Celebrating Excellence in Employee Ownership at The ESOP Association’s National Conference!

If you couldn’t join us in Washington, DC for The ESOP Association’s National Conference in May, you missed one of the most engaging, educational, and fun events of the year! 

On Thursday, May 15, Jim VandeHei, co-founder of POLITICO and Axios gave a captivating keynote address followed by an insightful conversation with The ESOP Association's president and CEO, Jim Bonham. VandeHei discussed strategy for how to Win the War for Attention by cutting through the overwhelming noise in today’s media using clear and effective communication. He also spoke in detail about building a solid communication culture, something crucial to ESOP companies as they navigate unique communication needs across teams of diverse employee owners. Together, Bonham and VandeHei tackled a variety of issues facing the ESOP community and the greater business atmosphere covering internal and external communications, the future of AI, and building a modern business culture. 

Thursday also brought an opportunity to get to know the new Chairs of the Association and the Employee Ownership Foundation and hear their plans for the Association’s future. In a conversation with Jim Bonham, attendees got to learn more about Derrick Vick and Peter Ney on a more personal level, including how they got involved with ESOPs and how they plan to shape the course of the Association and Foundation. It was a great opportunity for members to be introduced to the Chairs for the first time and learn more about their aspirations for the Association.

Our Friday keynote was a highlight of the conference as Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the United States Secretary of Labor, closed out the conference with an inspirational address to members about the value of ESOPs for the American worker and the economy. She emphasized her and the Trump administration’s goal to foster the growth of ESOPs. Chavez-DeRemer drove home the importance of “undoing the culture of harassment” by focusing on EBSA’s regulatory framework, comprehensive policy, and enforcement to ensure American workers can build their wealth freely and fairly through ESOPs. Her remarks were met with loud applause from an audience that appreciated her dedication to supporting employee-owned businesses and safeguarding their ability to earn and save for retirement.

In addition, TEA’s National Conference featured more than 50 educational sessions, roundtables, panels, and chapter showcases covering everything from “ESOP Fundamentals” topics to high-level C-suite sessions for the most seasoned ESOP executives. There was something for everyone including a dynamic program of educational content over two days, with the added benefit of attendees being able to receive up to 9 continuing education credits! 

While National Conference was packed with educational and networking opportunities for attendees, the highlight of the event was the Celebration of Excellence in Employee Ownership Awards Gala. The Gala gave our award winners and Trustee Scholars recipients a moment to shine. It was a dazzling showcase of employee ownership excellence as we honored the very best individuals, companies, and TEA chapters for their outstanding contributions over the past year. 

Adding a real flair to this year’s festivities was Scott Bloom, who certainly earned his reputation as a top-of-the-line entertainer! Bloom kept the crowd laughing all night long with his witty humor and charismatic personality making the evening a truly remarkable experience for everyone who attended the Gala. Please keep reading below for a recap of all our award recipients and honorees. The ESOP Association would like to personally thank all our winners and finalists, who encapsulated the shining spirit of employee ownership. We can’t wait to see everyone back in DC at next year’s National Conference! 

Watch the general sessions on our YouTube page
Lori Chavez-DeRemer, U.S. Secretary >>
Meet the Chairs >>
Celebration of Excellence Awards Gala >>