Impact
Advancing Employee Ownership. Measurable Results.
Since our founding, the Iowa Center for Employee Ownership (IA-CEO) has helped expand employee ownership across Iowa by guiding business owners through succession planning, providing education for new and existing employee-owners, and building a stronger statewide ecosystem of support.
We connect companies with trusted advisors, convene thought leaders, and deliver practical education that helps employee-owned businesses thrive.
Our work ensures that successful companies remain locally rooted, jobs stay in Iowa communities, and wealth is shared more broadly among the people who help create it.
The Advance Iowa Team: Stacy Mullinex, Judy Butler, Todd Hutcheson, Janell Crow and Annette Stevenson
Employee Ownership Ideas Forum 2026: Owning America’s Future
State Innovations in Employee Ownership
Washington D.C. - June 2026
States are playing an increasingly important role in expanding employee ownership, creating new policies, programs, and partnerships that help business owners explore succession planning options. In this panel discussion from the Aspen Institute Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, leaders from across the country share how state-level initiatives are making an impact and what other states can learn from their successes.
For Iowa, this conversation is especially meaningful. Iowa State Representative Shannon Lundgren highlights Iowa's leadership in employee ownership and recognizes the work of the IA-CEO in helping educate business owners and strengthen communities through employee ownership. It's an excellent example of how collaboration at the state level can create lasting economic impact.
The speakers include Shannon Lundgren (State Representative, Iowa); Andrew Zwicker (State Senator, New Jersey); Hilary Abell (Chief of the Employee Ownership Division, US Department of Labor); and moderator Julien Rosenbloom (Senior Associate, Lafayette Square Institute).
Employee Ownership Advocacy Day in Washington D.C.
On May 6th we joined The ESOP Association and ESOP leaders from across Iowa to advocate directly for employee ownership at the federal level. It was a powerful opportunity to share the impact ESOPs are having on workers, businesses, and communities throughout our state.
Together, we met with the offices of key Iowa policymakers, including Senator Chuck Grassley, Senator Joni Ernst, Representative Ashley Hinson, and Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks.
These conversations helped elevate the voice of Iowa’s employee-owned companies and reinforced the importance of policies that support business succession, employee ownership expansion, and long-term economic stability
IA-CEO @ the Iowa Capitol
Employee Owners Share Their Stories at the Iowa State Capitol
On March 24, 2026, employee owners and advocates from across Iowa gathered at the Iowa State Capitol to share with legislators how employee ownership benefits workers, businesses, and communities. Through personal stories, representatives from employee-owned companies highlighted how ownership helps employees build wealth, strengthens workplace culture, and supports long-term economic growth.
2025 - 2026 Inspiring Innovation Award
The IA-CEO is honored to have been recognized with the 2025 - 2026 Inspiring Innovation Award from the Wilson College of Business, presented by Dr. Leslie Wilson.
This recognition is especially meaningful as it reflects the growing momentum around elevating both the practice and research of employee ownership. We are deeply grateful to the Wilson College of Business and to Dr. Wilson for championing innovation that bridges academic insight with real-world impact for businesses and employees across Iowa and beyond.
A 2017 report by the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) compared workers early in their careers with employee ownership to their peers without and found being in an ESOP associated with:
