Employee Ownership Transactions (ESOPs)

For Business Owner Buyouts

ButcherJoseph is a longstanding market leader on employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) transactions. For an initial ESOP buyout transaction, we advise business owners seeking to transition ownership of their company to their employees. ESOP transaction structures may be in the form of a full or partial sale, third-party financed, or entirely seller financed. Our clients span the United States across a variety of industries and sizes.

Our process focuses on providing owners with significant options for funding an ESOP buyout from a variety of capital sources, following fiduciary best practices, and crafting durable transaction structures that stand the test of time.

For Existing ESOP-Company Leadership Teams

ButcherJoseph is a trusted advisor to ESOP-owned companies. We advise management teams and boards seeking to assess the ESOP’s role in their company’s capital structure – and plan for the future long after the initial ESOP buyout transaction. Working closely with our clients, we establish clear objectives and develop sophisticated financial models to test transaction alternatives against the status quo. We help our clients understand the impact of available options on all stakeholders, and then execute on the optimal solution.

We have extensive experience working with mature ESOP clients and have completed a wide range of follow-on transactions, such as traditional leveraged redemptions or bringing on third-party equity capital to be invested alongside the ESOP.

Additionally, ButcherJoseph is at the forefront of assisting clients with identifying opportunities to optimize the ESOP structure to ensure that it continues to support, rather than inhibit, the ability of the company to effectively compete in the marketplace and achieve corporate growth initiatives.