In this clip, the Aspen Institute’s Maureen Conway and Rutgers University’s Joseph Blasi provide closing remarks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum. For a transcript and additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/joseph-blasi-and-maureen-conway-give-closing-remarks-at-the-2025-employee-ownership-ideas-forum/
Or subscribe to our podcast and listen on the go: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/aspeneop/
For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop
The 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum took place on April 9-10, 2025, virtually and in Washington DC. The Forum is proudly co-hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University.
This year’s theme, “From Workers to Owners,” highlights how the experience of ownership changes the reality of work for workers. The forum highlights companies in a range of business sectors and explores how employee ownership fits their business strategy and approach to business leadership. We also discuss the particular role employee ownership can play in supporting business success, and we consider the role institutional investors can play in improving capital access for employee ownership conversions and expansions.
For more information about the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, including our speakers, agenda, and additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2025/
In this clip, JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Gwyneth Galbraith speaks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum.
For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/jpmorgan-chase-co-s-gwyneth-galbraith-speaks-at-the-2025-employee-ownership-ideas-forum/
Or subscribe to our podcast and listen on the go: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/aspeneop/
For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop
The 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum took place on April 9-10, 2025, virtually and in Washington DC. The Forum is proudly co-hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University.
This year’s theme, “From Workers to Owners,” highlights how the experience of ownership changes the reality of work for workers. The forum highlights companies in a range of business sectors and explores how employee ownership fits their business strategy and approach to business leadership. We also discuss the particular role employee ownership can play in supporting business success, and we consider the role institutional investors can play in improving capital access for employee ownership conversions and expansions.
For more information about the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, including our speakers, agenda, and additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2025/
In this clip, ESCA President Stephanie Silverman speaks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum.
For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/esca-president-stephanie-silverman-speaks-at-the-2025-employee-ownership-ideas-forum/
Or subscribe to our podcast and listen on the go: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/aspeneop/
For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop
The 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum took place on April 9-10, 2025, virtually and in Washington DC. The Forum is proudly co-hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University.
This year’s theme, “From Workers to Owners,” highlights how the experience of ownership changes the reality of work for workers. The forum highlights companies in a range of business sectors and explores how employee ownership fits their business strategy and approach to business leadership. We also discuss the particular role employee ownership can play in supporting business success, and we consider the role institutional investors can play in improving capital access for employee ownership conversions and expansions.
For more information about the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, including our speakers, agenda, and additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2025/
Health care is one of our nation’s largest industries and employers. Though worker-owned cooperatives have a fairly significant presence in this industry, largely through home care, only about 2% of ESOPs are in healthcare. But these dynamics may also change as more clinics, private practices, and direct-care companies look to employee ownership to strengthen their performance, create better jobs, and retain their independence. Some advocates also argue that employee ownership may also be able to support better patient and client outcomes. In this conversation from the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, panelists examine the current state of employee ownership in healthcare and how the model might help strengthen the industry.
For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/industry-spotlight-healthcare/
Or subscribe to our podcast and listen on the go: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/aspeneop/
For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop
The 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum took place on April 9-10, 2025, virtually and in Washington DC. The Forum is proudly co-hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University.
This year’s theme, “From Workers to Owners,” highlights how the experience of ownership changes the reality of work for workers. The forum highlights companies in a range of business sectors and explores how employee ownership fits their business strategy and approach to business leadership. We also discuss the particular role employee ownership can play in supporting business success, and we consider the role institutional investors can play in improving capital access for employee ownership conversions and expansions.
For more information about the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, including our speakers, agenda, and additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2025/
Improving job quality doesn’t just benefit workers; it can also strengthen small businesses themselves and the broader communities they serve. Yet, many small business owners lack the resources and knowledge needed to improve the quality of their jobs. Trusted partners, like community development financial institutions (CDFIs), can make a meaningful difference.
