Verit Advisors® will participate in the NCEO (National Center for Employee Ownership) Employee Ownership Conference in Pittsburgh, April 9 to 11, 2019. This annual conference is a premier gathering on employee ownership and over 1,800 attendees are expected.

Verit Advisors’ CEO, Mary Josephs, will participate on a panel titled “Pre-Transaction and Ongoing Diligence for Optimal ESOP Transactions” on Wednesday, April 10. Ms. Josephs 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 more than 300 financings for middle market companies. Ms. Josephs is a past two term board member of NCEO. Ms. Josephs was named one of most Influential women in mid-market M&A by Mergers & Acquisition magazine, January 2017, 2018, and 2019.

John Solimine, Managing Director, will participate in a panel “ESOP Financing from the Lender’s Perspective” on Tuesday, April 9. Mr. Solimine has 20 years of experience in investment banking and debt capital markets. He began his career at LaSalle Bank (Bank of America), where he provided debt financing for middle-market sponsors and portfolio companies. He gained investment banking experience at Bear Stearns and Jefferies & Company in New York. He later joined Equibase Capital, a Chicago private equity firm.

About ESOPs

According to the NCEO, the first employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) was in 1956 and today there are about 6,700 ESOPs and equivalent plans employing more than 14 million employees in the U.S. ESOPs are spread throughout the nation and industries and range from just a few employees to more than 150,000 employees. Over a 10-year period, ESOPs have 25 percent higher job growth than comparable companies without an ESOP. These companies have 4 to 5 percent higher productivity in the year an ESOP is adopted. Employee ownership keeps businesses and jobs in state with ESOP companies 25 percent more likely to stay in business.

About Verit Advisors

Verit Advisors unites sophisticated middle market investment banking capabilities with a client centric boutique, fluent in ESOPs, debt and equity capital markets, and 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 three 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.