Employee-owned business leaders learned how to share their stories of success through video technology during a dinner lecture hosted by the Ohio Employee Ownership Center last night.

Paula Consolini, coordinator of experiential education at Williams College, spoke about her experience creating a video for a company as it fought to stay in business.

Marland, a mold-making company that recently became employee-owned, was the focus of the film. The company went through experiences that other companies can learn from, Consolini said. Small businesses can use technology to their advantage, especially at the local level. Creating video stories can help other companies experiencing similar problems learn from other situations that worked, she said.

“The national media is not paying attention,” Consolini said. “Instead of beating our heads against the wall, why not say the heck with it and work below their radars?”

Consolini decided to create a video for Marland, and as funding ran low, she began using her own money to buy the tapes and worked with volunteers in order to complete the project. The final video was created using equipment that is readily accessible to small businesses and can be used effectively to train employees about the benefits of employee ownership.

People in other companies don’t think they can do this, while in fact, any company can find the resources to create a video and reach a number of people, Consolini said.

“She was able, without all the technology advantages of a television studio, to do a film that about any employee-owned company could do,” said John Logue, director of the Ohio Employee Ownership Center. “If we think about how to communicate the benefits of employee-owned companies, surely this is a medium we should consider using.”

Contact College of Arts and Sciences reporter Heather Bing at [email protected].