ESOP Association Resources

Welcome to Volume 41, Issue 3 of the ESOP Report This month we've packed the report with tons of articles and news about ESOPs that you won't want to miss!

In this Issue:Meet Your Chapter RepresentativesLaunch of ESOP Roundtables

In this Issue:3rd Annual ESOP Advocacy Day2026 Spring Conference Overview

The House Education and Workforce Committee today held a markup to debate and pass the ERISA Litigation Reform Act (HR 6084), a bill that would protect employee retirement savings from predatory lawsuits targeting ERISA-regulated plans, including ESOPs.

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.