
Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
Introduction to Selling Your Company to Employees with an ESOP
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Module Descriptions
Business Succession Planning for Business Owners
Determining how to transition a business is one of the most significant decisions in the life of a business owner. In making that decision, an owner must weigh a wide array of considerations, such as financial needs and goals, future business prospects and needs, and family and community legacy goals. Myah Moore Irick of The Irick Group at Merrill Lynch and Jeffery Kennerly of Morgan Stanley will discuss the steps business owners should take to craft their succession plans carefully.
At the completion of this module, you should be able to:
- Understand what succession planning considerations should be evaluated by business owners.
- Assess the process for harmonizing legacy goals with financial and other succession planning factors.
Myah Moore Irick, The Irick Group at Merrill Lynch
Jeffery Kennerly, Morgan Stanley
Sean-Tamba Matthew, SES ESOP Strategies, a Stevens & Lee Company
> View the Instructor Bios for the Employee Stock Ownership program
What is an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)?
What’s an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)? It’s a powerful succession planning tool that can provide a business owner with the opportunity to sell or get liquidity from his or her business while delivering an incredible benefit to employees. Sean-Tamba Matthew of SES ESOP Strategies, a Stevens & Lee Company, will provide an introduction to ESOPs by discussing their benefits and risks and providing an overview of an ideal ESOP candidate.
At the completion of this module, you should be able to:
- Understand what an employee stock ownership plan is and how it works.
- Assess what types of businesses can implement an ESOP.
- Review the benefits of an ESOP for owners, companies, and employees.
Sean-Tamba Matthew, SES ESOP Strategies, a Stevens & Lee Company
> View the Instructor Bios for the Employee Stock Ownership program
How to Finance an ESOP Transaction
Securing financing for an ESOP transaction is essential for providing business owners with the ability to use an ESOP to facilitate their liquidity needs. In this session, you’ll hear from Phillip Reeves of Apis & Heritage Capital Partners, a private equity fund that finances and facilitates ESOP transactions, who will discuss what lenders look for in ESOP financing opportunities.
At the completion of this module, you should be able to:
- Learn how ESOP transactions are financed.
- Learn what companies can do to prepare themselves for the ESOP transaction process.
- Learn what lenders are looking for when considering an ESOP financing opportunity.
Philip Reeves, Apis & Heritage Capital Partners
Sean-Tamba Matthew, SES ESOP Strategies, a Stevens & Lee Company
> View the Instructor Bios for the Employee Stock Ownership program
Increasing Your ESOP Value
This session will help you gain a basic understanding of why the valuation of an ESOP-owned company is necessary and what the primary drivers of value are. You will hear about the purpose of an ESOP valuation, measuring performance through value base management and the application of generally accepted valuation methods.
At the completion of this module, you should be able to:
- Identify different valuation approaches.
- Recognize internal and external factors that have an impact on a company’s value.
Stephen A. White, CVA (Onyx Partners Group)
> View the Instructor Bios for the Employee Stock Ownership program
How to Tap into the Benefits of Employee Ownership
Drawing on research and experience, this module will cover the benefits of employee ownership to the company and employees.
Part 1 will cover how employee ownership can help companies perform better and how to create an ownership culture where employees think, feel, and act like owners.
Part 2 will go into depth on the specific strategies for creating a high performance ownership culture.
At the completion of this module, you should be able to:
- Understand how to create a culture of employee ownership to enhance individual and company performance.
- Describe the many financial and psychological benefits that extend far beyond the workplace, benefitting individual, their families and communities.
- Develop specific strategies for creating a high performance ownership culture.
Linshuang Lu, Praxis
Nelson Parrish II, Praxis
> View the Instructor Bios for the Employee Stock Ownership program