• The ESOP Association Honors Members for Excellence in “Employee Ownership” Communications
• Waite Dalrymple Receives Life Service Award
• Jeffrey York Named 2007 Employee Owner of the Year by The ESOP Association
• The Monroe Publishing Company Named 2007 ESOP Company of the Year by The ESOP Association
• Carolyn Zimmerman Honored with Life Service Award
• Chapter Named 2007 ESOP Chapter of the Year by The ESOP Association
• Pamela Klute of Trachte Building Systems, Inc. Named 2007 Chapter Officer of the Year by The ESOP Association
• Herff Jones, Inc. Named 2007 Employee Ownership Month Poster Contest Winner
• Vernon Saper of Warner Norcross & Judd Receives Membership Recruitment Award from The ESOP Association
• Caryn Siebert Named 2007 Outstanding Board of Governors Member by The ESOP Association
• Iowa/Nebraska Chapter of The ESOP Association Recognized for Outstanding Membership Development
• Heart of America Chapter of The ESOP Association Recognized for Outstanding Membership Recruitment
• Illinois Chapter of The ESOP Association Named Most Improved Chapter of 2007
• Frieda S. Takaki, President and CEO of CHART Rehabilitation of Hawaii, Inc. Elected Chair of The ESOP Association
• Joseph Cabral to Chair Employee Ownership Foundation

One of the most popular sessions at the conference is the Annual Federal Agency Practitioners’ Forum.  The Forum is setup to give ESOP practitioners an opportunity to interact with IRS and DOL employees.  Many ESOP questions were submitted in advance and a handout was distributed with 140 questions along with comments from the IRS and the Department of Treasury.  Of course, they are quick to point out that the comments only represent the individual opinions of the federal agency representatives and are not binding.  Nonetheless, the comments are very helpful and give insight into how the agencies are looking at current topics.  I will discuss some of the highlights of the discussion in a separate post.