Imagine...A $30 Billion Company Owned by its Employees
I admit I had never heard of it...but it has such an amazing story that it gets into the Best Business section. Click on the link to get a tour from their website, but let me first summarize my findings for you.
In the Basque part of Spain..you will find a hardy bunch of folks that have struggled and suffered under the rule of some pretty nasty folks. Nothing was given to these people. It seems that the Basques did not support General Franco and fought against him...therefore when Franco came to power...he was not very understanding and you can imagine the rest.
In comes a young priest that has a vision to do some community building. He starts a trade school and the rest is history. He started a Co-op where the ownership was made up of the employees...from his biblical reading he also set it up that 10% of all revenue had to be "tithed" back to the community for schools, hospitals and social needs of the community.
It has now grown to become an international conglomerate that makes everything from dishwashers to refrigerators.
Check it out at Mondragon.
Wiki: Mondragon
In the Basque part of Spain..you will find a hardy bunch of folks that have struggled and suffered under the rule of some pretty nasty folks. Nothing was given to these people. It seems that the Basques did not support General Franco and fought against him...therefore when Franco came to power...he was not very understanding and you can imagine the rest.
In comes a young priest that has a vision to do some community building. He starts a trade school and the rest is history. He started a Co-op where the ownership was made up of the employees...from his biblical reading he also set it up that 10% of all revenue had to be "tithed" back to the community for schools, hospitals and social needs of the community.
It has now grown to become an international conglomerate that makes everything from dishwashers to refrigerators.
Check it out at Mondragon.
Wiki: Mondragon
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