On this podcast episode we interview Jason Ireland, President of Industrial Supply Company (ISCO), a distributor of manufacturing parts who went 100 percent ESOP last year. Jason explains the step by step process their 100-year-old company went through to transition to an ESOP process.  The company was part union and part non-union, providing some background for some companies dealing with that reality.  There is even a ghost in this story…but he cannot be part of the ESOP (it’s an ERISA thing).  We discuss the consensus building process with multiple shareholders and Jason’s future generation as part of the leadership to steer the company into the future of employee ownership making the employees part of this family. 

The Mad World of ESOPs!  This episode reviews the roles ESOP professionals play and the reality of variance in one transaction to another.  We discuss the differences in costs, approaches to structure, closings, and other areas given the backgrounds, perspectives and objectives in leading the transaction.  This episode is intended to help orient the listener to questions they may want to ask on their journey to an ESOP. 

In some cases an ESOP company can choose to sell to an outside buyer after they transition to an employee-owned company.  In this episode Greg Daugherty, Porter Wright and, I discuss the factors related to selling your company after it has become an employee-owned company.  Greg does a great job of discussing how this process works and what business owners should know as it relates to the board of directors, trustees and, support related to selling the business. 

Arguably one of the best James Bond 007 movies - “Casino Royale” - is it time to get some chips off the table?  This episode focuses on the motivations of why some companies look at doing a partial ESOP which is going to be accompanied by risk/reward decisions.  Not as risky as going all in and hoping for the high hand.  But a partial ESOP can still be the right strategy a lot of companies to determine if an ESOP works in both the short and long term, and for shareholders and employees.  This may be your next step on the journey to an ESOP!    

Journey to an ESOP and Beyond continues to bring perspectives that can challenge conventional thinking and at the least provide the listener with questions for their advisors.  Jeff Forrestall, CPA provides a good overview of the changes in SBA ESOP financing as well as a compelling forward planning model to leverage the C Corp opportunity beyond 1042.

This episode takes advantage of the classic film “Meet Joe Black” starring Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins. The podcast uses the movie to demonstrate the two guarantees in life - Death and Taxes.  The nuances of taxes can catch individuals by surprise.  As it relates to an ESOP transaction - most of the time there is a resulting seller note established.  Relative to an S-corp sale - there will be capital gains taxes that need to be estimated.  We usually look to installment sale method but if a company’s transaction is large enough to create a seller note greater than $5 million there will be an additional IRS interest cost known as 453a.  We detail this issue so that listeners do not underestimate the additional cash outflow to the sellers.   This is a very important step in your personal  Journey to an ESOP!

This is the first episode of the new year where we like to cover changes to the podcast.  This kick off message for season 6 focuses on our core value: “It Takes A Team”. This works out well to connect the dots on the old tv show and 2010 movie “The A - Team”.  Some of the changes to the podcast have already been incorporated in our logo change.  This episode covers some of the highlights of 2024.  Looking forward to the new year for 2025 and some of the areas we plan to focus on as well as the open invitation to send your questions to our contact us page on the Journeytoanesop.com website.  Lets get started on our next step on this journey to an ESOP.

In this episode, Noelle Montano returns to discuss ESCA’s tireless efforts to preserve and promote the S-Corporation ESOP in Washington after the 2024 election. We also discuss some of the impacts employee ownership has on companies, communities, and Congress.

Every company has its own lessons to be learned in the journey of converting to an ESOP. This interview with Kevin MacRitchie, CEO and Karen Lyons, CFO of Tactical Rehab provides key leadership perspective on the transition of this company through the process of becoming an ESOP.  Kevin has a large company background and has brought a level of management that is moving their company to the next level.  As part of his strategic leadership, he has fostered a vital partnership with the employees of Tactical Rehab, Inc. and even a greater level of trust with his CFO - Karen Lyons.  Karen brings an order to the company to provide financial insight with not only important data points, but also to support the well thought out strategic direction of the company.  Both Kevin and Karen speak to the importance of teamwork in the success of building the company.  The ESOP was considered and moved into a reality as an essential tool working through many common objectives that most companies have:  succession, culture, retention, incentive.  They have embraced a full on ESOP communication strategy for their employees on a monthly basis in addition to other key initiatives.  

This episode highlights the leadership issue a business finds itself continually facing.  Ongoing leadership development is a common concern with most companies both before, during, and after the ESOP transition. Going through the feeling of being “Alone Again” is a natural and normal issue that needs to be addressed whether it be for management succession in the short run or for the company’s final exit plan.