Staffing Cooperative is now Obran

Over the past year we have been building worker power under the brand of Staffing Cooperative. This move reflects the Cooperative’s realization that every worker, regardless of industry, deserves to own their time.

We are building the first worker-owned cooperative conglomerate to take an equity driven approach to expanding worker ownership. 

Obran is industry and sector agnostic cooperatively-owned holding company. We believe the value we create for, and earn from, our customers is a byproduct of happy and engaged workers.  We're taking the model of worker-cooperatives and scaling it past one organization to show the difference this structure can make in the economic well-being of our communities. 

Why?

Extractive economies are propped up only by a lack of imagination. We have to think differently about how the world works, and about the mechanisms that underpin it. In the board rooms of the world, the prevailing way of thinking looks at labor as only cost-center to be cut as much as possible. It pushes the idea that the sole directive of business is to produce shareholder value and that consumption and consumerism is the only thing that matters.

That structure is not sustainable today. It is not sustainable for the environment, and it definitely doesn't work for working people.

We exist in a market and believe in a fair exchange of value. Our goal is to expand a vision of shared ownership and control. To show that there are better ways of doing business that respect and equitably value all people and the planet.

We do this by focusing on three key areas:

• Profitability

• Shared systems

• Internal capital

Profitability

Obran doesn’t seek profit for profit’s sake. Our profitability ensures our worker-owners have the resources they need to live well, make decisions not driven by scarcity. It empowers us to grow, expand, and spread the benefits of worker-ownership to communities across the country. 

To accomplish this, we acquire companies that have a strong track record of financial performance.  We work with the leadership and employees to instill a culture of participatory management and good governance that will allow the company to reach new heights of productivity and performance.

Shared Systems

As a holding company, the companies under our umbrella are able to reduce their individual operating expenses by taking advantage of a variety of shared services, including:

• Human resources

• Insurance

• Accounting

• Marketing

• Advertising

Our business leaders can focus their attention on bringing value to customers and members in every interaction. 

Internal Capital

Our internal capital pool is driven both by our own profits as well as outside investors who participate in the benefits of this shared vision. 

Profitable acquisitions create an evergreen pool of capital to expand our market share across our target verticals, spread worker-ownership far and wide, and build a broad culture of shared prosperity.