Hilary Abell and Alison Lingane, cofounders of employee ownership advocates Project Equity, have been named co-recipients of the Heinz Award. The program was launched in 1993 to honor late U.S. Senator John Heinz by awarding and recognizing achievement in areas that were important to him. This year's award sees prizes totaling $1.5 million being awarded to seven Americans in recognition of their contributions to the arts, economy, or the environment.

Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, Project Equity "works with partners around the country to raise awareness about employee ownership as an exit strategy for business owners, and as an important approach for increasing employee engagement and wellbeing" and "provide[s] hands on consulting and support to companies that want to transition to employee ownership." As of late, they've been one of the main drivers behind the EO Equals campaign to raise the profile and visibility of employee ownership for business owners and the public at large.

Abell and Lingane are being awarded "for their leadership in the movement to create better jobs and a fairer economy by advancing employee ownership." Since founding Project Equity, they have been among the most prominent organizations out front on the mission to increase employee ownership, working with cities and locales across the country to increase awareness and eventual adoption of employee ownership as a succession option. Congratulations to them on their well-deserved recognition!