BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) - North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong has officially proclaimed October 2025 as Employee Ownership Month, recognizing the state’s growing number of worker-owned companies.

The Minnesota/Dakotas Chapter of The ESOP Association held an event at the State Capitol on October 9 to mark the proclamation. Dozens of employee-owners, retirees, and business leaders filled the Capitol’s Great Hall to celebrate a business model they say keeps local companies rooted in North Dakota communities.

The state now has 61 employee-owned companies with about 32,000 employee-owners who collectively hold more than $5.2 billion in plan assets, according to the ESOP Association.

Employee ownership, often set up through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), allows workers to hold shares

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