Capitol Substack
EO+WD Weekend Newsletter Vol. 94
🤗 Welcome Back!
Good to see you again. Dr. Hand is traveling back from representing Purpose Trust Ownership Network at the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum in Washington, DC.
Check out others’ LinkedIn posts from the Forum on LinkedIn
In advance of the conference, Dr. Hand compiled a list of (mostly American) political thinkers that advocated for employee ownership
Evan, meanwhile, read Predistribution Initiative’s Playbook for Employee Ownership in Sub-Saharan Africa
📢 Top Shelf News
We learned this week about three companies that might be purpose trusts! TrimTab Impact in Atlanta, Georgia, is one; keep an eye out for two more once we confirm
Washington House Bill 2047, which would eliminate the employee ownership program in the state, was sent to Appropriations
Although employee ownership is known as a bipartisan issue, this was a party-line vote, with Democrats voting in favor and Republicans voting against
The Social Capital (SOCAP) conference has multiple panels up for voting (go vote!). One explores how Employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) and Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) can empower American workers
Check out Transform Finance’s list of all ownership-related panels and vote before April 13th
Sign up for PURPOSE Economy’s newsletter and check out their steward ownership conference this October
Taste, a Virginia food and wine business, is transitioning to employee ownership, along with gift store chain Twin Cities
🔍 White Papers, Op-Eds, and Other Analysis
👉 Research & Articles
A new report explores how expanding employee ownership could reshape the European economy, spotlighting Slovenia as a leading example.
Lafayette Square Institute shares where employee ownership stands in the United States and what issues these alternative models address
Carl Oliveri explores the growing trend in construction companies turning to ESOPs, pointing to resolution in hiring and retention issues (h/t The ICA Group)
Damon Orion highlights the influence that worker-owned media outlets like 404 Media, have on eliminating journalistic bias and advertiser pressures (h/t The ICA Group)
👉 Recent Commentary
William Stockewell outlines the gradual transition of his company, Stockwell Elastomerics, to an ESOP as he retires (h/t Expanding ESOPs)
Grame Nuttall highlights recent UK transitions to employee ownership models after EOT rule changes in the UK, including companies such as Holden Smith, Furrows Group, Crawford Architecture, and HLM Architects
William Stockewell outlines the gradual transition of his company, Stockwell Elastomerics, to an ESOP as he retires (h/t Expanding ESOPs)
Purpose Economy outlines steps that Germany is taking towards steward ownership, following a draft law published by Dr. Anne Sanders
Sean-Tamba Matthew of SES ESOP Strategies answers seven questions about employee ownership
Stacy Smith, Senior Vice President of Project Equity, discusses the benefits of employee ownership in Ethical Exists’ latest podcast episode:
🌇 Upcoming Events
April 14-17: NCEO’s 2025 Annual Employee Ownership Conference in Salt Lake City
April 17: Common Trust’s webinar, Owners Session: The First Year of Employee Ownership with Brad Herrmann
April 22: Project Equity’s webinar Attract & Keep Top Talent-Why Employee Ownership is the Key
🆕 | April 23: North Carolina Employee Ownership Center’s webinar Advisors’ Edge: Unlocking Employee Ownership for Your Clients
April 24: Ownership Capital Lab’s webinar NextGen investors for social impact: The power to scale EO
April 24: National Society of Accountants for Cooperatives host ExitPro 101: Employee Ownership for Small Business Advisors and Accountants. Non-members, register for free using this promo code: PE-VIP99$
April 30: The Iowa Center for Employee Ownership’s webinar, Advisors’ Edge: Unlocking Employee Ownership for Your Clients
May 6-8: Community Spaces Network and Community Vision’s Social Purpose Real Estate Summit
May 8-June 19: Ownership Capital Lab’s four-part educational course for foundations and philanthropic institutions on addressing the racial and gender wealth gap through investments in the Ownership Economy
May 12-13: The Ownership Project at the Harvard Business School’s conference, Worker Ownership: Expanding Typology and Exploring Dimensions
May 13-16: The TEA National Conference on ESOP advocacy and education, in Washington, D.C.
🆕 | May 14: NCEO’s next online meeting date for companies that are considering transitioning to an EOT
May 14-15: ImpactPHL and SOCAP’s Total Impact Summit in Philadelphia
June 22-24: The Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing hosts its second 2025 Future of Equity Symposium in Palo Alto
July 8-11: The 5th Global Research Conference of the International Cooperative Alliance in Montreal
July 14: The National Center for Employee Ownership’s Ownership in Action Series in San Diego
July 14-15: The National Center for Employee Ownership’s Is an ESOP Right for You? event in San Diego
July 24-25: Employee-Owned S Corporations of America’s 2025 Midwestern Regional Policy Seminar in Chicago
August 5-8: The Oxford Symposium on Employee Ownership in the UK
August 30: The 3rd annual Rutgers-Oxford Employee Ownership Research Symposium, also in the UK
September 10-12: Employee-Owned S Corporations of America’s 2025 Federal Policy Conference & Lobby Day in Washington, D.C.
October 6-7: Employee-Owned S Corporations of America’s 2025 Pacific Regional Policy Seminar in Marina del Rey
October 23: The 3rd Annual Employee Ownership Conference in Ankeny
October 27-29: Social Capital Markets’s SOCAP25 in San Francisco
⏪ In Case You Missed It
Leslie Kass, CEO of vegetation management company Lewis Services, discusses how employee ownership benefited their company’s long term goals (h/t Lorelle Atkinson)