Raport CCWBE

As of October 2024, a total of 23 participants have been accepted into the training, including 14 organizational staff members who joined for Days 3-5. We remain on track with our goal to implement the training sessions, having successfully completed Days 3-5 of our synchronous Early Warning Network training. Day 3 of training was held virtually via Zoom for two hours on Monday, October 14, featuring Session 4, titled “(Re)introductions & Why Early Warning: Case Study of a Company.” Organizational staff were welcomed to the training, an overview of the work with Bankers Print was presented (i.e., a case study of a company that was saved through Early Warning actions), and participants engaged in small group breakouts to discuss how early warning contributed to saving this viable company. Days 4 and 5 of training were held in person at UIC’s Great Cities Institute, each spanning four hours. Day 4, on Saturday, October 19, featured Session 5, “Monitoring Business Health and Recognizing the Signs & Recognizing Viable Companies,” and Session 6, “Taking Action Pt 1: Approach & Relationship Building.” Participants explored various early warning indicators for when a manufacturing business may need assistance or support. They also delved into the psychology of initiating conversations about early warning with those unfamiliar with the network and process. In small groups, participants created posters summarizing their discussions and crafted 60-second elevator pitches. Day 5, held on Tuesday, October 22, featured Session 7, “Early Warning Best Practices Panel,” and Session 8, “Taking Action Pt 2: Financials, Ownership, and Workforce Development.” Participants heard from experts engaged in various aspects of early warning and business support. Panelists and guest speakers included: Billy Banks, Founder and CEO of multiple start ups; Sandra Finley, President and CEO of League of Black Women; Tom Goldblatt, Managing Director of Ravinia Capital; DeJuan Lever, President and CEO of Iverson & Co.; Frank Cetera, Business Transfers Program Director of Democracy at Work Institute; Haydee Caldero, Executive Director of Illinois Center for Employee Ownership; Gerald Williams, Vice President of Acquistion for MOT Design and Development; Mieka Matthews, Career Pathways Services Program Director for Manufacturing Renaissance; and Sequane Lawrence, President and CEO of the Revolution Institute. While we plan to administer a formal post-survey at the conclusion of the training, we collected preliminary feedback through an exit ticket at the end of Day 5, completed by 10 participants. The results were as follows: 100% of participants strongly agreed that Day 5 of training was engaging, 100% agreed it was informative, and 100% felt it was applicable to their day-to-day work. Additionally, 80% felt confident in their ability to implement the strategies discussed. Participants also shared valuable key takeaways on the exit tickets. One participant noted, “I feel confident in my elevator pitch about the Early Warning Network and am eager to begin having related discussions with businesses.” Another participant observed, “There are advisors, such as Tom Goldblatt, who can effectively make the case to manufacturing businesses that employee ownership can provide a comparable financial return on the sale of their business as traditional succession options.” Another participant highlighted “the practical approach to evaluating a company’s financial viability,” which demonstrates that “there are clear methods to implement a worker-owned model for stable succession.” Our closing ceremony is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, November 12, from 5-7 pm. Until then, participants will work asynchronously on the online learning platform, collaborating on a small group project focused on the Early Warning process. The Early Warning Network manual continues to be reviewed by participants, and we have now hired a Media and Communications specialist to handle its formatting and editing. Additionally, on October 15, we reconvened the Advisory Committee to share project updates and gather their feedback on the planning for Days 4 and 5 of the training.

No constraints or limitations at this time.

Pauline Lake took advantage of the opportunity to attend the ILCEO Awards Ceremony at Chase Tower on October 24th. The event was well attended by fellow CCWBE working group members and also an opportunity to network with new colleagues. There are potentially two new partnerships for Manufacturing Renaissance to explore.

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Manufacturing Renaissance connected with Haydee Caldero, Executive Director for the Illinois Center for Employee Ownership this month. Haydee accepted the invitation to attend Day 5 of the Early Warning Network as a guest presenter and shared insights on the various forms of employee ownership with our training participants. We continue to build the network and having partnerships with organizations such as the ILCEO are crucial to expanding our reach and maximizing access to resources for companies who may be in need of support.

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Sequane Lawrence of the Revolution Institute is actively participating in the training and served as a guest speaker for one of our sessions. We are grateful for Sequane’s contributions and insight during this project.

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