About The ESOP Association
The ESOP Association is the only organization that advocates on behalf of all ESOP companies.
About the ESOP Association
Dedicated to education, The ESOP Association attracts more than 23,000 people annually to its 19 chapter and five national meetings—including the Employee Owned Conference in Las Vegas, NV, which is the largest ESOP event in the world.
Our mission is to educate about and advocate for employee ownership with an emphasis on ESOPs.
OUR VISION
We believe that employee ownership:
• Improves American competitiveness.
• Increases productivity through greater employee participation in the workplace.
• Strengthens our free enterprise economy.
• Creates a broader distribution of wealth.
• Maximizes human potential by enhancing the self-worth, dignity, and well-being of our people.
Therefore, we envision an America where employee ownership is widely recognized as a catalyst for economic prosperity, where the great majority of employees own stock in the companies where they work, and where employee ownership enables employees to share in the wealth they help create. And we look for our nation to become for all the world an example of prosperity with justice through employee ownership.
What Is An ESOP?
In the simplest terms, an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) is a retirement plan. But, in reality, it is much more than that: ESOPs motivate employees, increase productivity, improve worker retention, keep jobs local, contribute to business longevity, and so much more.
ESOPs are governed by some of the same laws and regulations as 401(k) plans. ESOPs, though, are fundamentally different from 401(k)s, offering far more advantages to businesses, owners, employees, and communities.
I think we’re at a unique juncture in our country’s history right now, and we’re having a lot of debates about how the average worker can grow their wealth, where they can have a stake in what they do, and I think Employee Ownership is a solution for the tough problems facing the modern American workforce.
- Jim Bonham, CEO of The ESOP Association
EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP FOUNDATION
Since its founding in 1991, the Employee Ownership Foundation has operated in pursuit of a single overarching goal: to help more individuals become employee owners.
The Foundation has raised and donated millions of dollars to collect data used by academics, encourage objective research, and to facilitate dialogue about employee ownership between thought leaders. Going forward, the Foundation will also place a larger emphasis on raising awareness of the employee ownership model among business owners and to fund more applied research that can further improve the market advantage held by well-run employee owned businesses.
Governed by a national 50-person Board of Trustees and an eight-person Executive Committee, the EOF is recognized by the IRS as an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and donations to it are tax deductible.
More Information
Leadership & Governance
Who Guides TEA Meet the volunteer leaders, Board members, and committees helping shape the future of employee ownership
Meet Our Chapters
Connect Locally With 19 chapters nationwide, TEA provides education, networking, and advocacy opportunities close to home.
ESOP Impact by the Numbers
The Economic Power of Employee Ownership Explore research, statistics, and real-world examples showing how employee ownership strengthens companies, employees, and communities.