Lionhearted is proud to share the story of our work with Ward Lumber, a third generation family‑owned legacy rural business that converted it ownership to a worker cooperative.  Frank Cetera was part of the front line outreach in the Adirondack North Country in 2021 that spurred Jay Ward on to pursue the conversion, and part of the ongoing SBDC advising team supporting the project.

Frank spoke as a thought leader and project partner at the NCBA CLUSA 2021 Co-op IMPACT Conference.

“Collaboration and cooperation can be incredibly transformative. This panel will feature the story of Ward Lumber, a 130-year-old family business transitioning into the largest employee cooperative in New York’s North Country. The lumber products and hardware store, with two locations, employs more than 50 local people and was owned by Jay Ward’s family for four generations. Ward will continue his leadership role as the company’s CEO. It is also a story about the power of collaboration and what can be achieved when the resources of the federal and state government, the private sector, cooperative development centers, local economic development entities and CDFI lenders are aligned to advance employee ownership in rural communities. It also serves as an example of how an SBA Small Business Development Center can help to facilitate employee ownership in the spirit of the Main Street Employee Ownership Act.”

And read the SBDC report on the project here.

How Lionhearted Can Help Your Cooperative

• Custom cooperative governance workshops.
• Full‑scale project and program management services.
• Strategic advisory on finance, member engagement, and growth planning.

Contact us today to start a partnership that blends strategic expertise with creative solutions. Reach out to Lionhearted for a free consultation.