OpenAI, Latino Empowerment, and Craft Beer
The EO+WD Weekend Newsletter, Vol. 73: Double Edition
Welcome Back
Miss us last week? We sure missed you! In this edition:
📝 What We’ve Been Writing
🗞️ News To Know
👩💻 For the Nerds
✊ Cooperative Corner
📈 All Things ESOP
🌆 What’s Coming Up: Events
📝 What We’ve Been Writing
Dr. Hand and Colin Birkhead just published a paper titled “Follow Which Leader?” about where and why breweries become employee-owned
Tiffany shares her thoughts on an EO presentation at Fuerza Migrante’s conference in Washington, D.C., including employee ownership for Latinos
Dr. Hand writes about whether to trust the election polls and the consequences of elections in The Runaround, his elections newsletter
🗞️ News To Know
Dr. Hand will be speaking about the future of work in an AI world at BigBangTX next week. If you’re in Dallas, join us!
Project Equity announces its new Certified Employee Ownership Advisor program
Purpose Trust Partners launches the Purpose Trusts for Wisconsin’s Future project
Common Trust is hiring
Purpose Owned and Lumo Group have worked on 27 purpose trusts transitions in 2024. Watch this space!
In the New York Times,, B Lab cofounder Andrew Kassoy argues against OpenAI’s shift from non-profit to for-profit, in favor of perpetual purpose trust ownership (h/t Jenny E.)
Miren Oca from Ocaquatics Swim School, an employee ownership trust, discusses how they are changing lives and supporting employees
Marvin Reiff pitches steward ownership as a tool to address wealth inequality in Germany
👩💻 For the Nerds
Daniel Chandler’s new book explores how John Rawls’ 50-year-old philosophy, which includes worker ownership of companies, could improve democracy today
John Médaille makes the conservative case for employee ownership in The Imaginative Conservative
Peter Boumgarden and Olin’s Brookings Commission recommend policies to address the silver tsunami
✊ Cooperative Corner
The International Cooperative Research Group reports on the differences that cooperatives make in Central America
Elle Griffin writes about the principles of the Mondragon cooperative & its emphasis on collective ownership, worker participation, and social responsibility to build a better economic system
📈 All Things ESOP
Marine Technology of St. Louis and Wojo’s Greenhouse and Farm in Illinois are now both employee-owned via ESOP
Private Equity International explains what happens when ESOPs (employee stock ownership plans) meet continuation funds
Amy Loth Allen of Leadership Trust discusses the evolving benefits of ESOPs for employee
Levenfeld Pearlstein’s David Solomon examines ESOPs and what makes them viable models
Joe Fisher from The Gazette writes about different employee ownership models for their ESOPtober celebration
IMA Financial celebrates Employee Ownership Month by highlighting how employee ownership benefits their team
Christopher Dvorachek of Woodforest National Bank explains how ESOPs are shaping the future of business succession
Texas-based organic nut butter company Once Again celebrates being employee-owned for nearly 50 years
🌆 What’s Coming Up: Events
October 21-22: NCEO hosts Is An ESOP Right For You? in Phoenix, AZ
🆕 | October 23: Join the virtual discussion, “Community Benefits Agreements: A Tool for Creating Good Jobs,” here
October 23: Attend “An Introduction to Employee Ownership Trusts” presented by FDS Director Services, here
October 24: The Georgia Center for Employee Ownership hosts its annual Employee Ownership Celebration
October 24: Join ILCEO for the first annual ILCEO 2024 Employee Ownership Celebration
🆕 | October 28: Join Transform Finance at their SOCAP Community Gathering; register here
🆕 | November 1: B Local Texas hosts its Purposeful Networking Mixer: Meet between the Wines
December 4: The 2nd Annual Ownership Economy Summit in New York City. Register here
January 13-17, 2025: Registration for The 59th Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning which will explore the use of purpose trusts as a new approach for business succession is here!
February 20, 2025: Attend “The Employee Ownership Transition: A Deep Dive” a workshop for insights on the process of selling to an employee ownership trust (in Scotland)
🕰️ ICYMI
2023 data reveal that employee-owned businesses deliver an 8-12x productivity boost, among other advantages (H/t Alan Greig)