This month, “Everything Co-op” will showcase selections from its 2024 Holiday list. The premiere episode will feature an interview with Kevin O’Brien, founder and general manager of Worx Printing, and Matthew Epperson, Employee Ownership domain expert. Vernon and his guests will explore the “There’s A Co-Op For That!” mug and delve into the workings of the worker-owned Union Co-op Model.
Kevin O’Brien is the founder and general manager of the worker-owned union cooperative Worx Printing in Worcester, MA . Worx is a third-generation evolution of the Union Co-Op Model codified in 1worker1vote by the United Steelworkers and the Mondragon Cooperative. For 29 years, he has been dedicated to cooperating with others to advance anti-sweatshop movement policies and practices in the apparel industry. His experiences have helped thousands of Labor Unions, Nonprofits and Political Campaigns to lift awareness, advance campaigns and programs, and improve fundraising results using ethically manufactured branded merchandise.
Matthew Epperson has a diverse and impressive background in cooperative movements and employee ownership. In 2017 he founded the Georgia Co-op Development Center, the only statewide technical assistance provider for co-op startups and conversions in Georgia. Matthew spent almost 10 years in the US consumer-owned grocery retail co-op movement before transitioning to finance and platform research co-ops. Currently, he is the Employee Ownership Domain Expert at Zolidar, a startup focused on helping small to medium enterprises convert to employee-owned businesses.
