After our introduction to Joe Marx at the Principal Financial Group (www.principal.com) in our last mini-cast (Mini-cast 40), Bret Keisling continues the conversation with Joe at #ESOPDC. We discuss Principal's "soup to nuts" ESOP TPA practice: ESOP feasibility and design, implementation, repurchase liability planning, administration and recordkeeping and ongoing consulting for ESOP companies

In this Mini-cast, we talk with Joe Marx, Vice President, Consulting at the Principal Financial Group (www.principal.com) in the Buffalo/Niagara, New York area. In this introduction, we learn about his background and how he entered the world of employee ownership.

In our next full episode of the podcast, we'll be back with Joe Marx to discuss his work on ESOP feasibility and design, implementation, repurchase liability planning, administration and recordkeeping and ongoing consulting for ESOP companies

We have a special double-header episode for you!

First, nationally recognized ESOP leader Tom Roback, CEP, QKA, of Blue Ridge ESOP Associates (www.blueridgeesop.com) rejoins us for his second time on the podcast. We met at The ESOP Association’s National Conference in DC and discuss ESOP Third Party Administration and Recordkeeping.

Then, we have an interview with David Fitzgerald about his second book, “Wanders Far-An Unlikely Hero's Journey.” You’ll recognize this author’s name from ESOP world; David Fitzgerald is CFO of employee-owned Carris Reels (www. carris.com) and in his volunteer role just completed two years as chair of The ESOP Association.

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More about today’s topics:

* Blue Ridge ESOP Associates is the largest independent ESOP and 401(k) Third Party Administration and Recordkeeping firm, with over 30 years of experience providing quality third party administration services. Tom Roback has worked in the accounting, investment and ESOP industry for over 26 years. He is an expert in ESOP, 401(k) and equity compensation administration. He is a Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA), Certified Equity Professional (CEP) and was the Chair on the Board of Directors for the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO). You can hear more on this topic on The ESOP Podcast Episode 6, “Tom Roback on ESOP Plan Administration and ESOP Recordkeeping Services”

* “Wanders Far-An Unlikely Hero's Journey” is available as an ebook and paperback on Barnes and Noble (www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wanders-far…2940161239469), Amazon, and Kobo. This book is the first installment in the Adirondack Spirit Series. If you like historical novels, westerns, supernatural thrillers, or books featuring distance hikers you might like this book. If you like all of those, hopefully this book will be one of your favorites.

In this Mini-cast, we come back from The ESOP Association’s 42nd National Conference in Washington, DC filled with ideas and energy from the presenters and our fellow participants.

Capital Trustee’s Client Engagement Officer Brian Keisling shares his impression of ESOPDC, and then updates listeners on some new items they can expect coming up on the podcast and mini-cast, which will include more expert content from The ESOP Association.

In “ESOP 101” Robert C. Hilton Jr., ASA, at South Park Advisors [southparkval.com], Tabitha Croscut at Devine Millimet and Branch, Attorneys at Law [devinemillimet.com], and Richard A. Heeter at Captial Trustees [captrustees.com] present you with a 360-degree view of the what, why, and how of ESOPs.

You will learn about what an ESOP is and why an employee stock ownership plan may be the right succession planning option for your business, the tax advantages of selling a company to an ESOP for both the buyers and the sellers, and how these transactions are valued and financed. Along the way we bust some common ESOP myths, and we cap off our conversation with an up-to-date look at the ESOP marketplace today.

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in this presentation and the presentation materials are not intended to be used as legal or valuation advice. Please consult with counsel as necessary.

On this special episode of The ESOP Mini-cast, we interview Jim Bonham, President and CEO of The ESOP Association and President of the Employee Ownership Foundation, earlier today (Friday, May 24th, 2019) at #ESOPDC - The 42nd National Conference of the ESOP Association in Washington, DC. Listen and you'll understand why, when we all work together, #ESOPsRock!

Jim Bonham offers a great perspective on both the conference and the state of the ESOP movement. We look forward to having him back for a deeper dive on a full ESOP Podcast episode in the future.

In today’s episode, we share a recording of Rich Heeter of Capital Trustees, Robert Hilton of South Park Advisors, and Kathleen Weber of ESOP Plus presenting “Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation and Warrants” on April 10th, 2019 at the sold-out National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) conference in Pittsburgh, PA.

The presentation gives an overview of non-qualified deferred compensation, including warrants, SARS, and phantom stock followed by real world examples with discussion from the perspective of trustee, attorney, and valuation advisor.

In this Mini-cast, we look forward to attending The ESOP Association’s 42nd Annual National Conference & 28th Annual Awards Ceremony to be held May 22 - 24, 2019 at the JW Marriott in Washington, DC. Brian Keisling shares several of the highlights on the conference schedule. We’ll be welcoming incoming Board Chair Gary Shorman and new ESOP Association President and CEO Jim Bonham, and paying tribute to outgoing ESOP Association President J. Michael Keeling. You can read more at: https://www.esopassociation.org/meetings/national-conference

The ESOP Podcast will be recording new episodes of the podcast from DC. If you are a listener, be sure to introduce yourself and let us know your thoughts. We look forward to seeing you there!

In this episode we talk with Rob Snowden, ASA, ABV, of South Park Advisors [southparkval.com]. We sat down with Rob in April at the National Center for Employee Ownership conference (#NCEO19) to learn about South Park Advisors, and about his passion for working with business owners on situational problem-solving, succession planning, and business valuation.

Robert Snowden is an Accredited Senior Appraiser (ASA) of the American Society of Appraisers. He also holds the Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) credential of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants(AICPA) as a non-CPA finance professional. Robert has more than 20 years of experience providing valuation services in connection with estate & gift tax reporting, business succession planning, mediation, employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), equity sales, buy/sell agreements, recapitalizations, stock option plans, charitable foundation reporting and lending purposes.

You can hear more about South Park Advisors and ESOP Business Valuation in our interview with Rob Hilton in Mini-cast Episode 6.

In this #FiduciaryFlashback Mini-cast, we take a quick dip into The ESOP Podcast Episode 43 with Larry Filipski, CFO of the 100% ESOP Once Again Nut Butter (onceagainnutbutter.com) and President of The ESOP Association's NY/NJ State Chapter. We spoke with him directly from the conference floor in Hershey, PA at The ESOP Association's PA/DE & NY/NJ Chapters Multi-State Conference in September 2018.

In this clip, Larry Filipski highlights how employee ownership has helped Once Again Nut Butter maintain its values, independence, and vision in a time of tightening margins and industry consolidation. He credits this commitment as being the reason why when the SPINS agency ranked the top-ten nut butters in the country, five of those top ten were from Once Again!