Welcome Back
It’s been raining a lot here in Texas. What pairs well with rain? Reading. Grab a cozy spot and enjoy this latest edition of the newsletter!
📝 What We’re Writing
Over on our sister blog Democracy in 500 Words, Dr. Hand asks: What does it take to be a good Republican (or Democrat)?
🗞️ News To Know
Certified EO released 2024: A Banner Year for Certified EO and Our Members, highlighting the growth of the Employee Owned Job Board and a benchmarking initiative to support members’ success
Indiana-based Barnfield Construction Group is employee-owned through an employee ownership trust (EOT)
Texas-based Benchmark Group, Inc. is now 100% employee owned through an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP)
🔍 More News and Analysis
Melanie Rieback proposes a Steward Ownership legal form in the Netherlands, following a motion passed by the Dutch Parliament in 2024
The Steward Ownership legal form (in Dutch)
The Employee Ownership Expansion (EOX) Network’s January Newsletter is out, and action packed
The Aspen Economic Opportunities Program January issue highlights advancements in job quality, employee ownership, and worker empowerment while setting the stage for continued progress for this year
Bill Fotsch discusses the shift from traditional employee engagement to economic engagement, offering a new approach to enhancing workplace satisfaction and productivity
Aziz El-Tahch, ESOP & ERISA Advisory practice leader at Stout, answers seven questions about ESOPs
In the Harvard Business Review, Lynn Forester de Rothschild outlines three key policies to support a pro-growth, pro-worker economy for equitable workplace practices
In his new e-book, “Are You the Next Founder to Future Story?” John Abrams lays out five key progressions steps small business owners can take to shift from traditional ownership to a model that encourages shared success
The Texas Center for Employee Ownership highlights the importance of creating a “team of choice” in employee-owned businesses
The ICA Group discusses REI workers’ efforts to reshape co-op governance, advocating for greater involvement and worker led changes
Heather McCulloch points to the Aspen Institute’s new publication with case studies on inclusively owned commercial real estate
🌇 What’s Coming Up
February 3-4: NCEO hosts Is an ESOP Right for You? in Austin, Texas
February 5-26: NCEO hosts four Communications Committee Crash Courses sessions on how to navigate the world of employee ownership
🆕 | February 14: Join the Oxford Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship for the seminar, “Building Ethical Enterprises: How to Blend Profit with Purpose”
🆕 | February 19: The ICA Group invites you to join Shawn Berry, co-founder of LIFT Economy, for the workshop, “Designing for Success: Organizational Tools for Worker Cooperatives”
February 20: The Employee Ownership Transition: A Deep Dive, a workshop on the process of selling to an employee ownership trust (in Scotland)
🆕 | February 27: Join the National Center for Employee Ownership for a bilingual webinar, “Community Conversations: The Power of Shared Ownership | El Poder de la Propiedad Compartida”
March 11: SXSW panel discussion “This is Not Woke Capitalism, this is the Future of Business,” in Austin, Texas
March 27-28: The Rocky Mountain and Texas/Oklahoma chapters of the ESOP Association host their 2025 regional conference in Phoenix, Arizona
April 9-10: The Aspen+Rutgers Employee Ownership Ideas Forum in Washington, DC. Tickets will be released via the Aspen EOP mailing list
April 14-17: NCEO’s 2025 Annual Employee Ownership Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah
May 6-8: Community Spaces Network and Community Vision’s Social Purpose Real Estate Summit (h/t Gretchen B)
🆕 | June 22-24: The Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing invites you to the 2025 Future of Equity Symposium, taking place at the Sheraton Palo Alto Hotel in Palo Alto, CA
July 8-11: The 5th Global Research Conference of the International Cooperative Alliance in Montréal, Canada
October 23: The 3rd Annual Employee Ownership Conference in Ankeny, Iowa
⏪ In Case You Missed It
The Garrison Institute recently hosted a Moral Economies Forum, where leaders discussed the economy through frameworks such as Regenerative Capitalism and Reparations Finance