See the CDI Article here
Wilton, NH — The employees of Earth Sky + Water, a New Hampshire-based publisher of laminated, fold-up field guides, formed a cooperative and bought the business from their boss this month.
Steven Lewers, 77, started and ran the company for 25 years before deciding to sell it to his employees. Earth Sky + Water, LLC produces more than 1,000 artist-illustrated products, including laminated, foldable field guides featuring local flora and fauna, notecards and greeting cards, posters, and vinyl stickers, all manufactured and assembled in the U.S.
About a year ago, Mr. Lewers started thinking seriously about what to do with the business when he retires. He read an article in the Boston Globe that showed other small business owners who had sold their companies to their employees.
“I knew book publishers who were interested in buying my company, but naturally I was worried what they would do with it,” Mr. Lewers said. “I concluded that Earth Sky + Water would have the best chance of surviving and thriving if the people who work here owned it, rather than if I sold it to an outsider or to a large company.”
“A part of my thinking was, of course, my legacy; I want the company to do well after I leave, and I also felt an obligation to my employees and to the community we’ve worked in all these years,” Mr. Lewers added.
When he floated the idea of transitioning to a worker-owned cooperative to his staff, many were incredulous.
“It seemed too good to be true,” said Heather Carver, one of the worker-owners who has worked at Earth Sky + Water for the past seven years and has now taken on the position of General Manager. Among other questions, Heather wondered, “could the employees really come up with the financing to buy the business?”
Mr. Lewers reached out to the Cooperative Development Institute, which walked the team through the process of structuring the business as a cooperative, establishing a steering committee to create by-laws, negotiating an acceptable purchase offer, and finally connecting them to a funding source, the Cooperative Fund of the Northeast.
“I love working here and I always wondered what would happen to the business when Steve decided to retire,” said Earth Sky + Water worker-owner Thomas Post. “When he introduced the idea of an employee-owned cooperative, we enthusiastically formed a Steering Committee, did our homework, and came to realize that it was a viable way forward, that we could all have long-term future here. It opened up a path that we hadn’t see before.”
The employees closed on the purchase of the business on April 2, 2026. Earth Sky + Water currently has twelve employees, eight of whom have already signed up to be worker-owners. “We’re all excited about what lies ahead, but the reality that we’re actually the owners of the company still hasn’t totally sunk in,” Heather said
The new worker owners are still getting the hang of running the business on top of doing their usual work. Lewers has agreed stay on to help with the transition and CDI will continue to provide support.
In this new chapter for Earth Sky + Water, the worker-owners are hoping to grow the business by reaching new audiences. The company has long relied on selling their products through a variety of retailers, including bookstores, co-op grocery stores, gift shops, garden centers, national park gift shops, and others. Now, the cooperative has set to work expanding its reach to individual customers through its website.
“Steve built this amazing company without a substantial marketing budget,” Heather said. “We attend trade shows and publish a beautiful catalog every year. But, looking ahead, we’re planning to significantly expand our social media presence and online advertising. We want to find new mediums where brands are being found and recognized.”
