Owning It: Experiences from the Front Lines of Employee Ownership
Description
Tens of millions of employee-owners go to work every day in the US.
What they experience is often different from the rest of the workforce in terms of the financial rewards they receive, the culture they operate within, and the roles and responsibilities they assume. These experiences offer a different vision for our economy and our approach to work in the US. Hear from employee-owners about their experiences with ownership and the effects it has had on their lives and communities. Panelists will discuss how ownership affects their job quality, their performance, their relationship with their company, and their perspectives on other outcomes from employee ownership.
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
- Ashley Bell, Inventory Coordinator, A Few Cool Hardware Stores
- Adrian Flores, Project Manager, Accent Landscape Contractors
- Sarah St. Onge, Inside Sales Engineer, Admix
- Juan Carlos Lopez, Executive Associate, Cooperative Home Care Associates
- Moderator: Tim Garbinsky, Communications Director, National Center for Employee Ownership
Related Resources
- A Few Cool Hardware Stores
- Case Studies of Worker Cooperatives in Health: Cooperatives Home Care Associate
- Employee Owned – ESOP – About Us – Admix
- National Center for Employee Ownership
- New fund helps big El Paso landscape firm become employee-owned
- ACE in the Hole: ACE Hardware’s Gina Schaefer on Becoming an ESOP
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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Owning It: Experiences from the Front Lines of Employee Ownership
