This fall Blue Ridge professionals will be presenting at the following meetings and webinars hosted by the National Center for Employee Ownership.
The Fall ESOP Forum - September 17-18, Salt Lake City, UT - Join Blue Ridge at this event sponsored by the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO). Marie Sherlock will be attending and Renee Stadtmueller be leading the session "Administrative Timeline". The Fall ESOP Forum will be held at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center in Salt Lake City, UT on September 17 & 18, with an optional Pre-conference on September 16. Both experienced attendees and newcomers will leave the Fall ESOP Forum better informed and prepared to evaluate and implement the next steps for their companies. With 48 sessions over two days, attendees can get a well-rounded introduction to all aspects of ESOPs, or they can dig deep on specific issues, from governance to sustainability to communications. Also offered are two optional half-day pre-conference sessions for additional learning opportunities: Essentials For a Sustainable ESOP and A Crash Course For ESOP Communications- Jumpstart Your Communications and Culture. If you are interested, the Fall ESOP Forum is approved for CPE credit (for accountants) and SHRM credit (for human resources professionals).***Hurry and register since the price goes up after August 16th***
The next in person NCEO meeting with a Blue Ridge professional will be, Is an ESOP Right for 
You? An In-Depth Look at Employee Stock Ownership Plans - October 9-10 in Omaha, NE. Enhance your company's legacy and benefits plan with an ESOP, the most tax-efficient method of exit planning. This one-and-a-half day seminar brings together leading experts from around the country to provide a comprehensive, practical guide to help you determine if an ESOP will work for your company, and if it does, how to set up a plan that will work. This seminar is also a great way to bring new employees at an ESOP company up to speed or be a refresher for anyone involved with ESOPs. Scott Freund will be presenting about "Plan Design and Operation" on Wednesday afternoon at 4:15 p.m.
NCEO Webinar: Handling the Repurchase Obligation: Financing - September 10, 2019- 12:30-1:30 EDT - This webinar will be led by Alex Grasser and Jon Williams. There are several ways to finance the repurchase obligation, including "pay-as-you-go" funding, pre-funding, paying dividends/S corporation distributions, corporate-owned life insurance, and incurring debt, i.e., releveraging the ESOP. The methods for handling repurchased shares, i.e., redeeming or recycling, will also be discussed. This webinar will cover the mechanics as well as pros and cons of each approach. You will learn:The different strategies available for funding the repurchase obligation; The difference between redeeming and recycling shares; How a combination of strategies may be the best way to finance the obligation
NCEO Webinar: Handling the Repurchase Obligation: Forecasting - September 24, 2019 - 12:30-1:30 EDT - This webinar will be led by Kevin Rusch. You can't manage the repurchase obligation unless you plan for it. This webinar will provide a basic understanding of the process of completing a repurchase obligation forecast and the factors and assumptions that affect the outcome of the forecast, including the impact of specific plan provisions (such as distribution timing and segregating accounts), the impact of the distribution mechanics (recycling vs. redeeming), and interplay between the stock value and the repurchase obligation. You will learn: The process for completing a repurchase obligation study and The impact of various assumptions on the future obligations
NCEO Webinar: S Corporation ESOPs: Administrative Issues - October 1, 2019 - 12:30-1:30 EDT - This webinar will be led by Alex Grasser and Beth Bauer. The legal issues discussed in the first Webinar in our series on S corporation ESOPs have important implications for the administration of your ESOP. Make sure that your company is compliant with the complex rules and procedural requirements for effectively running an ESOP in an S corporation.This Webinar will cover: benefit distribution, voting, paying S corporation distributions, leveraging. Participants will leave this Webinar with some questions to ask their administration firm to ensure that their ESOP is compliant and that they are getting the greatest benefit from the plan.
To register for the above webinars, please contact Colleen Kearney at ckearney@nceo.org. Mention this offer from Blue Ridge and the NCEO will provide you with access information. If you are a NCEO member, you may simply access the webinar through the NCEO member's area. The NCEO’s live webinars are approved for Continuing Education credit for SHRM, CPE, and occasionally IRS credit hours. Please click here to see additional details on the NCEO web site.