Through its Shared Success demonstration, the Aspen Institute’s Economic Opportunities Program has had the opportunity to learn about the range of strategies CDFI business advisors have employed to encourage job quality among their small business clients. EOP’s job quality advising guide, “Building Shared Success: A Guide to Small Business Job Quality Advising for CDFIs,” was developed in collaboration with business advisors based on this experience. Centered on business value, this guide provides tools, resources, and success stories that can help organizations working with small businesses coach clients on potential job quality improvements that can also enhance business resilience.
This webinar, which EOP hosted on June 26, 2025, features highlights from the guide, as well as insights from CDFI leaders about their approaches to building job quality advising into their work. It features opening remarks from the Aspen Institute’s Maureen Conway and Bryn Morgan, followed by a panel discussion with Amanda Blondeau (Northern Initiatives), Cynthia Murphy (Coastal Enterprises, Inc.), and Delphine Ntegeye (African Development Center).
For more information about this event, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our event page.
For highlights from this discussion, subscribe to EOP’s YouTube channel.
Or subscribe to our podcast to listen on the go.
Join us on Zoom on Tuesday, July 22, at 2 p.m. Eastern time, for our next webinar, “Fixing Work: Recent Lessons from the Field.”
In this clip, NCEO Executive Director Loren Rodgers speaks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum.
For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/nceo-executive-director-loren-rodgers-speaks-at-the-2025-employee-ownership-ideas-forum/
Or subscribe to our podcast and listen on the go: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/aspeneop/
For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop
The 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum took place on April 9-10, 2025, virtually and in Washington DC. The Forum is proudly co-hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University.
This year’s theme, “From Workers to Owners,” highlights how the experience of ownership changes the reality of work for workers. The forum highlights companies in a range of business sectors and explores how employee ownership fits their business strategy and approach to business leadership. We also discuss the particular role employee ownership can play in supporting business success, and we consider the role institutional investors can play in improving capital access for employee ownership conversions and expansions.
For more information about the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, including our speakers, agenda, and additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2025/
Small businesses are the backbone of American communities and form one of the nation’s most trusted institutions. Restaurants and retail stores on Main Street, auto repair shops, construction contractors, daycare centers, beauty salons, barber shops, and various service-based businesses, among others, are a key part of the social and economic fabric of America. But they face a number of challenges, including accessing capital, high overhead costs, market development, talent recruitment and retention, and succession. In this discussion from the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, panelists discuss what employee ownership looks like in small businesses and how employee ownership can increase their strength and resiliency.
For video, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/strengthening-small-business-through-employee-ownership/
Or subscribe to our podcast and listen on the go: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/aspeneop/
For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop
The 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum took place on April 9-10, 2025, virtually and in Washington DC. The Forum is proudly co-hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University.
This year’s theme, “From Workers to Owners,” highlights how the experience of ownership changes the reality of work for workers. The forum highlights companies in a range of business sectors and explores how employee ownership fits their business strategy and approach to business leadership. We also discuss the particular role employee ownership can play in supporting business success, and we consider the role institutional investors can play in improving capital access for employee ownership conversions and expansions.
For more information about the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, including our speakers, agenda, and additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2025/
Employee ownership has gained increasing recognition and support from investors in recent years. However, attracting scaled institutional capital remains a challenge for the field. The perceived complexity of employee ownership, uncertainty about returns, regulatory and fiduciary challenges, and a lack of understanding about how the model works pose significant challenges to capital market adoption. In this conversation from the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, panelists discuss the current state of employee ownership investment and examine how institutional investors, asset owners, and allocators can bring forward the investment the field needs to grow.
For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/bridging-the-gap-institutional-investment-and-employee-ownership/
Or subscribe to our podcast and listen on the go: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/aspeneop/
For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop
The 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum took place on April 9-10, 2025, virtually and in Washington DC. The Forum is proudly co-hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University.
