Employee Ownership and Governance as a Strategy for the Silver Economy

This conceptually based chapter draws from the thirty year action research case study, exploring how Carris Reels continuing efforts in 100% employee ownership and employee governance move forward concomitantly in support of its business success goals as a reel manufacturer and how these experiences might be applied to improve the quality of life in the upcoming silvering economy. Addressed in this chapter, is how the Carris Reels' experience provides and incentivizes developmental opportunities within its culture of belonging for its work-life processes at Carris to mature and increase personal capacities. Its employee ownership and governance are aimed toward improvement in quality of life, operations and production planning with safety and outputs as priorities through retirement benefits with the ESOP repurchase of company stock. As employee owners retire, their stock is repurchased by the company and then redistributed to the working employee owners.