Across Indiana, a growing number of business leaders are exploring employee ownership as a long-term business strategy. While employee ownership succession planning has been implemented across all sectors for decades, interest in Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) has grown steadily.

An ESOP is a federally regulated retirement plan that allows employees to become beneficial owners of the company they work for. Through an ESOP trust, company stock is allocated to employees' accounts. Unlike traditional retirement accounts, such as 401(k) plans, this system generally has no cost to the employee. As the company grows and its value increases, the value of the stock also increases, creating a retirement plan tied to the company's success.