ESOPs – What’s all the buzz about?

Join the Center for Free Enterprise as we kick off our fantastic 2025 programming.

Your ticket includes breakfast, a presentation, Q&A, and the opportunity to network with other leaders in business from NE Ohio.

The presentation will cover:

• History of ESOPs
• Valuation Perspectives
• Structuring Options
• Tax Benefits
• Role of the Seller post-closing
• What does it mean for the employees?

And perhaps most importantly, when is an ESOP a good choice and when are other sale avenues a better option?

The presentation will be led by Shawn Ely, Managing Director with Lazear – ESOP Advisors.

Shawn is a Managing Director with Lazear Capital Partners, a Columbus-based ESOP advisory firm. Lazear is the preeminent advisory firm in the ESOP space, with over 50 professionals and a nationwide footprint. Shawn works collaboratively with company founders/owners/families, and their trusted advisors, as an Investment Banking Sell-Side advisor, to manage and quarterback the sale of the company to the employees via an ESOP.

He has over 35 years of diverse corporate finance, investing, operations and advisory experience.

Shawn is a native of NE Ohio, received his B.S. degree, cum laude, from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and his M.B.A. degree, with honors, from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Shawn enjoys travel, golf, skiing, SCUBA diving, fishing, hunting and shooting.

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