Corey Rosen of NCEO tells us about the nation’s leading organization for resources and information about employee ownership.
Tell us about you, your career, and how you founded NCEO.
Corey Rosen: I am the founder and an active staff member of the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO), a private, nonprofit membership, information, and research organization in Oakland, CA. The NCEO is widely considered the authoritative source on broad-based employee ownership plans. I co-founded the NCEO in 1981 after working five years as a professional staff member in the U.S. Senate, where I helped draft legislation on employee ownership plans. Prior to that, I taught political science at Ripon College. I am the author or co-author of over 100 articles and numerous books on employee ownership and co-author (with John Case and Martin Staubus) of Equity: Why Employee Ownership is Good for Business (Harvard Business School Press, 2005). I have frequently appeared on CNN, PBS, NPR, MSNBC, and other network programs; and am regularly quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, BusinessWeek, and other leading publications. Additionally, I have lectured on employee ownership on six continents.
I have a Ph.D. in Political Science from Cornell University, previously served on the Board of Directors of the Great Place to Work Institute (creators of the “The 100 Best Companies to Work for in America” list), and currently am on six ESOP company boards. In 2009, I was awarded the Txemi Cantera Social Economy Award, given annually in Spain.
Do you have small habits that made a meaningful impact on your life and business?
Corey Rosen: Do it now–don’t wait on tasks you can do now without disrupting your day. Coming back to them later time–and you might forget altogether.
How does NCEO market its product/services online?
Corey Rosen: Primarily via our website and emails.
What specific tools, software, and management skills are you using to manage your online marketing?
Corey Rosen: Drupal for CRM, but we will be changing that.
What is your hiring policy/process, and how do you retain your employees?
Corey Rosen: All staff eventually interview candidates after a team working in the area the person will be hired narrows the field to three people. The staff jointly decides. We have a great culture, consensual decision-making, and good benefits. But most people stay because they are committed to what we are trying to achieve.
How are you funding your growth?
Corey Rosen: Sales growth
Who are your competitors? And how do you plan to stay in the game?
Corey Rosen: There are some other nonprofits in the field, but no one does quite what we do
Tell us a customer success story of yours.
Corey Rosen: Many of our members first found out about employee ownership from us on our website or at a meeting. They became employees owned, and many have ordinary working people who now own several hundred thousand dollars or more in stock.
Your final thoughts?
Corey Rosen: If you love what you do, you never have to work again.
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