ESOP Association Resources

Raymond James is expanding the capabilities of its Investment Banking division by hiring Mark Buchanan to establish the firm’s ESOP Advisory practice. Buchanan will lead all ESOP-related M&A transaction advisory and execution efforts for its privately held institutional clients and support the firm’s financial advisors and their business-owner clients seeking ESOP-related expertise.

Taxes are never a topic people like to discuss, or if they do, it’s rarely a fun topic. Many sellers choose the ESOP alternative, at least in part, because of the tax benefits the option provides.

In a perfect world, all ESOP participants will complete a valid beneficiary designation form and update their designation when necessary due to life changes, i.e. marriage, divorce, etc. Unfortunately, the world is not perfect, and ESOP companies may have a participant who passed away without a valid designation in place. If this happens, it is important for you to know how to determine the proper beneficiary for the participant.

Working for an ESOP company is different. There’s a certain atmosphere that makes it hard to describe - whether it’s walking into a grocery store like Oliver’s in Sonoma County, California, making a visit to Mountain Hardware in Truckee, California, or visiting Bob’s Red Mill in Milwaukee, Oregon and watching the employees owners in action – there is a difference in the air.

The ESOP Association’s (TEA’s) Professionals’ Forum was once again a successful event for ESOP professionals to gather, share perspectives and insight, and network with peers.

The Employee Ownership Foundation, in partnership with the University of Virginia’s Darden Executive Education and Lifelong Learning, hosted a 30-minute webinar with Q&A focused on Leading in an Ownership Setting™, the flagship executive education program for ESOP leaders.

Two new pieces of legislation related to employee ownership were recently introduced in Illinois and Rhode Island, continuing the momentum of pro-ESOP legislation in state governments.

Employee ownership just earned a major win in Washington. President Trump signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 into law, including $2 million in funding for the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Ownership Initiative (EOI) grant program.

Do you want to protect one of your most important assets by simply telling your story? There’s no better place to make an impact than Washington, DC on May 5-6 for Advocacy Academy and ESOP Advocacy Day at The ESOP Association’s 2026 National Conference!

The ESOP Association (TEA) has six Professional Advisory Committees, each composed of 25 Regular members and additional Associate members.