Mary Josephs and Jake Cravens of Verit Advisors® will present at the 2024 Annual Employee Ownership Conference in Tampa, Florida April 29 through May 1, 2024 hosted by the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO).  This conference provides education about best practices and industry trends in employee ownership.

Jake Cravens, Managing Director, Verit Advisors®, will be the session leader for “Successfully Raising Financing for an ESOP” on Tuesday, April 30 at 10:00 AM. This session focuses on one of the most important steps in an ESOP transaction: raising financing for a leveraged ESOP transaction in the open market. The presentations made to lenders play a fundamental role in launching the business and ensuring the ESOP’s long-term success. Joining Jake on the panel is Doug Dell from Key Bank.

Jake leads execution on a wide range of transactions, restructuring, and advisory services including M&A, ESOPs, and strategic alternatives consulting across numerous industries including business services, construction & engineering, grocery retail and financial services. Jake specializes in the valuation of business enterprises and the structuring of complex ESOP transactions.

Mary Josephs, Founder and CEO, Verit Advisors, will be on a panel discussing “ESOPs and M&A: Exploring the Intersection, the Prudence, and Process for Unsolicited Offers” on Wednesday, May 1 at 11:15 AM. Joining Mary will be Renee Lewis, Partner, Holland & Knight, LLP and Miguel Paredes, President and Founder, Prudent Fiduciary Services, LLC. This session aims to demystify unsolicited offers. They will provide insights into the prudent financial, legal, and governance processes that can boost your confidence. You’ll come to understand that the true threats to ESOPs staying private are not unsolicited offers, but rather issues related to governance and strategy. They will delve into critical aspects such as leadership development, strategic planning, and long-term capital strategies.

Mary founded Verit Advisors in 2009 and has nearly three decades of experience in corporate finance. She is a nationally recognized leader and has advised structured and closed hundreds of successful capital strategies for middle market companies. Mary is on the Advisory Board ESCA (Employee-Owned S Corporations of America). Mary is a director of Manson Construction and Performance Contracting. Mary was selected as one of the Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A by Mergers & Acquisition publication five straight years. Chicago Crain’s recognized Ms. Josephs as a Notable Entrepreneur in 2019 and Private Board Directors magazine named Mary a Director to Watch in 2019.

About Verit Advisors®

Verit Advisors unites sophisticated middle market investment banking capabilities with a client centric focus, fluent in ESOPs, debt and equity capital markets, M&A, transaction opinions and valuation services, and board advisory services. Integrity, teamwork, service, and innovation are at the heart of the organization, as the Verit Team strives to provide unparalleled advice and custom solutions to its clients. Mary Josephs founded Verit Advisors in 2009 in Chicago and has nearly four decades of experience in the world of corporate finance. Josephs and her team are considered to be the foremost experts in ESOP transactions and middle market strategic alternatives.

About the NCEO

The NCEO is a nonprofit organization, established in 1981, whose mission is to provide the most objective and reliable information possible on employee ownership at the most affordable price possible. Our members include companies, professional practitioners, unions, government officials, academics, and other interested individuals. Although they are a membership-based organization, their outreach is not limited to members.