One of Canada’s fastest-growing family businesses is becoming employee-owned. Here’s why that could be a major trend post-pandemic

Author Jack Graham
Small business succession plans through a social impact lens

Why It Matters

Seventy-two percent of Canadian small business owners are planning to exit their businesses in the next 10 years, and the economic chaos of COVID-19 is bringing the resilience of those businesses into even sharper focus. Advocates say this is an opportunity to transition these community businesses into social enterprises or community-owned cooperatives, which could mean a huge boost for recovery.

var TRINITY_TTS_WP_CONFIG = {"cleanText":"One of Canada\u2019s fastest-growing family businesses is becoming employee-owned. Here\u2019s why that could be a major trend post-pandemic. Sixteen years ago, Steve Beauchesne was helping his father Tim think of a business idea. After a career in textiles, which was increasingly moving overseas, Tim wanted something new. Mulling it over with a pint of beer in hand, the pair settled on an idea: a brewery. \u201cIf you\u2019re serious about this, Dad, I\u2019ll sell my house and move home and I\u2019ll start a brewery with you,\u201d Beauchesne recalls saying. \u201cThe next day we sobered up and it still seemed like a good idea, and we started working on it.\u201d The pair founded Beau's All Natural Brewing Company in 2006 in Vankleek Hill, Ontario. Sinc

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