What Is a Worker-Owned Cooperative?
Why Ethos Green Power is owned by the people who do the work.
A Different Kind of Solar Company
Most solar companies are owned by investors. Ethos Green Power is owned by its workers.
A worker-owned cooperative is a business where the employees are the owners. There are no outside shareholders, no absentee investors, and no commissioned sales reps. Every person who shows up at your property has a direct stake in doing the job right — because they own the company.
This structure is rare in the solar industry. National installers are typically backed by private equity or venture capital. Their installers are employees. Their salespeople earn commissions. Their decisions get made in corporate offices hundreds of miles from your roof.
At Ethos, decisions get made in Viroqua — by the same people who climb your roof, wire your panels, and answer your calls five years from now.
Our Story
Ethos Green Power was founded in 2013 by Alicia Leinberger as a single-owner LLC in Viroqua, Wisconsin. The mission was simple: bring high-quality renewable energy services to rural southwest Wisconsin — an area underserved by the national solar companies focused on urban markets.
In 2020, the company re-incorporated as a worker-owned cooperative. This wasn’t a marketing decision. It was a commitment to the idea that the people doing the work should share in the ownership, the decisions, and the results.
Since then, Ethos has completed over 600 installations totaling more than 8,000 kilowatts (8 MW) of solar capacity across 11 counties in the Driftless Area. The company has grown from a one-person operation to a full team of installers, designers, and project managers — all of whom are co-owners.
How a Worker-Owned Cooperative Works
In a traditional company, ownership sits with shareholders or a single owner. Profits flow up to investors. Workers are employees.
In a worker-owned cooperative:
- Every worker is an owner. Each member has an equal ownership stake and an equal vote in major company decisions.
- Profits are shared. When the company does well, the workers share in the surplus — not outside investors.
- Decisions are democratic. Major decisions — pricing, hiring, business direction — are made collectively by the people who do the work.
- No commissioned salespeople. Because every worker-owner has a long-term stake in the company’s reputation, there’s no incentive to oversell or cut corners.
This model has a long history. The Mondragon Corporation in Spain, founded in 1956, employs over 80,000 worker-owners. In the United States, there are more than 600 worker cooperatives. Ethos Green Power is Wisconsin’s only worker-owned solar installer.
Why It Matters for Your Solar Project
When you hire a national solar company, the salesperson who knocks on your door may never set foot on your property again. The installer may be a subcontractor. The company may not exist in five years — the solar industry has one of the highest business failure rates in energy.
When you hire Ethos:
- Your installer is a company owner who will still be here when you need warranty service in year 10.
- Your price is honest because no one earns a commission by upselling you a bigger system than you need.
- Your money stays local. Profits go to workers who live in southwest Wisconsin — not to investors in another state.
- Competitive pricing because we don’t have investors or franchisors to pay. Our overhead goes to tools, training, and your installation — not corporate profit extraction.
Credentials and Affiliations
- NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional — the industry’s highest standard for solar installers
- 2025 Top Solar Contractors — recognized by Solar Power World
- Focus on Energy Trade Ally — certified to process rebate applications for Wisconsin utility customers
- Amicus Solar Cooperative Member — a national network of independent solar companies that combines buying power with local installation expertise
- Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) Member
- Renew Wisconsin Business Member
- Vernon County Energy District
- Couillard Solar Foundation
- SolarShare Wisconsin Co-Op
- Grow Solar La Crosse installer — chosen to lead the community solar program for the La Crosse region
- Davis-Bacon compliant — qualified for public-sector and institutional projects
- 600+ installations / 8 MW+ installed across residential, commercial, farm, and nonprofit projects since 2013
Our Mission
Ethos Green Power Cooperative exists to provide the highest quality renewable energy services to the rural communities surrounding Viroqua, Wisconsin. Our goals:
- Creating sustainable jobs for people in southwest Wisconsin
- Stabilizing electricity costs for homeowners, farmers, and businesses
- Moving our communities away from dependence on costly fossil fuels
- Making clean energy accessible — not just for urban areas, but for rural Wisconsin
Renewable electricity has a long history, and for most of rural Wisconsin, it’s been out of reach. Our goal is affordable clean energy for everyone in the Driftless Area.
See What Worker-Owned Solar Looks Like
Your free site assessment is with the same people who will design and install your system. No handoffs. No subcontractors. No surprises.