Loren Rodgers
In a transaction that dramatically expands the scope of employee ownership trusts (EOTs) in the United States, Consumer Direct Care Network (CDCN) announced Friday that an EOT now owns over 30% of its shares and is on a path to cover up to 60,000 employees within three years.
Corey Rosen
The new regulatory agenda for the Department of Labor (DOL) indicates that new regulations for ESOP valuations could come as soon as January 2026. The regulations were required by Section 346 of the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022. The release notes that “[t]o inform this action, the Department established a pre-rule outreach plan to broaden public participation and community engagement in the regulatory process. This includes meeting with a range of stakeholders (including ESOP sponsors, appraisers, labor organizations and academics) to hear about issues they believe should be addressed in the Department’s guidance. The goal of the outreach plan is to inform this regulatory action through meaningful and equitable opportunities for public input by a range of interested or affected parties, including underserved communities.”
Timothy Garbinsky
We at the NCEO have long thought (hoped?) that employee ownership would be a bigger part of being a successful business. Beyond its potential as a succession planning option for business owners (which shouldn't be overlooked), employee ownership has time and again demonstrated that it can serve as a robust employee benefit by itself, providing companies with a meaningful way to reward and engage employees. The impact of this engagement on company resiliency has been shown repeatedly in the last few years.
Timothy Garbinsky
Nominations for the 2026 Joyce Rothschild Book Prize are open until September 15. Awarded by the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University, the prize is open to books published between 2022 and 2025, and authors are welcome to self-nominate.
Nancy Wiefek
The National Longitudinal Surveys (NLS), sponsored by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, are nationally representative surveys that follow the same sample of individuals from specific birth cohorts over time. Our research uses data from a sample first interviewed in 1997 and biennially ongoing.
Timothy Garbinsky
Lisa M. Gomez, who recently served as the assistant secretary for employee benefits security at the Department of Labor, has joined the Employee Ownership Expansion Network (EOX)'s board of directors.
Nancy Wiefek
The NCEO research team, looking at available data from the last few years, recently completed a detailed analysis of the breadth and depth of the retirement crisis facing the US workforce. The analysis shows not only what many American workers are lacking in retirement savings but also the potential impact of ESOPs in filling that gap.
Matthew Licina
The new Share Holder Allocation for Rewards to Employees Plan Act, or the SHARE Plan Act, has been introduced in the House. The bipartisan bill is sponsored by Representatives Tom Suozzi (D-NY) and Mike Kelly (R-PA). The bill would provide a tax reduction for large companies to share ownership broadly with employees.
Matthew Licina
On July 14 and 15, I was joined by 24 attendees from 17 different companies in San Diego, California, at the Hotel Republic for “Is an ESOP Right for You?” It was inspiring to see such a wide array of companies engage so deeply in conversations about implementing employee ownership.
