Employee Ownership Blog

Scott Rodrick

February 02, 2022

It May Rain Cats and Dogs in Seattle, But Our Puppies Will Stay Dry

We've seen our conference grow from a small pack of attendees in the early 80s to more than 2,000 due to our dogged insistence on serving the employee ownership community's needs, but everyone was always human, even if they did howl sometimes. Now we're going to have puppies too! Barking up the wrong tree when you communicate your plan? Have a bone to pick with repurchase? You'll have no obligation to feel bad after cheerfully cuddling with our captivatingly cute canine companions.

Loren Rodgers

February 02, 2022

NCEO/ESCA Research: ESOPs, Wealth, and Jobs

Since the February 1 release of the NBC News Now story “Instead of ‘I quit,’ workers at these companies say they’re staying put and reaping rewards,” inspired by new NCEO research supported by ESCA, the NCEO has received many inquiries from people wanting to know more and asking for ways they can easily share the information.

Kevin McPhillips

February 01, 2022

Guest Blog: New EO Legislation Passes in PA

The Pennsylvania Center for Employee Ownership is pleased to announce that employee ownership legislation has successfully passed in the Pennsylvania House and is on to the Senate. Pennsylvania is one of only a small number of states that do not currently mirror the federal Section 1042 rules. By making an election under Section 1042, sellers of C corporations can defer 100% of capital gains tax when selling to their employees in an ESOP. The bill (PA HB-285) would adopt the rules of Section 1042 (as well as Section 402(e)(4), regarding net unrealized appreciation) in Pennsylvania state tax law.

Loren Rodgers

February 01, 2022

NBC News Covers Employee Ownership and NCEO Research

On February 1, the evening NBC News Now is running the story “When workers are owners, they often get better benefits and a chance to build wealth. Some even build million-dollar retirement accounts.” NBC News hosts a web version of their reporting that includes both the video segment and a text version by Gretchen Morgenson and David Paredes.

Dallan Guzinski

February 01, 2022

Admitting We Need a Little Help Is a Strength, Not a Weakness

The NCEO recently conducted an employee survey for a medium-sized ESOP company as part of its Ownership Culture Surveys Networking Program. In preparation for their upcoming initiatives, the company had also registered several employees for the NCEO's Communications Committee Crash Course. The company clearly wanted to make some important changes and do positive work on behalf of their fellow employee-owners. When assessing some of the themes in the employee feedback, we found that there was a strong desire among employees with fewer than two years of service for guidance or a formal way for them to receive mentorship and help while growing into their career.

Kim Blaugher

February 01, 2022

Guest Blog: Training to Be an ESOP Professional

The ESOP consulting community endeavors to advance employee ownership. In a recent call of 70 leading ESOP consultants hosted by the Beyster Institute at the Rady School of Management at UC San Diego, we discussed why some ESOP transaction closing dates were delayed. These delays resulted in increased transaction fees and frustration from the company and selling shareholders as their enthusiasm of becoming an ESOP-owned company was challenged. Our discussion aimed to understand how to avoid these unnecessary delays, which can harm the growth of employee ownership. We have convened a working group with the help of the NCEO and will work on finding solutions over the next few months.

Nancy Wiefek

January 11, 2022

The 2022 National ESOP Database Is Now Available

The 2022 ESOP Database, the NCEO's comprehensive data source on all ESOPs in the US, is now available. The database includes plan year 2020 Form 5500 filings (or the most recent available filing before 2020) and includes company name and address, industry, number of plan participants, plan assets, age of the ESOP, publicly traded indicator, and many more fields. (Download a sample of the data here).

Jordan Boone

January 04, 2022

The NCEO Is Hiring an Event Assistant

The NCEO is hiring for our event team. We are currently seeking an event assistant who will play an integral part in the success of events like our Fall ESOP Forum.

Corey Rosen

January 03, 2022

Congress Makes 100% ESOPs Eligible for Sole-Source Follow-on Awards

The National Defense Authorization Act signed into law by President Biden on December 27 contains the first-ever government contracting program to specifically encourage ESOPs. Section 874 of the new law creates a Department of Defense pilot program that would allow companies that are or become 100% ESOP-owned to receive noncompete follow-on contracts for the work. The award would be contingent on a finding that the contractor’s performance was satisfactory or better. The program will run for five years, and the Government Accountability Office is required to provide an assessment of it within three years of the program’s enactment.

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