Owners Session: From Myths to Meaning — The Human Impact of Employee Ownership

For Miren Oca, founder and CEO of Ocaquatics Swim School, employee ownership wasn’t just a financial decision — it was a catalyst for change. The transition gave her team the chance to build wealth, invest in their families, and strengthen their community — all while ensuring the business she built over 30 years could continue to change lives, both in and out of the pool.

In this Owners Session, Miren joined Common Trust CEO Zoe Schlag to share how Ocaquatics’ transition from founder-led to employee-owned has strengthened its culture, advanced its mission, and created real opportunity for her 165-person team.

The Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) offered something few other exit options could: a simple, values-aligned structure that protected purpose, rewarded employees, and ensured a fair exit.

Key takeaways:

• Employee ownership can protect mission and independence. An EOT allowed Ocaquatics to safeguard its purpose, values, and local ownership for the long term.
• Simplicity and flexibility made the EOT a better fit than an ESOP. The model avoided costly valuations and complex rules, making ownership clear and easy to understand.
• Start building an ownership culture before the transition. Open-book management and financial literacy helped employees think like owners from the start.
• Financial education transforms lives — and business performance. Teaching financial skills empowered employees to build stability at home and make smarter business decisions.
• The human impact goes beyond the company. Employee ownership strengthened families, deepened community ties, and inspired shared pride.

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