An Introduction to Farm Succession Planning

Presented by The Business Succession Planning Center at Kent State University

and Braintree Business Development Center.

A workshop for farmers and other small family businesses that want to explore transferring ownership to the next generation. Our facilitators are Bob Cohen of the Braintree Business Development Center andCooperative Development Center at Kent State University, Attorney Bob Hendrix, and Edward R. Klesack, CLU, LUTCF, MBA, RFC of Centaurus Financial, Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC.

The workshop will address:

• Is your farm or business transferable?
• Who will be the next generation of owners?
• What is the valuation of your farm or business?
• What resources are available for family businesses?
• What are the legal and tax consequences you should be aware of?
• What timetable makes sense for succession planning?

This workshop will also be of interest to nonfarm family-owned businesses, business and financial consultants, as well as bankers and economic development professionals.

There is no cost for this workshop. Refreshments will be provided, but we do need to know ahead of time that you will be there. To register for this workshop or for additional information, please call 220-672-0333 or e-mail  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Download a program flyer.

Cooperatives in the Local Food Economy - June 21st and 23rd, 2012

The Cooperative Development Center @ Kent State University sponsoredtwo seminars on “Cooperatives in the Local Food Economy”  in June, 2012. The sessions were part of an ongoing community-wide effort to connect local producers with local consumers through various projects built around the growing, distributing, and selling local Portage County agricultural products. The sessions outlined the traditional and changing forms and roles of cooperatives in the agricultural and food industries, and included:

· Info on expanding your market access via a cooperative,
· Tips on where to start and next steps, 
· Basics of cooperative management, 
· And more

Ohio’s Cooperative Symposium

Cooperative Business Structure for Small Business Owners and Operators

was held on Thursday, April 19, 2012

View Presentations from the symposium here

Cooperative enterprises are successful and common business models playing a vital role in our local communities. Topic covered included:

Basic Cooperative Topics

• What are Cooperatives, who owns them, how do they function, how they are established
• Strengths and weakness of Co-ops versus other business structures,
• Common pitfalls of establishing a new Co-op business, and raising equity

Advanced Cooperative Topics

• Governance, Co-op Culture, developing/maintaining leadership, and advanced finance issues

Concurrent Cooperative Tracks

• Developing Co-ops – How to avoid the hurdles faced by many in developing new or growing cooperatives to have a broad range of success
• Cooperation in the Food Community – Linking cooperative activities with producers and businesses that add value, such as commercial kitchens, to bring higher quality locally-grown food to consumers

Past Webinars:

June 2nd,  2011 ,  10 am - Transitioning a Private Business to a Worker Co-op –  Presented by Roy Messing of the Cooperative Development Center at Kent State University - Employee ownership in the cooperative model has typically been completed on a start up basis. Changes in Ohio Cooperative Law allowed Select Machine Company in rural Ohio to take ground breaking steps of transitioning a private business to a worker cooperative. This session will highlight the model used to make such a transfer a reality. Co-sponsored by the Business Succession Planning Program at Kent State University. (view recording below)

June 9th, 2011, 10 AM - Steps for Organizing a Worker Cooperative – Presented by Roy Messing of the Cooperative Development Center at Kent State University – Planning, Developing, and bringing a Worker Cooperative operational is no small undertaking. This session will provide the attendee with the basic steps necessary to help make the worker cooperative dream a reality. (view recording below)

Cooperative Webinar/Video Viewer

(positioning the cursor over the video player allows for switching between webinars)

View other archived webinars here