ESOP Panel Discussion – How Leveraging an ESOP Creates Value in the Middle Market

Jeff began his career as a CPA and auditor for just under ten years prior to entering the private sector. Jeff recently retired from Superior Electric Great Lakes Company, a Metro Detroit-based industrial electrical contractor, after twenty-eight years, first as CFO and the last five years as President and CEO. He is a dynamic leader with the strength of a financial background combined with an understanding of what motivates people to achieve common goals. Jeff excels in visualizing opportunities from an entrepreneurial spirit that is the foundation for this successful ESOP visionary. He now spends time as a board director for privately held and employee-owned companies. Additionally, Jeff provides consulting services to ESOPs which includes assistance with new transactions, direction on managing the complexities of ongoing ESOP administration, and helps ESOPs improve and guide their employee ownership culture. Jeff has also been a featured speaker at various ESOP focused events around Southeast Michigan including to the ACG Detroit chapter; the NCEO national conference in Seattle, WA; and was the featured guest in a two-part series on the Growth Collective Podcast.

Shaylor, a Partner at Benesch based out of Cleveland, is a nationally recognized authority in qualified retirement plans. He represents public and private clients with respect to all aspects of their retirement plans, including a specialization with ESOPs. Shaylor’s approach uniquely blends a traditional ERISA compliance practice with a comprehensive ERISA dispute resolution practice. His dispute resolution experience includes the successful resolution of fiduciary duty claims brought by the U.S. Department of Labor against an ESOP-owned company related to the valuation of employer securities.  Further, Shaylor has represented dozens of companies in their transition to becoming partially or wholly owned by an ESOP. Conversely, Shaylor has represented several ESOP-owned companies in selling stock to private equity funds and terminating the ESOP. Shaylor has also been featured in The ESOP Report, published by The ESOP Association and previously earned the Ohio Employee Ownership Center’s ESOP Impact Award, M&A Advisor Deal of the Year.

Shawn is a Managing Director with Lazear Capital Partners and manages the Northeast Ohio/Cleveland market. He has over 30 years of diverse corporate finance, investing, operations and advisory experience, half of which has been spent focusing on sourcing, evaluating and managing middle market and lower middle market private equity investments. Several of these private equity investments were in ESOP companies where Shawn saw firsthand the compelling benefits and “win-win-win” nature of an ESOP transaction. Additionally, Shawn has multiple years of investment banking and advisory experience with a wide variety of middle market companies, founders and families, on activities such as a capital raise, a restructuring, a sale or a merger of their business.  Shawn takes pride in providing his clients with ESOP solutions which yield significant tax advantages, plus sets the foundation internally to ensure a successful ESOP community post close.

David Thrush is a Senior Manager at Doeren Mayhew where he focuses on accounting, audit and assurance services for clients in the private sector. David also has experience performing buy-side advisory services for closely held businesses and publicly traded company carve-outs, on various transactions up to $250 million. David also has a deep understanding of regulations surrounding employee benefit plans and contributes to a significant portion of Doeren Mayhew’s 300+ annual ESOP, 401(k) profit sharing, defined benefit and cash balance retirement plan audits. In addition, he serves as a leader in Doeren Mayhew’s Employee Benefit Plan (EBP) Group, is a member of the firm’s EBP quality control group and liaison for firmwide EBP training and technical updates.