Just a year ago, Forcefield Capital was launched under the consulting umbrella of Organically Grown Company to further help other businesses evaluate mission-aligned financing and ownership structures.
However, OGC is winding down its consulting arms to focus on its core business as one of the country’s largest organic produce distributors. In addition to Forcefield, the company is also ending Alternative Ownership Advisors, a consulting firm it has run since 2019 to handle all the questions and requests for advice OGC received from other businesses curious about pursuing the ownership structure the company adopted in 2018.
Though AOA and Forcefield are shutting down, the teams behind them are pursuing new avenues to continue to push the knowledge learned out to more businesses.
What did OGC do?
In 2018, OGC created the Sustainable Food and Agriculture System Perpetual Purpose Trust, which now owns the company. As a trust, it can never be sold and will, in perpetuity, be managed by “stewards” who are engaged in the organization. It is governed by five stakeholder groups: employees, producers, customers, community and investors. Profits are shared and reinvested to support the mission.
Once the company created the trust it started receiving interest from other business owners who were looking at succession planning or alternative ownership options. It created AOA and then Forcefield to help those other businesses on this journey.
“OGC is a leader in the steward ownership movement and was a great incubator for AOA and Forcefield. The movement and the space is now more mature than it was in 2018 when we started this work, and we believe it makes sense for our work to continue independently,” said the AOA team in a newsletter to supporters announcing the shutdown.
What’s next for companies that want advice on trust-ownership
In a written statement, OGC management said the time was right to refocus 100% on its core work.
“OGC’s investment in AOA incubated the trust-owned movement in the food space and beyond. Others have followed, and now the idea has legs. Thanks to the expertise and work of the AOA team, OGC’s initial investment will live on,” said Amy Brown, stakeholder communications and marketing manager of OGC in an email.
Over almost four years, AOA has worked with hundreds of business owners on basic education about perpetual purpose trust ownership and formally advised dozens of them, the group said. It led six companies through trust ownership, including Local Ocean Seafood in Newport; Zingerman’s group of businesses in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Biohabitats in Baltimore, Maryland. Locally, Grand Central Bakery is in the process of transitioning to trust ownership.
Here’s what’s next for the AOA team:
- Natalie Reitman-White is launching Purpose Owned, a consulting firm for succession planning using purpose trusts. She is also writing a book of case studies and developing ways to help companies share best practices and resources.
- Peter Koehler is co-founding a consulting firm called Lumo Group with Portland entrepreneur Keeley Tillotson. The firm will work with mission-driven companies on strategic planning, capital and financing advising and succession planning.
- Elle Griffin is refocusing on her executive coaching practice Griffin Coaching and Consulting. She works with founders and business leaders on executive coaching, strategy planning and organizational design and development.
