Employee ownership proving a success at The Home Beautiful

BELMONT — Owning a business is different from being an employee. For about a year, employees of The Home Beautiful have experienced the joys and hard work of ownership. The co-owners are somewhat unique because they have worked at the business for years, in some cases, and they know the ins and outs of their respective jobs.

Former owner Bruce Hamel purchased The Home Beautiful, a home decorating and supply company, in 1986, and ran the business for many years. He credits his employees for the success of the business, and when he was ready to retire, Hamel did something unusual — turning to his employees instead of looking for an outside buyer. Hamel offered his employees at The Home Beautiful a chance to purchase the business as a cooperative.

Laughing as he recalled the reaction of his employees when he broached the subject of selling The Home Beautiful to them, Hamel said, “I think they were stunned. It hadn’t really entered their minds. But this way they can control their own destinies. I think they should have that option.”

Jacqueline Lemire, The Home Beautiful design department manager said, “Bruce wanted his employees taken care of, and he knew we were capable. He broached the idea with the management team first, to see if people would be on board to purchase The Home Beautiful as a cooperative. Of course, we were appreciative, but we had some questions, which Bruce and Cooperative Development Institute, the company that consulted, were able to answer.”

Most of the The Home Beautiful owners are women, and Lemire says they work well together, as do the men in the cooperative. They have worked together for years and all are experienced at their jobs, helping make for a smooth and successful environment.

General manager of the new ownership is Kim Young; she also is one of the owners. Young makes day-to-day decisions and oversees the operations of The Home Beautiful, bringing larger issues to the board of directors.

Young explains her job like this: “I was originally hired as a bookkeeper and worked for Bruce. When he wanted to sell The Home Beautiful, I did not know much about a business cooperative. But the chance to be co-owners gave all of us an opportunity we would not have had otherwise. The offer was intriguing.”

“I have worked at The Home Beautiful a long time, and I love my job. I want to keep doing it and I enjoy having a part in running the business. The employees buying out Bruce Hamel made sense versus Bruce looking for an outside buyer,” added Lemire.

Handling issues is not as difficult as one might imagine, given there are 12 owners with various opinions and jobs. “If something affects the financial and livelihood of the business, Kim brings it to the board of directors,” explained Lemire.

“Jackie and I meet daily to handle day-to-day issues. It works well and we have a strong management team,” Young said.

The first year has been great, according to Lemire. “We have a good team of people with the same vision. We all want the company to succeed.”

Lemire was appointed as president of the company’s board of directors. She learned the ropes when stepping into the position. Backing her up is Rob Brown of Cooperative Development Institute. “He is always present for our board meetings,” Lemire said.

While there has been a learning curve for the new owners, Lemire added, “I have been surprised at how well we are handling all the changes. I had assumed there would be more bumps in the road. One of the reasons we are succeeding is because Bruce has made himself available to help; he has a lot of knowledge.”

Young is also a large part of the success. Hired originally as a bookkeeper, she immediately jumped in where needed, and Bruce gained a valuable team player. She is well liked by the staff and when the sale took place, Young was chosen to be the general manager. “Kim listens to people and has good leadership. She really cares about the business and the owners and staff,” Lemire said.

With a mostly female staff of owners, The Home Beautiful has seen business dynamics change. In the past, the staff was mostly men, but now women have stepped into many of those roles. However, the men working at the business are a respected, experienced part of the team, whether they are owners or employees.

Asked what plans might be ahead for The Home Beautiful, Lemire was quick to say, “We want to keep up with the times, and that includes technology, customer expectations and a high level of service. We know that training new people is a big thing. And we want to stay on top of home design trends.”

“The new owners have done a remarkable job over the year they have owned it,” Hamel shared. “I am vested in their success.”

“In the future, we hope to continue to grow the business and be community-involved. We want to share our success,” Young said. She noted it has been an extremely busy year at The Home Beautiful.

Young is proud of the fact the cooperative has a wide age range in its ownership members. They span from those just starting out in the business to those in their 70s. “It is an opportunity that they might not have had but for the cooperative,” Young added.