Blue Ridge ESOP Associates Industry News

The following article has been provided to Blue Ridge ESOP Associates, courtesy of Workplace Development.  It’s time to sharpen your pencil and fill out your March Madness bracket. While we can offer no assistance on the NCAA Tournament – our brackets will be ruined at the end of day one too – we can help you with another important event:  your annual ESOP statement distribution process. Here are six suggestions to make the most of this great opportunity to communicate your plan’s benefits, engage employees as owners and build your ESOP culture.

Thank you, Congressman Dave Brat, for speaking at The ESOP Association Mid-Atlantic Chapter in October and for sponsoring the pro-ESOP bill HR 2092 yesterday! Has your company hosted a Congressional Site visit to promote employee ownership? Is your Congress representative also a cosponsor? Find out here.

A special thanks to Brad Keisling of Capital Trustees, LLC, for having Tom Roback on  The ESOP podcast.  Tom was able to share more about ESOP plan administration and ESOP and 401(k) recordkeeping services. Take some time and listen here to learn more.

Photo Credit: Capital Trustees, LLC

Blue Ridge invites you to join us at the next Central Virginia Employee Benefits Council (CVEBC) lunch seminar in Richmond, VA, on October 18th – 12:00-1:30 at Williams Mullen downtown. Duane Gran, our Director of Information Systems, will be covering the topic “Cybersecurity in the Retirement Plan World”. Employers put tremendous trust in their third party administrator to safeguard sensitive employee records.  In this interactive discussion learn about the questions you should ask of your TPA to hold them to a high standard for IT Security.

The California/Western States Chapter 2017 Fall Conference will be October 11-13, 2017 in San Diego, CA. At this conference, stop by our table to visit with our business development representative, Marie Sherlock. On Thursday afternoon, you will have the opportunity to attend a roundtable discussion about Administration issues led by Mason Monson.

The New England Chapter 2017 Fall Conference will be October 5-6, 2017 in Killington, VT. At this conference, stop by our table to visit with our business development representative, Tom Roback. On Friday morning, Jon Williams will be presenting at the technical session, "Diversification: Understanding its Dynamics & Impacts to Employee Owners".

If you're attending the New South & Carolinas Chapter Fall ESOP Conference this week, make sure to find Tom Roback who will be happy to discuss with you what services Blue Ridge offers to manage your ESOP & 401k the smart way. You will have the opportunity to hear Dolores Lawrence speak about some Hot Topics in the ESOP Community. Renee Stadtmueller will also be presenting about "Diversification - Trends Beyond Statutory Requirements".

The Southwest Chapter 2017 Fall Conference will be September 29, 2017. Due to Hurricane Harvey, the location has been moved to the Omni Fort Worth Hotel, and you can register here.  At this conference you will have the opportunity to hear Kevin Rusch speak about "Mature ESOP Issues: Rebalance, Reshuffle, Recyle and Redemption" which will focus on the 4 "R's", reviewing definitions as well as practical application and numerical examples of how the provisions work as well as impact on repurchase obligation.

The Northwest Chapter 2017 Fall Conference will be September 28-29, 2017 in Portland, OR. At this conference, stop by our table to visit with our business development representative, Marie Sherlock. On Friday morning, you will have the opportunity to attend a roundtable discussion led by Randy Shrake.