New Cooperatives + A New EO Consultancy
EO+WD Weekend Newsletter Vol. 90
🤗Welcome Back! What We’re Up To:
Dr. Hand’s paper with Peter Boumgarden, “Restructuring the Family Firm at Succession: Aligning Structure, Motivations, and Beliefs,” has been conditionally accepted for publication in Business Horizons. Email us for an advance copy!
Evan introduces Concept2, the newest perpetual purpose trust in the U.S.
📢 News to Know
Cooperative Development Foundation and NCBA CLUSA announced the 2025 cohort of their Cooperative Leaders and Scholars program
Head of Employee Ownership at the Department of Labor, Hilary Abell, was laid off amongst mass government layoffs (including additional employees in the Employee Benefits Security Administration)
Lisa Gomez, former head of EBSA, predicts interference with EBSA activities
James Bonham, President and CEO of The ESOP Association, identifies staff reductions among the federal government but urges the administration to continue initiatives such as the WORK Act, extend tax provisions (authored in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act), and take action on an adequate consideration rule
California company Vivid Life Home Care is now a cooperative (h/t M.B.); Denver-based company Advisors for Change transitioned, too
A new employee ownership consultancy, 40 Million Owners (40MO?) is now open for business
Cofounder Michael Brady highlights how the communal aspects of the natural products industry creates an opportunity for employee ownership
🔍 Analysis
The ESOP Association released its Fiduciary Guidebook for ESOPs
Top 100 US cooperatives earn annual revenue of $342 billion based on data in 2023
Malcolm Burnley explores Philadelphia City Councilmember Nic O’Rourke’s interest in promoting worker cooperatives to fix our “busted democracy”
Corey Rosen identifies employee ownership structures in seventeen of the largest 100 private companies, such as Cargill, Publix, and H-E-B
The ESOP Association highlights laws passed or being considered for employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), such as tax incentives, employee ownership offices, contracting preferences, linked deposit programs, and more
The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) discuss where employee ownership trusts (EOTs) fit in succession planning
📝 Recent Academic Papers
Kyoung Yong Kim’s research reveals the relationship between high-quality employees and their inclinations to opt into ESOP firms
David Ellerman analyzes Tocqueville’s approach to poverty relief and where employee ownership may have its place
Julian McKinley emphasizes an ecosystem approach to supporting cooperative growth in communities
Uwe Jirjahn discusses whether the increased worker representation reflects increased worker democracy in firms
🌇 What’s Coming Up
March 11: A SXSW panel discussion “This is Not Woke Capitalism, this is the Future of Business,” in Austin
March 13: Michigan’s Center for Employee Ownership is hosting a webinar on “Business-Ready for Capital: Identifying Key Factors for Success”
March 20: Ownership Capital Lab’s webinar on “Women’s growing economic power to scale the ownership economy” as part of its speaker series celebrating the release of its forthcoming white paper, “The Silver Tsunami, the Great Wealth Transfer and the future of employee ownership in the United States (H/t Katherine)
March 26: Ownership Capital Lab’s webinar “EO fund spotlight: 2025 investment opportunities”
March 27-28: The Rocky Mountain and Texas/Oklahoma chapters of the ESOP Association host their 2025 Regional Conference in Phoenix
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
May 6-8: Community Spaces Network and Community Vision’s Social Purpose Real Estate Summit
May 13-16: The “TEA National Conference 2025” focused on ESOP advocacy and education, in Washington, D.C.
April 10: The 39th Annual Ohio Employee Ownership Conference in Akron
🆕 | April 22: Project Equity’s online webinar “Attract & Keep Top Talent-Why Employee Ownership is the Key”
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 24-25: Employee-Owned S Corporations of America’s 2025 Midwestern Regional Policy Seminar in Chicago
August 30: The 3rd annual Rutgers-Oxford Employee Ownership Research Symposium 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
⏪ In Case You Missed It
Jason Spicer and Jessica Gordon Nembhard discuss how and structural racism hindered the cooperative movement in the U.S.
Employee-owned wood coating manufacturer Gemini Industries acquired Diamond Vogel’s Industrial Wood (pictured below!)
Employees of Gemini Industries
