Employee Ownership as Predistribution
The Ownership Newsletter • Vol. 121
📨 Welcome Back!
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🥃 Top Shelf News
Rutgers Institute’s Joseph Blasi announced he will start commenting publicly on emerging employee ownership policies
Harvard Business School’s Ownership Project released a new report compiling the benefits behind employee ownership
NCEO’s Corey Rosen has the highlights
On The Ezra Klein Show, Jared Abbott argues that Democrats need to adopt “predistributive” economic policies to win back working-class Americans
Someone get him hooked on employee ownership, please!
Meanwhile, Expanding ESOPs published multiple (moving) stories in solidly Republican states, including in Arkansas, Alabama, Idaho, and South Carolina
A roundup of newsletters from our friends:
Jason Weiner’s October newsletter features Democracy Brewing as their co-op of the month
The Aspen Institute’s Economic Opportunities Program’s monthly digest has videos from the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum
EOX’s newsletter includes a (video) collection of employee ownership stories, including this one from Alabama:
👇 In This Issue
🏙️ Events + Opportunities
For a full list of upcoming events, see our Events page. And share your conference recaps with us! Coming fast:
Nov 2-5: The ESOP Association’s EO25 conference in Las Vegas
Nov 6: U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperative’s three-week course on cooperatives
Nov 4-6: EOA’s online EOT Trustee masterclass (for UK EOTs)
Nov 6: Ownership Capital Lab’s webinar on employee ownership investing
Nov 6: Week 1 of GACEO Employee Ownership Ambassador Program
Nov 6: Project Equity’s Demystifying Employee Ownership Trusts webinar
Nov 6: B Lab’s webinar on how employee ownership can help companies and stakeholders achieve their purpose
🆕 | Nov 9: Ken Baker speaks at the Smart Business Dealmakers’ Summit
🔍 Analysis + Opinion
On employee ownership write large, ESOPs, worker cooperatives, trusts, and the ownership economy:
On employee ownership writ large
Founders Market & Co is adopting direct employee ownership
In Nonprofit Quarterly, Project Equity’s David Gray highlights six ways workers can become owners
Writing for The Hub Canada, Felice Chin highlights how employee ownership can strengthen the dignity and connection within an economy
Stephanie Sucasaca advocates for owners of home care businesses to consider selling to their employees
K. MacKenzie Scott asks whether sharing ownership with their employees via stock compensation, as Mark Cuban now argues for, can translate to an ownership culture without employee decision-making participation
Ownership Capital Lab hosted an event previewing their new roadmap for further ownership growth
In the UK, eoa has announced the shortlist for this year’s Employee Ownership Awards. Congrats to all!
News from the states:
The Missouri Center for Employee Ownership has welcomed Julie Leonhardt as its new Executive Director. Congrats, Julie!
Advance Iowa recapped their annual conference celebrating Iowa’s employee ownership community
The Georgia Center for Employee Ownership is highlighting the benefits of employee ownership for retiring business owners
On employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs)
Writing for the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette, Colin Birkhead discusses PNC’s acquisition of employee-owned FirstBank
A new survey from the NCEO shows there has been a sharp increase in the number of ESOPs using outside trustees
The ESOP Association released a podcast, The Ownership Effect, shared that its ESOPATHON raised almost $300,000 this month, released its annual report, and announced its 2025 Edmunson Scholarship recipients. Congratulations to all!
In Fortune, ESCA CEO Stephanie Silverman says employee ownership will empower the next generation of American workers
The Skoll Institute highlights the role of Apis & Heritage in reinvigorating the American Dream
MaineBiz explores how tax advantages and a strong community ethos are contributing to the rise of employee ownership in the state
Journey to an ESOP & Beyond’s newest episode explores how the benefits of employee ownership spread to each employee:
On worker cooperatives
International Cooperative Alliance shares some of the ways countries are memorializing the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives
A Pittsburgh cooperative is aiming to reshape how food is made, shared, and sold
A Namaste Solar employee shares her experience working at a worker cooperative
Last week, The Peace Palace in The Hague hosted a symposium on cooperatives and international law (ICYMI)
On purpose trusts + steward ownership
Text-Em-All, an employee ownership trust, created a short book sharing their story and motivations
Shelter Force highlights how Kensington Corridor Trust is creating affordable housing and preserving community voices
Peter Koehler announced his company, the Lumo Group, is branching into two distinct service lines
Neil Smyth shares his reflections from the Steward-Owned:2025 conference
On the ownership economy
Some great conference recaps:
Jessica Tarin and Paula D’Ambrosa on the Aspen Institute Ideas: Economy forum in New Jersey
Andrea Steffes-Tuttle Andrea Steffes-Tuttle and (ICYMI) Rachel Eva Merfalen on the Ownership Economy Summit in NYC
Vivien C. from Ideas42 on their small business succession planning panel
Tiffani Hart on The Neighborhood Economics Conference in Chicago
An article for Proximate asks if — and also how — we should rank impact investing by its adoption of participatory models
Elle Griffin’s book in progress, We Should Own the Economy, displays a vision for the future of capitalism
A Colorado mountain now owns itself, with an indigenous-led council serving as her guardians
Writing for The Forge, Keith Kelleher introduces the idea of community unions
Nonprofit Quarterly explores the historical roots behind collective governance
WashU’s Olin School of Business explores owner decisions and motivations in the Silver Tsunami
📚 Academic Updates
Cennet Gürbüz, Ahmet Fethi Durmuş, and İsmail Bekci examine the effect of ownership structure on integrated reporting in the EU
Chikako Endo describes how “cooperative democracy” can counter marginalization in Japanese co-ops
Adriano submitted their PhD dissertation on Technology, Employee Ownership, and the Organization of Work. Congrats Adriano!
Henna Busk, Satu Nivalainen, and Olli-Pekka Ruuskanen ask: Does employee ownership help with talent acquisition?
⏰ In Case You Missed It
In his policy report for the Democracy Policy Network, Elias Crim lays out what the cooperative movement needs
Graeme Nuttall OBE shares the success story of an EOT able to balance significant growth and profit sharing
The UK’s rise in employee ownership offers a potential lesson to US businesses experimenting with shared ownership and worker voice