Grace Dawson
MSP Membership Mixer: An Evening in Review
The NCEO’s first Membership Mixer was held on August 15 at employee-owned Hell’s Kitchen in downtown Minneapolis.
Employee Ownership Blog
Eva Lianos
Introducing the Speakers for NCEO’s “Is an ESOP Right for You?” Event in Phoenix
What will your legacy be? We are thrilled to announce our lineup of distinguished speakers and NCEO members for our upcoming “Is an ESOP Right for You?” event on October 21–22 in Phoenix, Arizona. This event promises to deliver invaluable insights and practical guidance for companies exploring the transition to an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP).
Corey Rosen
New Report Identifies 53 Funds Focused on Investing in Employee-Owned Companies
A new report by Curt Lyon and Julie Menter of Transform Finance, Employee Ownership: Overview for Mission-Oriented Investors, identifies 53 funds in the U.S. and Canada that invest partly or entirely in employee-owned companies. Twenty-two of these funds focus only on employee ownership and target raising $1.6 billion to invest. The other funds, which target raising $3.8 billion, invest only some of their assets in employee ownership companies. Five funds focus just on ESOPs, while the others focus on non-ESOP equity sharing.
Corey Rosen
Senate Committee Recommends Funding WORK Act and Finalizing Valuation Regulations; House Does Not
The 2026 proposed appropriation for the Department of Labor (DOL) passed by the House Appropriations Committee lacks funding for state employee ownership offices authorized by the WORK Act that the Senate Appropriations Committee recommended in July. That committee is recommending an initial $2 million for 2025 to help fund state employee ownership outreach programs. The Senate committee also urged the DOL to finalize its ESOP valuation regulations.
Ramona Rodriguez-Brooks
Fall Forum Keynote Sneak Peek: Three Leadership Strategies for Employee-Owned Businesses
This September in Indianapolis, I’ll have the honor of joining Jen Briggs on the Fall Forum main stage for our keynote conversation, “Brewing Potential: Leadership Strategies for Employee-Owned Businesses.” Jen is an insightful and experienced leader, and we will present a candid “beer with the boss”-style keynote focused on building effective leadership that prioritizes high-performance culture. As we start our engines and prepare to #racetoIndy, I’d like to share a few of the landmark themes Jen and I plan to explore in the keynote.
Madelyn Hammack
National Economic Council Hosts White House Convening on Worker Ownership
On July 25, the National Economic Council (NEC) hosted a meeting on employee ownership in the White House compound that gathered representatives from federal agencies, legislative offices, and the employee ownership community, including the NCEO’s Loren Rodgers. As Joseph Blasi, speaking as a representative of the Treasury Department, noted, never before has a presidential administration hosted such a prominent inter-agency meeting on employee ownership.
Corey Rosen
Comment Period for DOD Rule on 100% ESOP Contracting Preferences Ends July 29
The comment period for a proposed Department of Defense (DOD) rule allowing 100% ESOP-owned companies to receive sole source follow-on contracts ends on July 29.
Madelyn Hammack
State of New Jersey Partners with Rutgers University to Promote Employee Ownership
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) has announced a significant collaboration with the Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations (SMLR) to foster employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) across the state. This partnership aims to create educational and informational programs to increase the number of New Jersey businesses implementing the ESOP model. Professor Bill Castellano, Executive Director of the New Jersey/New York Center for Employee Ownership, will be leading the charge. “A large percentage of retiring business owners have few succession plan options, and don’t realize they can sell the company to their employees instead of closing up shop,” he said. “Employee ownership strategies save jobs and help to keep the business and the local economy going.”
Loren Rodgers
DOL Appoints Hilary Abell as Head of DOL Division of Employee Ownership
With the appointment of an experienced worker ownership professional, Hilary Abell, as the division chief of the Division of Employee Ownership, the federal government now has a full-time staff member dedicated to helping employers and employees learn about employee ownership.