ESOP Advocate Now on Senate Finance Committee

It is great to see that Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) has been appointed to the Senate Finance Committee.  Mr. Portman is widely regarded as a supporter of Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) and was an architect of legislation supporting ESOP-owned [...]

Posted in Valuation Observations | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Another Great Article on the Power of Employee Ownership

Here is a link to another great article about employee ownership from the August 12, 2012 edition of the Cleveland Plain Dealer:  http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2012/08/employee-owners_boost_success.html. The article discusses a $100 million Troy, Ohio-based manufacturing company, Spinnaker Coating, which recently sold 100% of [...]

Posted in Valuation Observations | Tagged | Leave a comment

Great Article on the Power of Employee Ownership

I want to congratulate Tim Jochim of Kegler Brown Hill & Ritter on an outstanding article that can be found in the Opinion section of the July 13, 2012 edition of Columbus Business First: “Tale of two grocery chains ended [...]

Posted in Valuation Observations | Tagged | Leave a comment

News Flash from 1998: 100% ESOP-Owned S-Corporations are Income Tax-Free Entities!

It’s tax time.  Time for everyone (including me) to be in a miserable mood because of the high taxes we all pay.  Well, almost everyone…. Despite many of us trying our best to spread the word, I cannot believe how [...]

Posted in Valuation Observations | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Thank you Congressman Rokita!

I applaud Congressman Todd Rokita (R-IN) for his recent strong support of ESOPs and his opposition to a new proposed regulation that would make ESOP valuators plan fiduciaries.  Mr. Rokita has been vigilant about challenging the DOL’s assertion that there [...]

Posted in Valuation Observations | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Pending Pro-ESOP Amendment in Senate Could End DOL’s Negative Proposed Regulation

Senator Kelly Ayotte (R) of New Hampshire has proposed an amendment to S. 782 that would amend ERISA to make clear that appraisers of private company ESOP stock are not ERISA fiduciaries.  She is joined by Senators Olympia Snowe (R) [...]

Posted in Valuation Observations | Tagged , | Leave a comment

ESOPs Make Selling Your Company to Employees Possible…and Advantageous!

Most business owners are proud of the business they built.  They care about their company’s legacy and its ability to continue after they retire.  They care about the employees who have helped the employees that built the company.  In many [...]

Posted in Valuation Observations | Tagged | Leave a comment

DOL Proposed Rule on ESOP Valuations is a Nightmare

I fully support efforts to protect the retirement accounts of participants in Employee Stock Ownership Plans (“ESOPs”). I agree that trustees need to be better informed about ESOP valuations. And I am definitely in support of any changes that result [...]

Posted in Valuation Observations | Tagged | 1 Comment