Ready to unlock your ESOP’s full potential?

The ESOP transaction is just the beginning. Now it’s time to make sure it runs smoothly, maximizing value while avoiding potential pitfalls.

Services

Tap into Our Proven and Practical Insight

We understand the complexities of an ESOP, and are committed to simplifying and streamlining the process for you. This starts on the formation side, but continues with ongoing guidance, consulting, and any other support you need.

At this stage, it’s critical to create alignment and galvanize your team around the common goal of increasing the value of the business, the “why” behind your ESOP, and what it means for them (and their retirement accounts). Remember: communication dispels fear, especially fear of the unknown. This is your opportunity to establish a clear and exciting vision for the future that benefits everyone.

You don’t need to navigate this uncharted territory alone. In fact, you shouldn’t. Our consultants have walked the walk and can help bring clarity on what’s required and what’s next, from board creation, independent board member selection, and committee formation, to incentive plans that drive exponential growth.

What sets our approach apart?

We bring experience as leaders of actual ESOP businesses.

Our team of consultants is made up of former CEOs, CFOs, and ESOP board members. This gives us a unique perspective born out of direct experience. Let’s leverage this experience together, creating a tailored approach to help you maximize everything that your newly-formed ESOP offers. No benefit should be left on the table.

Book a Consultation

Our ESOP consulting services

Pre-Transaction Consulting

At this stage our goal is to identify and prioritize the personal and financial objectives for the transaction. We need to understand your goals, and will also work with the shareholders, installing an ESOP that motivates future leaders and creates a lasting legacy for the business. There are technical details to manage during the due diligence phase, ensuring the shareholders receive fair market value for the business they’ve built, plus designing synthetic equity plans to incentivize future leaders and growth.

Post-Transaction Consulting

An exciting opportunity has been unlocked for everyone involved, and we want to stoke enthusiasm by building an ownership culture. We can help with internal and external marketing, including kickoff communication, ongoing communication, and helping your team understand the value of an ESOP. This ownership culture will also help accelerate growth (increasing financial value for everyone), attract and retain top-tier talent, boost morale, and align employee success with the strategic goals of the business. For you personally, we will also use the ESOP as a tool for succession planning and protecting your legacy. Lastly, we will establish an effective board of directors, including independent board members, and help educate them on their fiduciary responsibilities.

Customized ESOP Support

Once the heavy lifting is done, consider us on-call to help with any additional issues or opportunities. This might include refilling board seats, developing a strategic ownership mindset, tailoring an ESOP plan to meet evolving strategy or updating the plan for better cultural alignment.

Book a Consultation

Who Hires ESOP Consulting Group?

A man and a woman are sitting at a table looking at a piece of paper.

The Chairman of the Board:

Board Member selection and onboarding.
Effective Board communication plans.
Committee formation.

The CEO:

Communication and marketing plans for all stakeholders.
Incentive plan creation to drive retention and performance.
Value creation strategy.

The CFO:

Accelerating ESOP valuation and allocation timelines.
Management incentive plan administration.
Managing repurchase obligations.

Meet Our Leadership Team

Gary Gray

ESOP Consulting Group was founded by Gary Gray, an experienced ESOP CEO who has firsthand experience in navigating the post-transaction landscape, maximizing the value of an Employee Ownership Culture and ultimately achieving nearly 3x growth in five years following the ESOP transaction. ESOP Consulting Group has helped owners craft the perfect kickoff message to announce the new business structure, facilitated the formation of effective boards with independent directors, provided the quick resource to answering the tactical questions that quickly emerge in the new ESOP environment and successfully executed succession plans on the selling shareholders' timeline.

Matt Abbott

Creative Director

Matt Abbott has 24 years of experience in corporate finance and accounting, including over seven years as the financial leader of a rapidly growing ESOP company. Matt was heavily involved in the original ESOP transaction and currently leads the administration of his company's existing plan. He has lived the ESOP experience from a CFO's perspective, and can share best practices and lessons learned to expedite the learning curve for newly established ESOP leadership teams. Matt is actively involved in the Southeast Chapter of the ESOP Association and currently serves as an independent director for an ESOP owned general contractor in Atlanta.