2024 Employee Ownership Equity Summit
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles, CA | May 6-8, 2024
How can you unlock the power of this “best kept secret” for business M&A and local business retention, strong local economies and equitable economic development?
Find out by joining Project Equity, and peers from your region and across the nation in a two-and-a-half-day action-packed, practical meeting of the minds. Let us inspire you, give you real examples to help advance your work locally and provide an opportunity for connection with others in your community who share your goals.
One Summit, two great tracks
For partners and financial advisors
Regional and national partners
This Summit track is for partners and includes breakout groups for public sector actors, investors, nonprofit leaders, and other local & national amplifiers.
The regional partner track is for:
- Government leaders
- Funders
- Investors
- Community groups
- Partners
- Champions & influencers
You and your peers from your region and from communities across the United States will:
- Learn how to unlock employee ownership as a tool to advance your organization’s and your region’s goals
- Connect with peers in your industry and meet professionals in your region who use employee ownership as a tool for business succession and retention, employee engagement, and community wealth building
- Get inspired by business owners, employee-owners, and leaders in the field
- Develop a concrete plan with your peers and partners to scale employee ownership in your industry and / or region
Business advisors
This Summit track will provide 8 hours of CPE credit to exit planners and CPAs.
The service provider track is for:
- Professional advisors who work with small business owners
- Advisors who lead or work on an owner’s team of business succession planning professionals
- Others who are interested in learning more about EO from a service provider perspective.
Learning Objectives
- Learn to differentiate between forms of broad-based employee ownership including ESOPs, worker cooperatives and EOTs.
- Identify features, benefits and challenges associated with employee ownership for a variety of small business owners.
- Recognize and recommend suitable forms of broad-based employee ownership to small business clients when appropriate.
- Strategize how to implement an employee ownership readiness plan aligned to the business’ lifecycle.
Identify and assemble key stakeholders for the deal team and transition.
Enter early bird promo code EOSUMMITADVISOR for $150 off the $650 quoted price now through April 22, 2024!
Agenda & speakers
Agenda
4:00pm – 6:00pm: Kick-off reception and dinner
6:00pm- 8:00pm: Film screening of It’s Basic documentary
Directed by Marc Levin and executive produced by Mayors for a Guaranteed Income Founder Michael Tubbs, the film explores the power of cash, the importance of dignity, and the ongoing work of providing an income floor through the eyes of guaranteed income recipients who have witnessed firsthand the life-altering effect of financial stability. Click here to watch the trailer.
8:00am – 10:00am BREAKFAST & TUESDAY OPENING SESSION
Featuring a moderated discussion with Mayor Michael D. Tubbs & stories of employee ownership from CT3 and Pixelspoke
10:30am – 11:30am: EO 101 for partners
11:45am – 12:45pm: LUNCH & EO INSPIRATION AWARD
1:00pm – 2:00pm: TOOLS TO ADVANCE EO: Building awareness
1:00pm – 2:00pm: TOOLS TO ADVANCE EO: Building pipeline
2:15pm – 3:15pm TOOLS TO ADVANCE EO: Financing
2:15pm – 3:15pm TOOLS TO ADVANCE EO: Advocacy & policy
3:30pm – 4:30pm: GOVERNMENT ROUNDTABLE: How local government can advance EO
Featuring Kelly Lobianco, Los Angeles County & Dorothy George, City of Birmingham
3:30pm – 4:30pm: INVESTOR ROUNDTABLE: How investors can advance EO
3:30pm – 4:30pm: FUNDER ROUNDTABLE: How philanthropy can advance EO
5:00pm – 7:00pm RECEPTION & DINNER
8:30am – 9:30am BREAKFAST & WEDNESDAY OPENING SESSION
EO POLICY & CURRENT MOMENTUM
Featuring a moderated discussion with Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell
9:45am – 10:45pm: The Alternative: How to Build a Just Economy
Book talk from Nick Romeo
10:45pm – 12:00pm ACTION PLANNING TO ADVANCE EO
12:15pm – 1:15pm: LUNCH & CLOSING SPEAKER FOR PARTNER TRACK
Featuring local stories of employee ownership from Maximum Fun, Proof Bakery, and Giroux Glass
2:00pm – 4:00pm: WALKING TOUR OF NEARBY PIC UNION NEIGHBORHOOD
In partnership with the United Way of Los Angeles & the Los Angeles Public Library, join us to see a little bit of the City.
Pico Union lies within the original boundary of El Pueblo de Los Angeles, founded in 1781, and one of its most diverse. On this tour, you will get to hear and see the history of Pico Union (and Los Angeles!) and also learn about the neighborhood today. Along the tour, we will point out existing Pico Union businesses and understand why they may be ripe for employee ownership as a strategy to preserve the legacy of Pico Union and build quality jobs and wealth. We will meet in the lobby of the Line Hotel and travel to Pico Union together for the walking tour. The tour will begin at 1143 S. Westlake Avenue, the oldest house in Pico Union, with an option to have Guatemalan food afterward.
Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell,
Los Angeles County Supervisor – District 2
Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell currently serves on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, District 2. Since being elected to the Board of Supervisors, Supervisor Mitchell has made poverty alleviation a countywide priority and has anchored an equitable recovery plan from the health and economic pandemic caused by COVID-19.
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Ali Khawar
U.S. Department of Labor
Mr. Khawar was sworn in on January 20, 2021, as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Employee Benefits Security Administration at the U.S. Department of Labor.
