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Employee Ownership Blog

Kimberly McCourtney

Join Us at the NCEO Forum: Launch of the Rising Leaders Peer Network

Leadership isn’t defined by title; it starts with how we show up every day. That’s the spirit behind the NCEO’s newest member benefit: the Rising Leaders Peer Network. Created for emerging leaders at all levels within our community, this network is designed to develop the next generation of employee ownership champions through practical tools, peer support, and ongoing growth opportunities.


Michelle Cronin

Reflections on the OWN Health Annual Member Meeting

The San Diego gathering of OWN Health captive members offered a window into how employee-owned companies are reimagining healthcare benefits through collective action. With 13 member companies present, the meeting revealed the advantages that emerge when ESOP companies approach healthcare challenges collaboratively rather than in isolation. Unlike the typical insurance conference where vendors pitch solutions to passive buyers, this meeting emphasized the impact of employee ownership culture on ESOP company healthcare decisions and outcomes.


Corey Rosen

MA Bill Would Promote Transition to Worker Coops

A new Massachusetts bill, "An Act promoting entrepreneurship through employee ownership," appearing in identical versions in the Massachusetts House and Senate as H. 503 and S. 305, respectively, would encourage small business owners to transition their firms to worker cooperatives. Companies must have at least three employees and meet the definition of a small business under Small Business Administration (SBA) standards. The sale must be to a worker cooperative or to an LLC or partnership that otherwise meets the requirements for worker cooperatives, including equal voting power for all employees who are designated as owners under the company’s bylaws. Profits must be distributed based on “patronage," defined as hours worked for the company.


Corey Rosen

EBSA Nominee Daniel Aronowitz Pledges to "End the War on ESOPs"

Daniel Aronowitz, the nominee to head the Employee Benefit Security Administration (EBSA) in the Department of Labor (DOL), promised to “end the war on ESOPs.”

At Aronowitz’s June 5, 2025, confirmation hearing (the segment with Aronowitz starts at 35:30 in the video), Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski (who once worked for an ESOP company) noted that Aronowitz was “probably very familiar with the angst that has been expressed by some that ESOPs have been operating under a patchwork of litigation and there has been a need for a single clear regulatory definition of good-faith effort of valuation of ESOP stock.”





Matthew Licina

Funding Halted for WA Employee Ownership Program

Updated May 30, 2025. The author would like to thank Jack Moriarty of Lafayette Square Institute for his input.

Following speculation and legislative hearings featuring testimony from interested parties, the state of Washington has enacted changes to its employee ownership program. Signed into law on May 19 by Governor Bob Ferguson (D), HB 2047 will eliminate funding for the employee ownership program, initially launched in 2023, and will also sunset the associated tax credit for new applications after June 30, 2025.