It’s been a busy EO Month at EOX, and we wouldn’t have it any other way! From DC to North Dakota, Salt Lake City to Newark, our team has been on the ground meeting with business owners, community leaders, policymakers, and other strong EO voices across the country. These conversations matter. They’re how we grow awareness for employee ownership, expand our network's reach, and help ensure employee ownership remains a foremost option for businesses in more places.

Here’s a look at where we’ve been — and who we’ve been talking to.

EOX Executive Director, Steve Storkan, shared his perspective on a panel on how to provide US workers with meaningful, quality jobs and benefits while honoring the corporate capitalistic structure. He describes the event as "one of the most thought-provoking conferences I have been to in such a long time."

This is just one of the ways we are bringing EO into newer, broader, exciting conversations

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Worker Co-ops are a powerful form of EO, and we were thrilled to attend the only national, cross-sector event elevating the national conversation around this trusted, proven way to do business and build communities. We were joined by some of the best co-op advocates out there who are working hard to galvanize a movement for worker cooperatives. Folks from a variety of industries shared their stories and encouraged more of us to consider co-ops, highlighting the need for the co-op community to work together to help improve our current economy. John Holdsclaw IV, Executive Director of the DC Center was a featured guest, and we got to hear from Senator Amy Klobuchar who continues to be a prominent EO advocate and champion for the Minnesota Center for Employee Ownership (MNCEO).

Early in October, we attended an incredible celebration of EO at the North Dakota Capitol, proclaiming October 2025 Employee Ownership Month. Hats off to the Minnesota/Dakotas Chapter of the ESOP Association for organizing the event! Following the gathering at the Capitol, EOX hosted a private lunch at the Bismarck Mandan EDC to discuss how we can expand EO in North Dakota. With the help of former Lt. Governor Tammy Miller, longtime supporter of EOX, Kirk Lindemann of Eide Bailly, Thomas Nelson of Border States, Cole Mercier of DSG Supply, and Brenda Nagel of the Bismarck Mandan EDC, we gathered nearly 50 business leaders to begin the conversation of establishing a Center for Employee Ownership in North Dakota.  We are thrilled about the energy and excitement for employee ownership from our friends in North Dakota!

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The North Carolina Employee Ownership Center continues to do amazing work advancing employee ownership in their state. EOX Deputy Director, Elle Carne, had the pleasure of joining them for their annual Employee Ownership Celebration and witness the remarkable relationships the NCEOC has built over the years. It is through the hard work of these State Centers that EOX is able to localize the impact of EO.

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We're grateful to Melissa Levy and the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) for allowing EOX to share the power of employee ownership with their members at their Annual Training Conference. We were joined by Roy Messing, Executive Director of the Michigan Center for Employee Ownership (MICEO), who shared a great update about the structure and ongoing results of their new state-level partnership program providing EO-related technical assistance for business owners.

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The Iowa Center for Employee Ownership (IACEO) continues to build momentum with their Annual EO Conference, drawing strong feedback from business owners, advisors, and employee-owners who gathered from across the state. This annual event has become a cornerstone for Iowa’s growing EO community, offering space to learn, connect, and share what’s working. EOX’s own Steve Storkan was honored to join as a featured speaker, and we’re excited to see employee ownership continue to take root and grow across Iowa.

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Employee Ownership was well represented at the Aspen Institute Ideas: Economy event in Newark. Their "Ideas" event series is their way of bringing leading voices together to address the most pressing challenges in our society. So to represent EOX in this forum is an honor. We joined EOX board members Adria Scharf and Philip Reeves in deep dives about how EO can help our economy work for everyone.  It was also great to hear from the EO "Godfather" himself, Joseph Blasi! In the words of EOX Executive Director, Steve Storkan, "as someone who has been focused on just 'getting stuff done' my entire career, it is humbling but very necessary for me to sit back and think about big picture ideas at events like this."

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