A spotlight on employee ownership in Montgomery County, Maryland
- Jennifer Bryant
Employee ownership (EO) is more than a business model—it’s a powerful tool for retaining local jobs, preserving business legacies and building wealth for workers. In Montgomery County, Maryland, where small businesses form the backbone of the local economy, a quiet transformation is taking place.
A growing number of businesses are choosing employee ownership as a strategy for long-term stability and shared prosperity. From landscaping cooperatives to fire protection firms, the EO movement is gaining traction across industries and communities.
What does EO look like at the local level in Montgomery County? Through our strategic work in the county, we had the opportunity to connect with a few area businesses and learn more about their EO stories. Here’s what they shared.
Fire & Risk Alliance, LLC
- Location: Rockville, MD
- Number of Employees: 68 full-time
- EO Type: Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
Founded in 2011, Fire and Risk Alliance (FRA) transitioned into an ESOP in 2022. This fire protection and risk management firm provides innovative fire protection solutions for various industries from warehouses to transportation.
“Our employees benefit from an ESOP, which grants them a tangible sense of ownership in the company through shares of stock,” Scott Bryant, one of the FRA owners, shared. “Given that many of our competitors have been acquired by private equity firms, we wanted our employees at FRA to understand that we intend to make FRA a legacy. The employees’ voices will be the most influential in all future expansion of FRA.
“As the company prospers and its stock value appreciates, employees have the exciting prospect of accumulating substantial wealth,” Scott continued. “This not only bolsters their financial security but also presents new avenues for their future endeavors. Furthermore, we hold the ESOP in high regard as it fosters a sense of appreciation and equitable compensation for employees’ dedication and perseverance.”
Swamp Rose Co-op
- Location: Silver Spring, MD
- Number of Employees: 6
- EO Type: Worker Cooperative
Swamp Rose Co-op was founded as a cooperative four years ago and is an ecological landscaping company and native plant nursery that serves the Washington, D.C. area. Swamp Rose designs and installs ecologically thriving landscapes for both industrial / commercial and residential customers. Their goal is to create beautiful and functional gardens that attract and support native bees, butterflies and other pollinators while also providing other ecological services. Besides doing installations, Swamp Rose Co-op also runs pop-up native plant sales at seasonal events, markets and festivals.
As a cooperative, Swamp Rose is owned and managed by its workers. “As the worker-owners of Swamp Rose Co-op, we collectively champion nature while uplifting a workplace built on shared decision-making and shared benefit,” said Cesar Garzon, a Swamp Rose Co-op worker-owner. “Now in our fourth year, we are gratified to see the growing interest in our cooperative philosophy in the D.C. metro area.”
Earth Bound Building
- Location: Brandywine, MD
- Number of Employees: 2
- EO Type: Worker Cooperative
Earth Bound Building was founded in 2014 as a sole proprietorship with the intention and desire to become a coop. This now worker cooperative focuses on transforming the landscape of rural construction. Earth Bound Building specializes in timber framing using traditional joinery and carpentry. They are skilled in tiny home construction and natural building methods including: straw bale insulation, clay plasters and cob construction.
“I think we wanted to pursue a model that let the workers have full dignity and agency in the long-term direction of the company,” said Blain Snipstal, a timber framer and worker-owner at Earth Bound Building. “We decided that worker-owners don’t take any dividends or equity from the company. We are more focused on building up the institution of the company at this moment.
“Being a coop is both a values statement and social proposition,” Blain said. “Everything we do in our regular lives is collective in nature. Having a construction business that provides value was only achievable through a shared-ownership model.”
Conclusion
These are just three of many businesses who are thriving in Montgomery County thanks to employee ownership. As more businesses consider this model—whether transitioning ownership to an EO model or founding as employee-owned from the beginning—worker-owners from across the county will continue to reap the benefits. When EO is rooted in a community like Montgomery County, the area economy strengthens, local jobs and legacies are preserved, and workers have the opportunity to build wealth in ways only possible through EO.
What’s next? If you’re a local business in Montgomery County and would like to chat about employee ownership, our team would love to connect! Simply request a free consultation, and we’ll be in touch. We can also get you in contact with another local EO business. And if you’re a community partner, contact us—we’d love to join hands!
