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 from the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, 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.
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
This video comes from the third 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. Our 2025 forum, “From Workers to Owners,” highlighted how the experience of ownership changes the reality of work for workers. The forum featured companies in a range of business sectors and explored how employee ownership fits their business strategy and approach to business leadership. The particular role employee ownership can play in supporting business success was discussed , and the role institutional investors can play in improving capital access for employee ownership conversions and expansions was also considered.
For clips and highlights from the Forum, subscribe to the Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop/
And tune in to our podcast to listen to full discussions on the go: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aspeneop
For more from the Forum — including audio, transcripts, and additional resources — visit:
SPEAKERS BRIEFS VIDEOS PHOTOS AGENDA
