We’re extremely excited to announce that we’ve officially begun the process of transitioning from a sole proprietorship to a worker-owned cooperative. Since EnviroCollab’s inception we’ve been intentionally cultivating a culture of collaboration, collective creativity, and shared decision-making. In the past year we became even more eager to explore beyond the traditionally hierarchical business model norm in our industry that enables leadership from the select few over the many, and have chosen to work toward converting to a more progressive model that better represents our collective mission.
It is important for us to walk the walk, to continually demonstrate the values internally that we bring forth in our project work and in the relationships we build with our clients and collaborators. For us this means ensuring that every employee of EnviroCollab has a voice in an egalitarian decision-making process. That each person plays a critical role in co-managing the operations of the firm, and co-crafting its future. That we are not only accountable to ourselves as individuals, but to each other as the collective. That we create paths for shared fiscal responsibility and economic opportunity.
From the collaborative that is our core, we are becoming the cooperative that we’ve long aspired to be. Disrupting the societal norms that have historically favored the dominant and privileged and which have minimized those forced into marginalization. This is still relatively uncharted territory for design firms in general, but one we feel absolutely driven to pursue toward our goals of prioritizing empathy, inclusivity, diversity, and equity, and toward contributing to a more just future for all.
We can’t wait to share more as we embark on this journey! Special thanks to @bred.baltimore for offering to listen, teach, and provide guidance and support along the way.
- Heidi Thomas, Founding Principal