ESOPs

Employee Stock Ownership Plans (“ESOPs”) are a well-established ownership model in the architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting industries – though they may not be right for every firm. An ESOP is essentially a qualified retirement plan under ERISA (like a 401k plan) that is created to predominately own shares in your company for the benefit of employees. An ESOP is guided by a Trustee that oversees the retirement plan. Thus, employees earn a stake over time in the business's success through rising share values in the employees’ retirement accounts.

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ESOP regulations require that company shares are valued at the transaction and annually thereafter by a qualified independent valuation expert who advises the Trustee of the fair market value of the company’s equity. For established ESOPs, our longstanding AEC industry expertise combined with strong financial and valuation acumen means that our valuation reports not only meet regulatory requirements but also provide a pathway to improve shareholder value. For new ESOPs or follow-on ESOP purchases of shares, Trustees have greater confidence in our valuation opinions based on our deep industry knowledge and technical abilities.