Succession Planning: Exploring Co-ops and Employee Ownership – SBDC Training

Event description

Business Transition & Succession Planning:

Julie Leonhardt | Missouri Center for Employee Ownership

Explore practical strategies for business growth, continuity, succession, and ownership transition. Learn about transition pathways for a variety of businesses, including employee ownership and cooperative models, with applications for farm businesses, agricultural land, family transfers, retirement income, and community-based enterprises.

Cooperative Models for Business Succession:

Kara Walker | Kansas Farmers Union

Explore cooperative models and how transitioning or converting a business to a cooperative can support succession planning. Learn why business owners may consider this approach and how it can help support a business’s future.

Q&A Panel: Questions, Insights & Next Steps:

Join our speakers for audience Q&A. Bring your questions about business succession, ownership transitions, cooperative models, and available resources to help you explore options for your business.

Presenters:

Julie Lionhardt – MOCEO

MOCEO is Missouri’s go‑to resource for all things employee ownership. Our mission is to educate business owners and their advisors on the benefits of employee ownership and help them explore the best path forward for their company’s future.

Kara Walker – Kansas Farmers Union

Kara Walker is the Cooperative Engagement & Outreach Specialist with the Kansas Farmers Union. Kara works with the Homegrown Prosperity project, connecting rural Kansans and Missourians to cooperative education and development resources. She has a background in horticulture and conservation, including small business management, and performed research about civic and political engagement on urban farms.

Date: 9/23/2026

Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM (CDT)

Contact: Bryce Cardwell, 660-665-3348

Training Type: Free – Online

Register Online: https://missouri.ecenterdirect.com/events/27239