Ownership Transition: The ESOP Strategy - 1.25 PDH (LA CES/non-HSW)

Recorded On: 10/06/2024

Ownership transition is a difficult decision facing firm leaders, but what happens when owners and employees have conflicting goals? Through one firm's story, learn how an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) was the answer. This panel will share the drivers, process, and outcomes of transition from founders to the next generation.

Learning objectives:

Broach the most challenging moment in a firm's history: ownership transition.
Introduce the key benefits of ESOP to companies and owners, and explore how employee ownership influences daily life at a firm.
Examine the challenges and opportunities of honing a firm's identity and operations through an equitable, employee-owned lens.
Understand how ownership structures, and ESOP in particular, must align with culture, purpose, and strategy.

Gaelle Gourmelon, ASLA

Associate

MKSK

Growing up surrounded by a mix of French gardens, Mexican ruins, and Alabama wilderness, Gaelle embraces wide ranging landscape influences to create spaces. An Associate with MKSK’s Washington, DC studio, Gaelle approaches landscapes as a set of living and social systems that respond to material, scale, and function. She previously completed a fellowship at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and worked as the Marketing and Communications Director for a sustainability policy think tank, The Worldwatch Institute. Gaelle is also Co-Chair of MKSK’s Staff Council which supports and advocates for the well-being of employees at the firm.

Eric Lucas, ASLA

Principal and CEO

MKSK

Eric is the CEO of MKSK where he oversees strategic direction while maintaining a focus on business development and practice. Eric is inspired by cultures, how people connect with where they live, and the impact we have on our natural and built environments. Eric practices optimistically, believing that we can do better for our world through sincere engagement, innovative ideas, and sustainable solutions. Eric was instrumental in each of MKSK’s three strategic planning activities, planning and implementing ownership transition and leadership succession, and re-shaping of the firm’s operational and management frameworks.

Cara Bobchek

Senior Management Consultant

HR Advisors Group

With over 40 years of experience, Cara works with A/E design and planning firms to define their purpose, create healthy cultures, and hone their vision and strategic plans. A thought leader and nationally recognized author and speaker in the A/E field, Cara serves on the Board of Directors of MKSK and has led the firm’s three strategic planning activities.