This year’s theme, “From Workers to Owners,” highlights how the experience of ownership changes the reality of work for workers. The forum highlights companies in a range of business sectors and explores how employee ownership fits their business strategy and approach to business leadership. We also discuss the particular role employee ownership can play in supporting business success, and we consider the role institutional investors can play in improving capital access for employee ownership conversions and expansions.
For more information about the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, including our speakers, agenda, and additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2025/
In this clip, the Ford Foundation’s Margot Brandenburg speaks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum. For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/the-ford-foundations-margot-brandenburg-speaks-at-the-2025-employee-ownership-ideas-forum/
Or subscribe to our podcast and listen on the go: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/aspeneop/
For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop
The 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum took place on April 9-10, 2025, virtually and in Washington DC. The Forum is proudly co-hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University.
This year’s theme, “From Workers to Owners,” highlights how the experience of ownership changes the reality of work for workers. The forum highlights companies in a range of business sectors and explores how employee ownership fits their business strategy and approach to business leadership. We also discuss the particular role employee ownership can play in supporting business success, and we consider the role institutional investors can play in improving capital access for employee ownership conversions and expansions.
For more information about the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, including our speakers, agenda, and additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2025/
Markets and our economy don’t just happen — they’re crafted. While we often hear about the “free market” as a natural force governed by the invisible hand, the reality is far more intentional. In the US, markets are shaped by the decisions of policymakers, business leaders, and advocates. These decisions determine who benefits, who bears the risk, and what goals we prioritize. Understanding markets means understanding the people who design them and the values that guide those choices. It’s not just economics — it’s about power, accountability, and the kind of future and economy we want to build.
In his new book, “Marketcrafters: The 100 Year Struggle to Shape the American Economy,” Chris Hughes, economist, writer, and chair of the Economic Security Project, takes us on a journey through the modern history of American capitalism, telling the captivating stories of the most effective marketcrafters and the ones who bungled the job. He reveals how policymakers across the political spectrum have consistently attempted to organize markets for social and political reasons, like avoiding gasoline shortages, reducing inflation, fostering certain industries, fighting climate change, and supporting financial innovation. Hughes argues that by rediscovering the triumphs and failures of past marketcrafters, we can shape future markets to be more innovative, stable, and inclusive.
This virtual book talk — hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on June 5, 2025 — features Hughes in conversation with moderator Natalie Foster, senior fellow with EOP’s Future of Work Initiative and president and cofounder of the Economic Security Project.
For more information, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our event page.
For highlights from this discussion, subscribe to EOP’s YouTube channel.
Or subscribe to our podcast to listen on the go.
Join us on Zoom on Thursday, June 26, at 3 p.m. Eastern time, for our next event, “Advising Small Businesses on Job Quality: Lessons from CDFIs.”
In this clip, ASU’s Dr. Christos Makridis speaks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum. For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/asus-dr-christos-makridis-speaks-at-the-2025-employee-ownership-ideas-forum/
Or subscribe to our podcast and listen on the go: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/aspeneop/
For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop
The 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum took place on April 9-10, 2025, virtually and in Washington DC. The Forum is proudly co-hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University.
This year’s theme, “From Workers to Owners,” highlights how the experience of ownership changes the reality of work for workers. The forum highlights companies in a range of business sectors and explores how employee ownership fits their business strategy and approach to business leadership. We also discuss the particular role employee ownership can play in supporting business success, and we consider the role institutional investors can play in improving capital access for employee ownership conversions and expansions.
For more information about the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, including our speakers, agenda, and additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2025/
American workers have faced numerous setbacks in the 21st century, including the Great Recession, the COVID-19 pandemic, continued wage stagnation, and an escalated cost of living. While workers made some gains following the pandemic, thanks to a tight labor market and because of a spike in organizing, many still feel their needs are unmet, a major theme of the recent election. Too many workers still live in precarity — a situation that could be exacerbated by the rise of artificial intelligence and new technological developments. In the face of these challenges, a bipartisan consensus has formed around the need for a new form of economics that recognizes and meets the needs of working people and families. In this discussion from the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, panelists discuss the role of employee ownership in helping create a brighter future and better jobs for the American worker.