Mayor Michael D. Tubbs
Michael D. Tubbs was elected Mayor of Stockton in 2016 at 26 years old. He was the city’s first African-American Mayor and the youngest Mayor of any major city in American history. As Mayor, he piloted the first mayor- led guaranteed income pilot in the country. Currently, he is the Special Advisor to California Governor Gavin Newsom for Economic Mobility and Opportunity; the Founder of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI); and the Founder of End Poverty in California (EPIC).
Arrangements for the appearance of Michael D. Tubbs made through
UTA Speakers, New York, NY
Cameron Madill
Founder of PixelSpoke
Cameron is the founder of PixelSpoke, an employee-owned, award-winning web design & marketing agency that works with credit unions. He has won numerous awards for his work leading social impact organizations and building high-performing cultures.
Dr. Kristyn Klei Borrero
Co-founder of CT3
Dr. Kristyn Klei Borrero is an accomplished educator, author, executive coach, and co-founder of CT3, an employee-owned business. CT3 offers professional development and real time coaching for teachers and leaders in public schools, focusing on organizations in historically marginalized communities.
Nick Romeo
Journalist, critic, and essayist
Nick is a journalist, critic, and essayist. His new book, The Alternative: How to Build a Just Economy (January 2024 from PublicAffairs and Basic Books), uses extensive original reporting to provide a road map for a sustainable and survivable 21st-century economy. Nick has contributed front page breaking news stories, profiles, and essays to The Washington Post, The New York Times, Scientific American, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, The New Republic, and many other venues.
Kelly LoBianco
Director, Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity
Kelly is the inaugural Director of the newly-created Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity. Most recently, she served as Chief Program Officer for a leading NYC-based nonprofit, The HOPE Program, growing workforce development and social enterprise programming in the green economy.
Dorothy George
City of Birmingham, AL
Dorothy serves as the Small Business Relationship Coordinator for the City of Birmingham’s Office of Business Diversity and Opportunity.
Ikram Koliso
City of Saint Paul, MN
Ikram Koliso (she/her) currently serves as the interim director of the Office of Financial Empowerment for the City of Saint Paul. In this capacity, she oversees CollegeBound Saint Paul, the city’s college savings account program, along with fair housing, shared ownership, and guaranteed income pilot programs.
Joe Antolín
President and Chief Executive Officer of Asset Funders Network (AFN)
Joe serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Asset Funders Network (AFN), the leading grantmaker membership organization focused on advancing equitable wealth building and increasing economic mobility across the nation and in regional and state contexts. In his role, he guides AFN’s focused efforts to engage philanthropy to increase economic security, achieve systemic reform to establish greater economic justice while addressing racial, ethnic and gender wealth divides.
Demetric Duckett
Managing Partner of Known
Demetric is Managing Partner at Known and is a thought-leader in the domestic impact investing field, accelerating the adoption of innovative financing for the benefit of BIPOC and low-income people and the communities in which they live.
Francisca Villegas
City of Tucson, AZ
Francisca, also known as Franky, is Program Manager for the City of Tucson, Arizona.
J.J. McCorvey
NBC News, NYC
J.J. McCorvey is a business and economy reporter at NBC News, where he focuses on socio-economic disparities and the ways in which business and money affect the day-to-day lives of Americans. Prior to joining NBC, he was a personal finance reporter at The Wall Street Journal, where he reported on inflation and wealth-building. He was also a writer for the monthly Young Money column.
A graduate of Tuskegee University, J.J. previously covered business for Inc., Fast Company and Entrepreneur as part of multiple ASME-award winning teams. He is a 2019 Best in Business honoree for the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. J.J. recently moved to Atlanta after more than a decade living in New York City.
Erik Schultz
Co-founder, SK2 Fund
Erik is the co-founder and strategic advisor of SK2 Fund, a small foundation with a mission of accelerating transition to a more equitable and sustainable world.
Representatives from Maximum Fun
Employee-owned podcast network in Los Angeles, CA
Maximum Fun is a pioneering podcast network and home to dozens of shows, some of which they produce and some of which are produced independently. On June 30, 2023, Maximum Fun became a 100% worker-owned cooperative. You can read more about why they became a co-op here.
Representatives from Proof Bakery
Employee-owned restaurant in Los Angeles, CA
Proof Bakery opened in 2010 by chef/owner Na Young Ma in Atwater Village, in a space that housed a bakery for almost as long as most locals can remember. Since opening the bakery in 2010, Na Young Ma’s goal has been to create an inclusive, sustainable environment for everyone who works at the bakery. For over two years, Na Young and a group of employees worked together to assess, dream up, and craft an equitable model of ownership. After much discussion and planning, the business was successfully sold and converted on August 13, 2021.
Representatives from Giroux Glass
Employee-owned contractor in Los Angeles, CA
Giroux Glass Incorporated is a 100% employee-owned glass, glazing, and architectural metals contracting company with branches in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Las Vegas, Fresno, and Phoenix. Since 1946, Giroux Glass has been recognized for its integrity and high-quality performance.
In 2017, Giroux Glass became 100% employee-owned through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) that allows their valued employees the chance to take full ownership of their work and reap the personal rewards for a job well done.
Project Equity's Summit brought together an incredible group of practitioners from all sectors working to advance opportunities for employee ownership.
It's clear that there's a lot of momentum building in the space and we're proud to be a partner in this work.
David Estrada
Senior Manager,
eBay Foundation
EOES Sponsors
The Employee Ownership Equity Summit 2024 is made possible by the following partners.
EOE Summit Highlights from 2023
Last year’s Summit brought over 150 leaders from around the country to exchange ideas and create action plans that harness the power of employee ownership to transform their communities.
We packed a lot into our three days together. Our main stage speakers incubated daring conversations that sparked visionary blueprints for regions across our nation.
Watch recording from EOES 2023 with CEO Evan Edwards, “Why EO now?”
