Blog Post
May 26, 2023

Touchdown for Employee Ownership

Jaymie Oviedo
Jaymie Oviedo
Senior Director of Events

One month ago, 1,650 employee-owners and 50 considering employee ownership for their business all descended on Kansas City, Missouri, for the 41st NCEO Annual Conference. We welcomed 880+ first-time attendees to the event. We also saw 130 members join us online.

We learned and shared tangible solutions to recruit and retain hardworking employee-owners and how to sustain businesses for decades to come. Culture and engagement are hard work, but they are the lifeblood of what makes ESOP companies outperform non-ESOP companies. Celebrating wins both as a company and as a team is a valuable opportunity to be seized. Small-group learning and peer collaboration were big takeaways from the 2023 conference. NCEO members also proved that the demand for educational content is high!

“Aside from the knowledge that I gained, the conference reminded me that the ESOP community is gracious and collaborative.” —2023 conference attendee

2023 Conference Highlights

  • 416 gallons of coffee consumed by NCEO members—way more than the industry standard!
  • A defining experience created by employee-owned AV sponsor Markey’s

  • Childhood nostalgia unlocked through grilled cheese and ice cream bars

  • Joe’s vs. Jack Stack BBQ—we hope you had a chance to try both!

  • A showstopping keynote with Kerry Siggins and Greg Graves

  • 10 total professional development sessions, many led by our own peer networking groups

  • 9,041 slide downloads with 27,689 content likes

  • 1,761 active app users from 49 states, totaling 5,012 hours of use

  • One unforgettable NCEO conference!

We look forward to expanding our learning opportunities and education spaces next year. We hope you, your board, and your communications committee will join us for the 2024 Annual Conference in Tampa, Florida, on April 29–May 1, 2024.

Things to Look Forward to in 2024

  • An outdoor reception on Sunday, April 28, 2024, on the Tampa Riverwalk

  • Bigger breakout rooms

  • A great walkable downtown with free street cars

  • Water taxis

  • 130+ breakout sessions

  • Networking with old and new friends