For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/employee-ownership-and-the-future-of-the-american-worker/
Or subscribe to our podcast and listen on the go: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/aspeneop/
For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop
The 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum took place on April 9-10, 2025, virtually and in Washington DC. The Forum is proudly co-hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University.
This year’s theme, “From Workers to Owners,” highlights how the experience of ownership changes the reality of work for workers. The forum highlights companies in a range of business sectors and explores how employee ownership fits their business strategy and approach to business leadership. We also discuss the particular role employee ownership can play in supporting business success, and we consider the role institutional investors can play in improving capital access for employee ownership conversions and expansions.
For more information about the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, including our speakers, agenda, and additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2025/
Lauren Starks, director of Good Companies/Good Jobs at the Aspen Institute, recently sat down with two Shared Success grantees — Andrea Levy, senior program manager at California Farmlink, and Janet Brugger, Business Navigator, Colorado Enterprise Fund — to discuss how they’ve worked with various public and private partners to recruit small businesses and provide technical assistance with an eye toward providing quality jobs.
About Shared Success
Shared Success, a project of the Economic Opportunities Program, works with community lenders to integrate job quality programming into their small business support services, demonstrating that improved job quality can support the needs of employees while helping small businesses succeed.
About the Economic Opportunities Program
The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program hosts a variety of discussions to advance strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy. To learn about upcoming events and webinars, join our mailing list and follow us on social media.
Markets and our economy don’t just happen — they’re crafted. While we often hear about the “free market” as a natural force governed by the invisible hand, the reality is far more intentional. In the US, markets are shaped by the decisions of policymakers, business leaders, and advocates. These decisions determine who benefits, who bears the risk, and what goals we prioritize. Understanding markets means understanding the people who design them and the values that guide those choices. It’s not just economics — it’s about power, accountability, and the kind of future and economy we want to build.
In his new book, “Marketcrafters: The 100 Year Struggle to Shape the American Economy,” Chris Hughes, economist, writer, and chair of the Economic Security Project, takes us on a journey through the modern history of American capitalism, telling the captivating stories of the most effective marketcrafters and the ones who bungled the job. He reveals how policymakers across the political spectrum have consistently attempted to organize markets for social and political reasons, like avoiding gasoline shortages, reducing inflation, fostering certain industries, fighting climate change, and supporting financial innovation. Hughes argues that by rediscovering the triumphs and failures of past marketcrafters, we can shape future markets to be more innovative, stable, and inclusive.
This virtual book talk — hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on June 5, 2025 — features Hughes in conversation with moderator Natalie Foster, senior fellow with EOP’s Future of Work Initiative and president and cofounder of the Economic Security Project.
For more information, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our event page.
For highlights from this discussion, subscribe to EOP’s YouTube channel.
Or subscribe to our podcast to listen on the go.
Join us on Zoom on Thursday, June 26, at 3 p.m. Eastern time for our next virtual event, “Advising Small Businesses on Job Quality: Lessons from CDFIs.”
In this clip, UNI’s Leslie Wilson speaks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum.
For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/unis-leslie-wilson-shares-her-big-idea-for-employee-ownership/
Or subscribe to our podcast and listen on the go: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/aspeneop/
For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop
The 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum took place on April 9-10, 2025, virtually and in Washington DC. The Forum is proudly co-hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University.
This year’s theme, “From Workers to Owners,” highlights how the experience of ownership changes the reality of work for workers. The forum highlights companies in a range of business sectors and explores how employee ownership fits their business strategy and approach to business leadership. We also discuss the particular role employee ownership can play in supporting business success, and we consider the role institutional investors can play in improving capital access for employee ownership conversions and expansions.
For more information about the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, including our speakers, agenda, and additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2025/
In this clip, Reason Magazine’s Jesse Walker speaks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum.
