Considering transitioning your business?

Through the USDA Rural Business Development Grant, we are launching a program to help rural business owners who are nearing retirement or transition explore a sale to their employees. This program will identify challenges and opportunities, provide guidance on structuring an employee ownership plan, and support owners through the transition process. If you are considering stepping away from your business, we can help you evaluate employee ownership and chart a clear path toward a successful transition.

Did you know?

The Upper Peninsula has 2,916 businesses with owners 55 and older. That's 23,668 employees at risk, $678 million in payroll and $3.5 billion in revenue expected to close or change hands in the next 5-10 years.

Employee ownership can change that. Keeping businesses running long after the owner exits.

Interested in learning more for your business?

We are launching a program through the USDA Rural Business Development Grant to help rural business owners explore employee ownership as a transition option. If you are considering retirement or stepping back from your business, this program can provide guidance, resources, and support to evaluate whether selling to your employees is the right fit. Please complete this short form to let us know more about you and your business.

Apply here.

Next steps

Only 3% of Michigan’s population calls the Upper Peninsula home – which makes keeping our businesses, jobs, and communities strong more important than ever. Who will protect your legacy? Employee ownership offers a way to keep your business local, preserve jobs, and carry your hard work forward for generations to come. Apply for our program today to explore this transition option. We’ll work with you every step of the way, and if the program isn’t the right fit, we’ll help connect you with the next steps for your exit planning strategy.