Securing the Future of America’s Critical Industries
Description
In the wake of supply chain shocks, increased global competition, and fears of global conflict, policymakers over the last several years have made concerted efforts to strengthen our manufacturing and industrial base, as well as protect and advance high-tech sectors.
As the country seeks to further develop and retain these strong assets, many are concerned that a large wave of retiring business owners in manufacturing and the uncertainties of ownership and leadership in the tech sector could lead to the loss of many of these businesses through closure, offshoring, or sales to parties that are unlikely to maintain US operations. In this discussion, panelists discuss the critical role these industries play and how employee ownership can potentially help strengthen and retain these important sectors and the jobs they provide.
This video comes from the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing. For clips and highlights from the Forum, subscribe to the Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube, and tune in to our podcast to listen to full discussions on the go. For more from the Forum — including audio, transcripts, and additional resources — click here.
Speakers
- Mike Garvey, Former CEO, M-7 Technologies
- Greg Graves, Former CEO and President, Burns & McDonnell
- Chris Griswold, Policy Director, American Compass
- Fidan Kurtulus, Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Jack Moriarty, Executive Director, Lafayette Square Institute; Associate Director for Policy Analysis Rutgers Institute
Related Resources
- About Us « M7 Technologies – Precision Measurement | Reverse Engineering Services
- Burns & McDonnell – Who We Are
- Create Amazing by Greg Graves
- “How Did Employee Ownership Firms Weather the Last Two Recessions?: Employee Ownership, Employment Stability, and Firm Survival in the United States: 1999-2011” by Fidan Ana Kurtulus and Douglas L. Kruse in UPJohn Institute for Employment Research, 2017
- Three Ways Clients Benefit from Employee-Owned Companies.
- Video: Watch Chris Griswold’s big idea
- Testimony of Chris Griswold Policy Director, American Compass before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce Regarding “Mapping America’s Supply Chains”
About the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum
The Employee Ownership Ideas Forum brings together leading policymakers, practitioners, experts, and the media for a robust discussion on how we can grow employee ownership for the shared benefit of American workers and businesses. It is hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing.
About the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing
The purpose of the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing is to study the various models that have emerged and will emerge of employee ownership shares and profit shares in the corporation and society of the United States and around the world.
About the Economic Opportunities Program
The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy.
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