperative) Specialty coffee roasting and retail coffee operations. The only employee-owned coffee company in Ohio and one of Cleveland's premier specialty coffee roasters, operating six coffee shops plus a wholesale roasting and commissary bakery.
• Intellitronix (INTX Cooperative) Manufacturer of LED automotive aftermarket digital and analog gauges, microprocessor-controlled LED products, and energy saving devices for automotive electronic, marine, and recreational vehicle markets.
• LEFCO Worthington (LW Cooperative) Manufacturer of engineered custom wood crates and heavy-duty skids for international shipping, serving aerospace, defense, equipment manufacturing, and general industrial industries. Operates from a 30,000 square-foot facility in Cleveland.
• Xacto Signs (XTO Cooperative) Manufacturer of channel letters, neon and monument signage, and cabinet bases. Operates from an 18,000 square-foot facility in Bedford, Ohio.
• Fund for Employee Ownership (TFEO) Investment fund that acquires small-to-medium-sized businesses in Northeast Ohio (targeting companies with $250,000 to $2 million EBITDA), converts them to employee ownership, and provides long-term support through the Evergreen network. Part of the Evergreen ACS (Acquire-Convert-Support) model.
• Evergreen Business Services (EBS) Wholly owned consulting subsidiary providing concept-to-implementation services, feasibility studies, business planning, and commercial healthcare laundry operations support to organizations interested in replicating Evergreen's anchor-institution economic development model or creating revolving loan funds for employee-owned companies.
• North Coast Sign and Lighting Full-service commercial signage and lighting company based in Medina, Ohio, providing light installation solutions and commercial signage services across Northeast and Central Ohio with over 40 years of experience.

Quantifiable outcome

• Employees receive 20% higher pay rates than competitors plus profit-sharing through patronage accounts
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Local Roots ClevelandminorOthers · 19 May 2022Green City Growers was sold to Local Roots Cleveland in May 2022. This transaction allowed GCG to negotiate all its debt obligations and refund all shares purchased by GCG employee-owners at 100% full value.
• Cleveland CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Cleveland Clinic is an anchor partner supporting Evergreen since its inception in 2008. The organization provides laundry contracts to Evergreen Cooperative Laundry and continues to expand the partnership. Cleveland Clinic stated: 'Cleveland Clinic is excited and proud to see Evergreen Cooperatives and its employee-owners continue to prosper.'
• University HospitalscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008University Hospitals is an anchor partner that played an instrumental role in launching Evergreen. They stated: 'UH is proud of the instrumental role we played in launching Evergreen and we are thrilled with the impact this has had within numerous Cleveland communities.'
• Case Western Reserve UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Case Western Reserve University served a key role in Evergreen's startup and continues its support. Chief Commercial and Real Estate Counsel Arlishea L Fulton stated: 'Business ownership is one of the best paths to prosperity in America, but it's a path that's not always easily accessible. Case Western Reserve University is proud to have served a key role in Evergreen's startup.'
• City of ClevelandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008City of Cleveland, under Former Mayor Frank G. Jackson, supported Evergreen Cooperatives. The Mayor stated: 'Investments from employee-owned companies like Evergreen Cooperative Laundry help create more wealth for people in our neighborhoods while making our city an even more desirable place to live, work, play and do business.'
• Ohio Employee Ownership Center (OEOC)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOEOC is a non-profit outreach center of Kent State University that provides online training about employee ownership and business basics to new employee owners in Evergreen's cooperatives. OEOC supports development of business across Ohio and around the world.
• Certified Employee Owned (Certified EO)minorOthersEvergreen Cooperatives is a member of Certified EO, the leading certification program for employee-owned companies in the United States with more than 175 companies and 120,000 employee owners.
• Employee Ownership Equals (EO=)minorOthersEO= is a campaign to expand the employee ownership movement, helping small businesses thrive, empowering workers with higher quality jobs, and building more equitable communities. Evergreen participates in this campaign.
• MAGNET / EDGE Powered By MAGNETminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKirk Neiswander, Founder and President Emeritus of EDGE Powered By MAGNET, serves on the Advisory Board for Evergreen Cooperatives. EDGE fosters entrepreneurship, innovation and economic development in Northeast Ohio.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mondragon Corporation: Mondragon is the world's largest federation of worker cooperatives headquartered in the Basque Country, Spain, operating across industrial, retail, and financial sectors. It is the most structurally analogous organization to Evergreen's cooperative federation model, though vastly larger and more diversified.

Direct peers

• The Working World: The Working World is a nonprofit that finances worker cooperative conversions and startups through patient capital, closely matching Evergreen's Fund for Employee Ownership model. Both target underserved communities and use non-extractive capital to enable cooperative ownership transitions.
• Equal Exchange: Equal Exchange is a worker cooperative that imports and distributes fair-trade coffee, tea, and chocolate. It is one of the largest employee-owned food companies in the U.S. and serves as a comparable model to Phoenix Coffee and other Evergreen retail/wholesale cooperatives.
• ICA Group: ICA Group provides consulting, education, and capital access to cooperatives, employee-owned businesses, and social enterprises. It overlaps with Evergreen on cooperative development services and employee-ownership conversions, particularly in the Northeast U.S.
• Project Equity: Project Equity is a nonprofit that helps business owners transition to employee ownership through conversions, providing feasibility studies, financing, and post-transition support. It mirrors Evergreen Business Services' consulting and conversion services and directly competes for the same retiring-owner pipeline.

Others

• Cleveland Foundation: The Cleveland Foundation was instrumental in launching Evergreen Cooperatives in 2008 and continues as a core anchor partner. While a philanthropic funder rather than a peer business, it shapes Evergreen's strategy and capitalization in a way no other entity does.
• Certified Employee Owned: Certified EO is the leading U.S. certification body for employee-owned companies, with over 175 certified firms and 120,000 employee-owners. Evergreen is a member, and Certified EO serves as an industry association peer rather than a direct competitor.

Emerging players

• Ohio Employee Ownership Center: OEOC is a Kent State University outreach center that provides training, technical assistance, and outreach to promote employee ownership across Ohio. It is a direct service provider to Evergreen's cooperatives and a regional peer in the employee-ownership ecosystem.
• Democracy at Work Institute: DAWI is a nonprofit that converts businesses to worker cooperatives and grows the cooperative movement, particularly in low-income communities. It is a peer in mission and methodology, focused on replicating cooperative ownership in U.S. urban markets similar to Evergreen's anchor-institution model.
• Cooperative Development Foundation: CDF is a national nonprofit that supports cooperative development through grants, loans, and education. It overlaps with Evergreen's mission to expand the cooperative economy and funds similar worker-ownership conversions nationwide.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/evgohcoop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/evergreen-cooperative

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A3 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Evergreen Cooperatives