ESOP Radio
ESOP Radio is the official ESOP podcast—where real stories of growth, succession, and long-term wealth building are told.
Hosted by Trevor Gilmore, CEO of Menke, and Ben Spadt, ESOP Investment Banking Consultant at Menke, the show features conversations with business owners, executives, and advisors who have navigated employee ownership as a strategic path forward. Episodes explore why companies choose ESOPs, how those decisions shape culture and continuity, and what it takes to build durable, long-term ownership structures.
Alongside real-world stories, ESOP Radio examines the practical realities behind successful ESOPs, including fiduciary responsibilities, valuation, transaction structure, and regulatory considerations.
ESOP Radio is educational in nature and designed for listeners seeking a clear, grounded understanding of employee ownership and long-term succession planning.
ESOP Radio
Latest Episodes
Section 1042: How ESOP Sellers Defer Capital Gains Tax — and Where the Risk Hides
An owner who sells a C corporation to an ESOP can elect Section 1042 and defer the capital gains tax on the sale, potentially for life. On a $100 million sale with $10 million of basis, a California seller is looking at roughly 37 percent on $9...
What Actually Makes an ESOP Work: Certified EO's Joe Belsterling on Building an Ownership Culture
Owning shares in a company and acting like an owner are two different things, and the gap between them is what separates ESOP companies that outperform from ones that quietly underperform. In this episode, Trevor Gilmore talks with Joe Belsterl...
Grading Our 2026 ESOP Predictions: Bank Lending, Private Equity Exits, and What Comes Next
Six months into 2026, Trevor Gilmore and Ben Spadt sit down together in person to revisit the ten ESOP market predictions they made back in January and check them against what's actually happened in the field. The result is a candid, prediction...
40 Years of Employee Ownership: How CCI Systems Grew from a 1985 ESOP to a National Infrastructure Company
What does an ESOP look like after 40 years? CCI Systems became employee owned in 1985, when its founders sold 75% of the company into an ESOP at $24 per share. Since then, the network infrastructure firm has grown to more than 1,000 employees, ...
ESOP Legislation, Lending, and the 2026 Outlook: A Mid-Year Update
Business owners considering an ESOP are operating in a noticeably different environment than they were a year ago. This episode covers three developments reshaping the ESOP landscape in 2026: a major shift in Department of Labor enforcement, se...