Owners at Work Ohio Employee Ownership Center

So, what exactly are state employee ownership centers? What do they do, and why do we need more of them?  This episode is a re-broadcast of an interview originally aired by Owners to Owners – another podcast that focuses on employee ownership. Jesse Tyler, the host of Owners to Owners, sits down with Matt Cropp of the Vermont Center for Employee Ownership, Steve Storkan of the Employee Ownership Expansion Network, and Michael Palmieri of the Ohio Employee Ownership to discuss how state centers approach the tasks of outreach, education, advocacy as well as what drives each of them personally to work to grow employee ownership.
Follow the Owner to Owner podcast: 
https://www.ownertoownerpodcast.com/ 
Owners to Owners is part of the Broader EO Podcast Network 
Learn more about it here: https://www.eopodcastnetwork.com/   
SUPPORT THE SHOW: We make all episodes of Owners at Work free and never place them behind a paywall. But, they take time and money to produce. Consider making a DONATION today to help keep our work going.  
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: We are always looking for new employee ownership stories to tell. Please contact us with your story at oeoc@kent.edu  

SUMMARY: In this episode we speak with Deanna Colombo of Butler/Till a women owned, 100% employee-owned, and Certified B Corporation marketing agency located in Rochester NY. We talk about all things culture and communication, and how both can be maintained through periods of rapid change and growth. In the past two years, Butler/Till has nearly doubled its workforce, opened up a new headquarters, and implemented a hybrid work option – all while navigating covid. Throughout this period, the company has maintained, and even strengthened its company culture. We get into the philosophical questions regarding what drives culture (bottom up vs. top town), practical ways to create communication channels for employee-owners, and how Butler/Till celebrated Employee Ownership Month. If you are looking for some great ideas to rethink your communication strategies, or even some ideas for employee-ownership events at your company – this episode is for you.    
SUPPORT THE SHOW: We make all episodes of Owners at Work free and never place them behind a paywall. But, they take time and money to produce. Consider making a DONATION today to help keep our work going.  
GUEST INFO :  
Deanna Colombo, Butler/Till 
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannacolombo/  WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: We are always looking for new employee ownership stories to tell. Please contact us with your story at oeoc@kent.edu  

SUMMARY: In this episode we speak with Corey Rosen, founder of the National Center for Employee Ownership about a his new book he co-authored with business reporter John Case. The interview is wide ranging and touches upon what is driving economic inequality today, how employee ownership is a practical and transformative solution, the role of private equity in employee ownership, the importance of governance rights vs. increased economic security, whether the ‘moment’ employee ownership is having is distinctive from those in the past, and much more.  
NCEO BOOK LAUNCH EVENT: https://www.nceo.org/event/nceo-book-launch-ownership-rethinking-capitalism-companies-and-who-owns-what  
SUPPORT THE SHOW: We make all episodes of Owners at Work free and never place them behind a paywall. But, they take time and money to produce. Consider making a DONATION today to help keep our work going.  
GUEST INFO :  
Corey Rosen  
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/corey-rosen-3a8a8a4  Phone: 510-208-1314  Email:  CRosen@nceo.org  WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: We are always looking for new employee ownership stories to tell. Please contact us with your story at oeoc@kent.edu  

It is common understanding that only C-corporations and S-corporations can sponsor Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). But is this indeed the case? In this episode we speak with Mike Sorice about how LLCs can indeed sponsor an ESOP and the reasons why some have chosen this option. We talk about the differences between LLCs and other types of corporations, how LLCs can be structured to sponsor an ESOP, as well as the risks associated with doing so.
SUPPORT THE SHOW: We make all episodes of Owners at Work free and never place them behind a paywall. But, they take time and money to produce. Consider making a DONATION today to help keep our work going.  
GUEST INFO :  
Mike Sorice 
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-sorice-law   Phone: 614.223.9336 Email:  msorice@beneschlaw.com  
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: We are always looking for new employee ownership stories to tell. Please contact us with your story at oeoc@kent.edu  

SUMMARY: In this episode we speak with Pete Shuler of Blue Ridge ESOP Associates and go into the mechanics of ESOP administration and talk about Third Party Administrators (TPAs) – what they are and do, why they do it, and how you as a plan administrator in your company can take steps to ensure your relationship with your TPA is strong, efficient, and useful.  
SUPPORT THE SHOW: We make all episodes of Owners at Work free and never place them behind a paywall. But, they take time and money to produce. Consider making a DONATION today to help keep our work going.  
GUEST INFO :  
Pete Shuler 
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-shuler-5631044   Phone: +1 614 280 5208  Email: pshuler@blueridgeesop.com.    WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: We are always looking for new employee ownership stories to tell. Please contact us with your story at oeoc@kent.edu  

SUMMARY: A growing body of research shows that employee-owned companies outperform traditional companies on a range of measures, especially during economic downturns – but is has this pattern continued through covid-19? On this episode we speak with Nancy Wiefek and Nathan Nicholson of the NCEO about two recent research projects that seek to answer this very question. Spoiler alert, employee-owned companies continued to outperform traditional companies, provide increased employment stability, and better levels of retirement security throughout the pandemic.  

ESOPs in the US Food System: https://www.nceo.org/employee-ownership-blog/new-nceo-research-shows-benefits-being-esop-food-industry   Ownership Structure and Resiliency in Crisis: https://esca.us/news/new-study-employee-ownership-provided-resiliency-financial-security-during-crisis/   28-34 Year Old Employee Owners Over Time: https://www.ownershipeconomy.org/   NBC News Featuring NCEO Research: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/personal-finance/workers-companies-arent-rushing-join-great-resignation-s-rcna13706  
  

SUPPORT THE SHOW: We make all episodes of Owners at Work free and never place them behind a paywall. But, they take time and money to produce. Consider making a DONATION today to help keep our work going.  

GUEST INFO :  

Nancy Wiefek  

Email NWiefek@nceo.org,   Phone: 510-208-1312 
Nathan Nicholson   

Email NNicholson@nceo.org  Phone 510-208-1313 
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: We are always looking for new employee ownership stories to tell. Please contact us with your story at oeoc@kent.edu