For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/reason-magazines-jesse-walker-shares-his-big-idea-for-employee-ownership/
Or subscribe to our podcast and listen on the go: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/aspeneop/
For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop
The 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum took place on April 9-10, 2025, virtually and in Washington DC. The Forum is proudly co-hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University.
This year’s theme, “From Workers to Owners,” highlights how the experience of ownership changes the reality of work for workers. The forum highlights companies in a range of business sectors and explores how employee ownership fits their business strategy and approach to business leadership. We also discuss the particular role employee ownership can play in supporting business success, and we consider the role institutional investors can play in improving capital access for employee ownership conversions and expansions.
For more information about the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, including our speakers, agenda, and additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2025/
In this clip, Apis and Heritage’s Phil Reeves speaks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum.
For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/apis-and-heritages-phil-reeves-shares-his-big-idea-for-employee-ownership/
Or subscribe to our podcast and listen on the go: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/aspeneop/
For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop
The 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum took place on April 9-10, 2025, virtually and in Washington DC. The Forum is proudly co-hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University.
This year’s theme, “From Workers to Owners,” highlights how the experience of ownership changes the reality of work for workers. The forum highlights companies in a range of business sectors and explores how employee ownership fits their business strategy and approach to business leadership. We also discuss the particular role employee ownership can play in supporting business success, and we consider the role institutional investors can play in improving capital access for employee ownership conversions and expansions.
For more information about the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, including our speakers, agenda, and additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2025/
In this clip, Tammy Miller, former lieutenant governor of North Dakota, speaks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum.
For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/tammy-miller-former-lieutenant-governor-of-north-dakota-speaks-at-the-2025-employee-ownership-ideas-forum/
Or subscribe to our podcast and listen on the go: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/aspeneop/
For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop
The 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum took place on April 9-10, 2025, virtually and in Washington DC. The Forum is proudly co-hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University.
This year’s theme, “From Workers to Owners,” highlights how the experience of ownership changes the reality of work for workers. The forum highlights companies in a range of business sectors and explores how employee ownership fits their business strategy and approach to business leadership. We also discuss the particular role employee ownership can play in supporting business success, and we consider the role institutional investors can play in improving capital access for employee ownership conversions and expansions.
For more information about the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, including our speakers, agenda, and additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2025/
Maureen Conway, executive director of the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program, recently sat down with two Shared Success grantees that are integrating job quality into their portfolios as investors: Viola Mai, development director at ICA Fund, and Robert Anderson, business navigation director at Colorado Enterprise Fund.
As investors, ICA and Colorado Enterprise Fund have both incorporated job quality assessments as part of their lending and investment process. This conversation explores the various tools capital allocators possess to help and incentivize small businesses to create quality jobs for their employees.
About Shared Success
Shared Success, a project of the Economic Opportunities Program, works with community lenders to integrate job quality programming into their small business support services, demonstrating that improved job quality can support the needs of employees while helping small businesses succeed.
About the Economic Opportunities Program
The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program hosts a variety of discussions to advance strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy. To learn about upcoming events and webinars, join our mailing list and follow us on social media.
In this clip, CUNY’s Jessica Gordon-Nembhard speaks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum. For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/jessica-gordon-nembhard-discusses-her-big-idea-for-employee-ownership/
Or subscribe to our podcast and listen on the go: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/aspeneop/
For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop
The 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum took place on April 9-10, 2025, virtually and in Washington DC. The Forum is proudly co-hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University.
This year’s theme, “From Workers to Owners,” highlights how the experience of ownership changes the reality of work for workers. The forum highlights companies in a range of business sectors and explores how employee ownership fits their business strategy and approach to business leadership. We also discuss the particular role employee ownership can play in supporting business success, and we consider the role institutional investors can play in improving capital access for employee ownership conversions and expansions.
For more information about the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, including our speakers, agenda, and additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2025/
