Representing North Carolina, NCEOC Executive Director Illa Burbank and Founder Anne-Claire Broughton attended the 2025 National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) Conference, held April 14?17 in Salt Lake City. The event marked a milestone as the largest in NCEO?s history, drawing more than 2,000 participants from across the United States and internationally.
One of the most notable trends emerging from this year?s conference was the growing focus on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) within the ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) community. With 11 sessions dedicated specifically to M&A topics, this trend is clearly gaining momentum among employee-owned companies.
Highlighted sessions included:
- Acquisitions: A View from Both Sides
- Acquisitions Due Diligence: Examining the Process
- ESOPs as Acquisition Vehicles
- Acquisitions by an ESOP Company
- ESOP Advantages with an M&A Strategy: Let?s Make it Simple
- ESOP Acquisition Strategy and the Role of the Board
- ESOP-ESOP Mergers: A Marriage Made in Heaven?
- ESOP Mergers and Acquisitions ? “Control What You Can Control”
- ESOPs and Acquisitions
- Strategies for Integrating Employee Ownership Culture in Acquisitions
- Selling Your ESOP Company: Managing Acquisition Inquiries and Surviving the Process
?100% ESOP S corporations are exempt from federal income tax, so they have cash to invest in growing and diversifying by acquiring other companies,? explained Burbank. ?We?re seeing more of this M&A activity among ESOPs, and it?s likely to continue accelerating.?
It?s also worth noting that being acquired by an existing ESOP can be another pathway for business owners to exit in a way that allows their teams to reap the benefits of employee ownership.
In addition to M&A, other prominent themes from the conference included the strategic use of artificial intelligence, the evolving role of ESOP boards of directors, and best practices for fostering and sustaining a strong culture of ownership within employee-owned firms.
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