CEO Summit Draws Record Participation in 2024

In August, ESOP CEOs and Presidents from across America convened for The ESOP Association’s third annual CEO Summit in Newport, Rhode Island. This year’s Summit was our largest to date, with more than 150 CEOs coming together to gain valuable new insights, grow their CEO peer networking group, and exchange best practices on the most challenging issues facing ESOPs. 

The Monday evening dinner keynote at the CEO Summit has quickly become the most anticipated and popular event of the Summit, and this year was no exception. CEOs and their spouses packed the room to hear Olympic legend Dominique Dawes discuss her experiences reaching the pinnacle of one of the most physically and mentally demanding disciplines in sports. Her theme for the evening, Success is a Journey, Not a Destination, was inspiring to all attendees as she shared what it took to succeed in such an individually focused yet still team-oriented environment, and how her experiences can help others navigate competing interests in their own personal journeys.

The general sessions at the CEO Summit focused on broader macro trends in business and politics, while breakout sessions and roundtable discussions were geared toward specific issues and challenges facing ESOPs. 

A highlight of the first day of the Summit was ESOP Association CEO Jim Bonham analyzing and previewing the 2024 elections. With the unprecedented nature of the presidential election, and majorities in both houses of Congress up for grabs, Jim relied on his decades of Washington experience to offer his keen insight on what all the potential outcomes of the election could mean for ESOPs in 2025 and beyond. 

Day Two’s general sessions were just as captivating for attendees. In the morning, attendees were given an extensive briefing on TEA’s groundbreaking market research on ESOP communications and branding. TEA’s research partners from SKDK and HarrisX provided a deep dive on how to leverage the power of employee ownership to gain a competitive edge in employee recruitment and retention, company branding and image, and winning business. During the lunchtime general session, CEOs of leading ESOP holding companies provided a fascinating look into the holding company structure and its growing popularity in the ESOP community. The group offered their insights on how growth through leveraged acquisition is a viable strategy to make greater use of the inherent tax advantages held by ESOP companies, while leveraging the productivity, retention, and cultural gains of an ESOP business.

The ESOP Association would like to thank all our sponsors, speakers, and attendees for making the 2024 CEO Summit such a great success!

We are excited to announce the 2025 CEO Summit will be held at the Snow King Resort in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on August 24-26, 2025! Registration for the 2025 Summit will open soon, so please stay tuned.