The ESOP Podcast EO Podcast Network

From April 2023. To celebrate the NCEO's 2024 Annual Conference, Bret Keisling reshares an exciting announcement made at The National Center for Employee Ownership's Annual Conference last year by Loren Rodgers (NCEO) and Steve Storkan (EOX) about the formation of the NCEOX Initiative. This collaboration will combine the excellent messaging of the NCEO with the amazing messengers at Employee Ownership Expansion Network and their state employee ownership centers, which currently cover 70% of the US.

At a time when EO is ascending in the US (and around the world), the NCEOX Initiative could drive a dramatic increase in ESOPs, worker co-ops, and employee ownership trusts (EOTs).

The full transcript of this episode including a link to the NCEOX press release is available on our website at https://www.theesoppodcast.com/post/mini-cast-263-icymi-the-nceox-initiative

Bret Keisling is joined by Daniel Goldstein, one of the leading voices in ESOPs and employee ownership today, who shares his insights on the transformative impact of ESOPs, fostering employee ownership, enhancing community welfare, and promoting business sustainability. Daniel addresses challenges faced by ESOPs, the significance of education and communication within organizations, and the role of employee ownership in addressing racial wealth disparities. Daniel emphasizes the importance of implementing EO across diverse industries and communities and its importance in rural areas for driving long-term employee wealth, business resilience, and economic stability.

For more information, visit our website for this episode at https://www.theesoppodcast.com/post/278-daniel-goldstein-from-esop-ceo-to-advocate

Bret Keisling celebrates Project Equity's 10th Anniversary [https://project-equity.org/]. 

On April 1, 2014, Hilary Abell and Alison Lingane began working part-time with a goal of scaling employee ownership.  In its first year, they created a feasibility study for different strategies to grow EO, created a worker coop academy pilot project with partners based out of Oakland, and articulated its initial organizational mission and values. Included in the Mini-cast is an excerpt from 2020 in which Alison Lingane briefly shares Project Equity's origin story.

Today Project Equity operates primarily as a virtual organization of thirty team members. They have led the way with national partner collaborations, educated approximately 15,000 people about EO, and support 30-40 companies each year with technical assistance for their EO transition journeys. Congratulations and thank you to Project Equity's present and past team members. We have no doubt the best is yet to come.

The video, full transcript, and show notes with links to previous Project Equity episodes are all available on our website for this episode at https://www.theesoppodcast.com/post/mini-cast-262-celebrating-project-equity-s-10th-anniversary

Bret Keisling is joined by Maureen Conway, Aspen Institute Vice President and Executive Director of the Economic Opportunities Program, and Adria Scharf, Associate Director of the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing, who discuss their takeaways and reflections on the recent Employee Ownership Ideas Forum.

The Employee Ownership Ideas Forum was presented by the Aspen Institute Economics Opportunities Program and the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing on April 9-10, 2024, in Washington D.C. Further details and links are in our show notes on our website at https://www.theesoppodcast.com/post/277-maureen-conway-and-adria-scharf-on-the-eo-ideas-forum

Bret Keisling is joined by Daniel Goldstein, retired president and CEO of Folience, Inc. [https://www.folience.com/], an ESOP holding company. Daniel was on a panel at this week’s Employee Ownership Ideas Forum in a session called "Hometown Ownership: The Impact of Employee Ownership in Rural Communities." 

In this excerpt from an upcoming EsOp Podcast episode, Daniel discusses how ESOPs in rural areas provide economic opportunities, support multi-generational employment, and use innovative technology to upskill employees. 

The Employee Ownership Ideas Forum was presented by the Aspen Institute and the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing on April 9-10, 2024, in Washington D.C.

Head to our website for the transcript and video for this episode, with links to all the resources mentioned: https://www.theesoppodcast.com/post/mini-cast-261-daniel-goldstein-on-eo-and-rural-america

Bret Keisling shares EO A-ha Moments from five previous podcast guests who, besides sharing a passion for employee ownership, are all presenting or moderating at the 2024 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, sponsored by the Aspen Institute and the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing taking place this week in Washington DC. 

In this episode, we share EO A-ha Moments from Maureen Conway (Aspen Institute), Adria Scharf (Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing), Corey Rosen (the National Center for Employee Ownership), Evan Edwards (Project Equity), and Jenny Levy (Hypertherm).

Bret Keisling and Jesse Tyler have been collecting EO A-ha Moments from all of their guests on The EsOp Podcast and Owner to Owner podcast. It's not the first time they heard about employee ownership or thought they liked it, but rather the moment they realized that EO could be transformative to their jobs, lives, families, and companies.

Links to the full interviews and more are available on our website at https://soundcloud.com/theesoppodcast/episode-276-eo-a-ha-moments-volume-vii