A New Graduate and A New Fellowship
EO+WD Weekend Newsletter, Vol. 80
Welcome Back
A very brief newsletter below, because: 🥳 Tiffany graduates today! 🥳
If you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, connect with Tiffany on LinkedIn so you can watch her—and help her!—do great things.
🗞️ Three Things To Know
The Harvard Business School Institute for the Study of Business in Global Society announced its non-residential Business in Global Society (BiGS) Fellowship. Ten scholars will receive $20,000 honorariums (!). Apply by Jan 19
Also check out the longstanding Rutgers Institute’s fellowship on employee ownership; applications due March 1
Elizabeth Warren introduced a bill that would obligate companies with over $1b annual revenue to “consider the interests of all stakeholders and corporations”
Northern Trust Institute released its annual survey of businesses. Of note:
“64% of respondents are not familiar with the emerging trend of transferring ownership of your business to a perpetual purpose trust, which can be a powerful strategy for preserving the legacy of a business over the long-term.”
… which means that 36% of business owners have. Seems high to me.
🔍 More News
According to a new report from Certified EO, 74% of employee-owned companies don’t have a formal way of measuring employee engagement
The Employee Ownership Association held its annual awards ceremony in the UK, where Shaw Healthcare was crowned Employee Owned Business of the Year (h/t Alan G.)
Phoenix-based Willmeng Construction is now 100% employee-owned via an ESOP
The CFO of Birkley’s Farm Store in Illinois describes the company’s 2021 transition to employee ownership via an ESOP
Maria Flynn from Jobs for the Future writes about the value of employee ownership in private equity
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation highlights employee ownership trusts in Canada (h/t Jon Shell)
Buyouts Insider interviews Dallas-based private equity investor John Block about their shared ownership model
🌇 What’s Coming Up: Events
December 17: The Menke Group hosts a webinar on how to Maximize Success with ESOPs in 2025
January 10-12: The Rutgers Institute’s Annual Kelso Workshop in New Brunswick, NJ
January 13-17, 2025: This year’s Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning includes a session featuring Natalie Reitman-White on using purpose trusts for business succession
February 3-4: NCEO hosts Is an ESOP Right for You? in Austin, Texas
February 20, 2025: Attend “The Employee Ownership Transition: A Deep Dive” a workshop on the process of selling to an employee ownership trust (in Scotland)
April 9-10 2025: The Aspen+Rutgers Employee Ownership Ideas Forum in Washington, DC. Tickets will be released via the Aspen EOP mailing list
October 23 2025: Planning for the IA-CEO 3rd Annual Employee Ownership Conference in Ankeny, IA has begun. Sponsorship and contact information on this LinkedIn post
ICYMI
“The Powerful, Untold Story Of Employee Ownership” in Family Wealth Report, featuring Dan Goldstein (from 2020)
