Employee Ownership Month Begins October 1st

Employee Ownership Community Begins Month-long Celebration

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The ESOP Association and its members will celebrate Employee Ownership Month throughout the month of October, which is a tribute to the tremendous spirit of employee ownership.

Employee Ownership Month is an opportunity for ESOP (employee stock ownership plan) companies across the nation to educate employee owners, the public, and government officials about the undeniable benefits of employee ownership for employees, their companies, the communities they are a part of, and the nation. For more information about Employee Ownership Month, please visit: http://www.esopassociation.org/advocate/employee-ownership-month.

"For over 20 years, our members have been working to promote employee ownership and its benefits every day," said ESOP Association President, J. Michael Keeling. "I'm pleased to announce the start of Employee Ownership Month and am looking forward to a month of celebrations."

To view additional comments by Mr. Keeling on Employee Ownership Month, click here: http://youtu.be/e1pxoL3HXgs.

Employee ownership facts:

• There are approximately 10,000 ESOPs in place in the U.S., covering 10.3 million employees (approximately 10% of the private sector workforce).
• The 22^nd Annual Economic Performance Survey conducted in 2013 by the Employee Ownership Foundation found:
  • 94% of survey respondents reported that creating employee ownership through an ESOP was 'a good business decision that has helped the company.'
  • 64% of companies indicated they have created an ESOP education program or ESOP advisory committee since establishing the ESOP.
  • 77% of respondents indicated the ESOP positively affected the overall productivity of the employees.

The ESOP Association is the national trade association for companies with employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) and the leading voice in America for employee ownership. The core cause of The ESOP Association is the belief that employee ownership will improve American competitiveness, increase productivity through greater employee participation, and strengthen our free enterprise economy. More information: website -- www.esopassociation.org and blog -- www.esopassociationblog.org.

SOURCE The ESOP Association

RELATED LINKS
http://www.esopassociation.org