In April, a splashy ad appeared in the New York Times announcing a new nonprofit, Ownership Works. The nonprofit is a collaboration between 60 organizations including private equity, philanthropic leaders, banks, pension funds, and worker advocates. The nonprofit will help companies structure and roll out broad-based equity programs that include…

Latest acquisition is the assets of trailer manufacturer TravAlum — by Karen Kahn While most ESOPs are stand-alone businesses, a model that is growing in popularity is the ESOP holding company. This structure can enable firms to enjoy shared services and can make it easier for the founder to exit, at the same time that it enables employees to take their place as…

Efforts to create state offices to support employee ownership transitions moving forward — Several state-led efforts are advancing employee ownership legislation. Among them: California: A bill ( SB 1407) has been introduced in the California Senate to create an employee ownership program within the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (Go-Biz). The dedicated hub would educate stakeholders about worker ownership, assist business…

Employee Ownership News has been keeping a watchful eye on the rollout of the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), a $10 billion program being launched by the Biden administration as part of its American Recovery Plan. SSBCI specifically created an opening for states to use their programs to finance…

Company helps workers meet financial needs before they retire — by Adria Scharf For low- to moderate-income workers, Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) can provide an important path to wealth accumulation. But most often that wealth is not available until retirement. …

Colorado launches employee ownership tax credit — by Karen Kahn A promising model for how states can support more employee ownership conversions has just been put in place in Colorado, where Governor Jared Polis has long been a strong advocate for employee ownership. On January 1, the Employee Ownership Office at the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade…

Stanford Social Innovation Review article argues for taking capital investment to scale — Typical progressive approaches to addressing the growing income and wealth gap — minimum wage, unions, taxation, or guaranteed income — have failed to move the needle, argue Marjorie Kelly and Karen Kahn-in a post at Stanford Social Innovation Review. In their commentary, the authors make the case for impact investors…

WeFunder campaign shows community support for transforming the restaurant industry — by Karen Kahn The Main Street Phoenix Project (MSPP) — an effort to transform the food service industry through cooperative ownership — has made its first acquisition, Griffin Coffee, located in Edgewater, CO, just outside Denver. Griffin Coffee is more than a coffee shop; it is a community center, showcasing local artists and…

To create demand business schools need a new message — by Kim Blaugher This article continues the conversation on teaching employee ownership at the nation’s business schools. Kim Blaugher is executive director of the Beyster Institute at the UC San Diego Rady School of Management. The Beyster Institute is one of the few business graduate school programs with specialized training in employee ownership.