The ESOP Association’s Employee Owned 2024 Conference & Trade Show was the largest employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) gathering ever. This year’s Las Vegas event had over 80 concurrent breakout sessions, roundtables, and executive series programming over three days. Our team attended sessions covering various topics for new ESOPs, mature ESOPs, and companies exploring employee ownership, ESOP essentials, leadership and governance, internal trustees, and HR and culture related to ESOPs. As always, the conference included several networking opportunities for attendees to meet with prospective and existing ESOP companies and service providers.
One conference highlight was the Day Two speaker, Damon West. Damon was candid in telling his life story, from an addict serving a life sentence in prison to making the most of his second chance at life as a reformed inmate. His narrative captivated the audience, and his motivation to make the most of each day by impacting those around us was inspiring.
This year’s conference also included special guest Lisa Gomez, assistant secretary for the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), who sat down with Jim Bonham, president and CEO of The ESOP Association (TEA), for a fireside chat. The conversation revolved around Lisa’s efforts to cultivate the relationship between the ESOP community and EBSA, establishing the Division of Employee Ownership within EBSA’s Office of Outreach, Education, and Assistance, and the Adequate Consideration Rule.
The 2024 conference also saw a record number of submissions for the Annual Awards for Communication Excellence (AACE) presented by TEA. Winners of this prestigious award were selected from seven categories, including video, print materials, intranets, community engagement, single events, series of events, and total communications. A winner was selected for companies with under 250 employees and companies with 250 or more employees.
Lochmueller Group was awarded the AACE for ESOPs with 250 or more employees in the “single event” category. The award recipient stood out for its innovative mock newscast for the grand stock price reveal. Employee owners also received breakfast, T-shirts, and gift boxes and enjoyed games.
A full list of winners can be found here.
If you have questions or want to learn more about ESOPs, please reach out to a professional at Forvis Mazars.