Tailwind Capital to Support New Nonprofit Ownership Works as a Founding Partner

Ownership Works and Founding Partners to Advocate for and Implement Employee Ownership Programs that Create Economic Opportunity for Working Families, Advance Racial Equity, Enhance Employee Engagement and Build Stronger Companies

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tailwind Capital (“Tailwind”), a middle market private equity firm investing in industrial and business services companies, today announced its founding partnership with Ownership Works, a new nonprofit focused on developing and helping to implement broad-based employee ownership programs to create better work environments and financial opportunities for employees, and to help businesses improve their performance by attracting and retaining engaged employees who are invested in their company’s success.

“Tailwind is honored to be a founding investor partner for Ownership Works,” said Jeff Calhoun, Managing Partner at Tailwind Capital. “We are strong believers that recognizing every full-time employee through ownership is in the best interests of the company, management and investors. As we have seen at several of our portfolio companies, ownership empowers working families, creates cultures that deliver stronger business outcomes, and is an important driver of change within communities. We look forward to sharing our insights and supporting Ownership Works in this highly worthwhile mission, while continuing to create value for all stakeholders within the Tailwind portfolio.”

Tailwind has already implemented employee equity ownership programs at its portfolio companies National Trench Safety, RANDYS and Axis Air, where every full-time employee receives ownership in their employer, providing the opportunity to participate in and benefit from its continued growth. As an Ownership Works partner, Tailwind will seek to expand models of shared ownership across its portfolio and share insights with Ownership Works so that its employee equity ownership models can be replicated.

Ownership Works aims to catalyze interest in employee ownership across corporate America, and to provide private and public companies with practical models and tools to support program implementation. By 2030, the nonprofit anticipates that the movement will create hundreds of thousands of new employee-owners and generate at least $20 billion of wealth for working families. At scale, this movement has the potential to extend ownership to millions of lower-income workers and people of color who have been excluded from this wealth-building opportunity for generations.

More information about Ownership Works’ mission and consortium of partners can be found here.

Tailwind Capital is a middle market private equity firm investing in industrial and business services companies. Tailwind partners with experienced management teams and entrepreneurs to transform businesses through organic growth initiatives, acquisitions, and operational and strategic investments. Since inception, Tailwind has invested in 50 portfolio companies and over 155 add-on acquisitions.

About Ownership Works

Founded in 2021, Ownership Works is a nonprofit organization on a mission to increase prosperity through shared ownership at work. We partner with business leaders and investors to provide all employees with the opportunity to participate in the success they help create. Our shared ownership approach improves employees’ financial security, helps them build wealth and increases their on-the-job engagement. By creating stronger workplace cultures, our model also sets the stage for businesses to enhance performance and competitiveness. To learn more, please visit ownershipworks.org.