EO+WD Weekend Newsletter, Vol. 23

This week we cover the fight to save America's oldest brewery and the Native American origins of American democracy

Welcome Back!

The school year has begun for both SMU and UTA

What We’ve Been Writing

• Dr. Hand details some little known history on the Native American origins of democracy 

• Tiffany shares the story of the employees looking to save America’s oldest craft brewery… by buying it themselves  

• Megan covers a recent IRS announcement about increased scrutiny on ESOP related fraud. Readers might also be interested in the NCEO’s response.

What We’ve Been Reading 

• Australia has set up its first Employee Ownership Trust - check out Meld Studios, and thanks to reader Alan Greig for the tip!

• Read how one Connecticut business used an ESOP as an exit strategy 

• Check out how a Seattle restaurant flies in the face of traditional restaurant hierarchy and operates as a fully employee-owned business 

• A beloved Baltimore coffee shop was set to shut down - until employees decided to reopen it as a co-op 

In Case You Missed It 

• Last week Dr. Hand covered two new trusts. Check it out if you haven’t!

The Employee Ownership + Workplace Democracy Research Cluster (EO+WD) is a joint project of UT-Arlington professor Mark Hand and students at UTA and SMU.