Pre-Forum Workshops

Presented by: 

“If I could wave a magic wand, I would have every ESOP company make this its playbook.” —Corey Rosen, Founder, NCEO

Though technology has evolved at hyper speed over the past hundred years, management styles have mostly stayed the same. The higher-ups make the decisions, and the employees grind it out, often without knowing the endgame. In 1983, Jack Stack created a new game: The Great Game of Business.

Get in the Game explains the rules of The Game: to win, you must get everyone at all levels of the business as informed, involved and engaged as the owner.

The authors of Get in the Game will walk you through a step-by-step guide on how to educate your team about the business, involve them in setting goals, have them hold one another accountable, and provide a stake in the company’s success.

Organizations in every industry around the world have benefited from The Game…is yours ready? 

CE: SHRM

Learning Objectives

1. Learn why “The Company is the Product” and how to build a business of businesspeople who think, act and feel like owners.
2. Discover the 10 Steps required to create rapid financial results and cultural change.
3. Strengthen your business of employee-owners by driving results through improved business and financial literacy.

Presenters: Steve Baker (Great Game of Business) & John Williams (Elucidate Resources)

Target Audience

• CEOs
• CFOs
• COOs and other operations executives
• Communications/culture professionals

Presented by:

"Our benefit level is too high" is one of the most common concerns raised in ESOP boardrooms—but is it actually a problem? This session challenges the widely held assumption that a high ESOP benefit level is inherently unsustainable. This session will start by reframing the conversation: ESOP companies are structurally different from their non-ESOP counterparts, and many of the factors that drive higher benefit levels are natural byproducts of a healthy, maturing ESOP—not warning signs. Using benchmarking data and audience polling, Chartwell will explore what's actually driving benefit levels up, when it warrants concern, and what practical strategies are available if action is needed. Leaders will leave with a more nuanced framework for evaluating their plan's health—and the confidence to stop second-guessing a benefit level that may be working exactly as intended. 

CE: CPE

Learning Objectives

1. Define benefit level and explain why ESOP companies naturally trend higher than non-ESOP peers due to structural and cultural differences.
2. Identify the common drivers of elevated benefit levels—including equity value growth, payroll dynamics, and ownership maturation—and distinguish them from true risk factors.
3. Apply a sustainability framework to determine whether a high benefit level is truly creating cash flow or retention concerns that require action.

Speakers: Tina Langlois & Ashleigh Newlin (Chartwell), Jennie Msall (Ventura Trust Company)

Target Audience

• CEOs
• CFOs
• Board members