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Understanding ESOPs, part 1
Having the ability to offer candidates participation in the ESOP may provide your company a benefit your competition cannot offer.
B ack in September, we were honored to be a sponsor and presenter at Zweig Group’s Hot Firm + A/E Industry Awards Conference in Dallas. From our conversations with attendees, and from discussions that took place in break-out sessions, we heard about the “talent crisis,” a firm’s “community,” and the need to “combat commoditization.” Firms in the AEC space continue to look for ways to differentiate themselves, while faced with a macro-environment that is making it hard to continue to grow and expand.
James Swabowski
within the organization. This broad ownership pro- vides not only economic benefits to shareholders, but responsibility, accountability, and professional gratification that may not exist for non-owners. However, private ownership held by a group of management may lead to a “haves versus have-nots” scenario, creating an unintentional and unnecessary “Productivity improves by an extra 4 to 5 percent on average in the year an ESOP is adopted, and the higher productivity level is maintained in subsequent years.”
A recent release from Zweig Group, the 2018 Principals, Partners & Owners Survey , noted that less than 50 percent of the companies surveyed had a succession plan in place. This article, and the ones that will follow it, will be dedicated to employee stock ownership plans as a succession plan alternative. Selling all or a portion of a company to an ESOP has many pros and cons, and here, we will focus on the non-quantifiable benefits ESOP-owned companies enjoy. ❚ ❚ Culture. Often referred to as the “secret sauce” of any company, a company’s culture is also one of the most fragile components of its DNA. What takes years to build can quickly change if not embraced and properly managed. Firms in the AEC industry often share a similar ownership culture as many ESOP-owned firms, with ownership held by many
Pat Stoltz GUEST SPEAKERS
See JAMES SWABOWSKI & PAT STOLTZ, page 10
THE ZWEIG LETTER January 14, 2019, ISSUE 1279
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