ESOP Radio

About 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.

Publisher

Menke

Category

arts

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

28 Jan 2026

Latest episode

12 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

32 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   12 Oct 2026

   How ISEC Moved from 450 Direct Shareholders to a Minority ESOP

   Many companies that already share equity with employees eventually face a harder question: what ownership structure will sustain the business for the next generation? In this episode, the CEO and CFO of ISEC explain why their company, an interior contractor founded in Denver in 1967 with more than 1,200 employee owners today, replaced a long-running direct share program with an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). Before the ESOP, ISEC had about 450 shareholders. Ownership was concentrated i...

2. 

   28 Sept 2026

   Second Stage ESOP Transactions: Taking a Partial ESOP to 100% Ownership

   Many business owners start with an ESOP that owns a minority stake in the company, then later consider selling the rest. This episode covers second stage ESOP transactions: what they are, how they differ from the initial sale, and what owners, management teams, and CFOs should plan for before taking a partial ESOP to 100%. The discussion follows a Northern California specialty grocery company. It sold 40% to its ESOP in 2016, paid off the related debt over five years, and later moved to 100% ...

3. 

   14 Sept 2026

   Scaling Past Relationships: Fractional CMO Leadership for AEC Firms with Perryn Olson

   Many architecture, engineering, and construction firms grow on referrals and the personal relationships of their founders and senior leaders. That approach works until a company sets aggressive growth targets, enters a new market, completes an acquisition, or watches its most connected people move toward retirement. This episode of ESOP Radio looks at what it takes to build a marketing function that can support growth beyond relationships alone. Perryn Olson, who provides outsourced chief mar...

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.