Obran Cooperative, founded in 2019, is the first worker-owned cooperative conglomerate in the United States. The organisation acquires and holds profitable small- to medium-size businesses on behalf of its worker-owners, who number approximately 500. Its operations span several sectors, including healthcare, employment services, and logistics, with a presence in Baltimore City and elsewhere in the United States.
As a cooperative, Obran is structured around principles of democracy and participatory management. Worker-owners elect a permanent majority of the board and sit on boards of managers for their individual workplaces. Membership requires a $250 share purchase. The cooperative's stated values include democracy, solidarity, humanity, innovation, and balance.
Obran was founded by a group of returning citizens and describes its mission as building a more equitable and competitive economy. Its model consolidates ownership of multiple businesses under a single cooperative structure, allowing worker-owners to share in governance and financial returns across the conglomerate.
