President
Anton Lessmeister
Forsythe Solutions Group, Inc.
tlessmeister@forsythe.com

Vice President
Julie Govreau
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
jgovreau@morganlewis.com

Vice President
Art Miller
Holden Industries, Inc.
amiller@holdenindustriesinc.com

Vice President
Mickie Murphy
Clifton Gunderson Financial Services
mickie.murphy@cliftonfinancial.com

Vice President
David Solomon
Levenfeld Pearlstein
dsolomon@lplegal.com
www.lplegal.com 

Chapter Administrator
Donna Walseth
Walseth Management LLC
dmwalseth@esopassociation.org
www.ilesop.org 

Executive Committee
Willard Muirheid
Hobbico, Inc.
wkm@hobbico.com
www.towerhobbies.com

Scott Szafasz
Bimba Manufacturing
szafaszS@bimba.com

Welcome to Illinois ESOP!

The Illinois Chapter provides the only regularly-scheduled opportunities in the State of Illinois for ESOP networking with other employee owners and ESOP professionals.  As part of The ESOP Association, the Illinois Chapter has been actively assisting ESOP companies grow their technical knowledge and communications skills with their employee owners.

Recognized for Outstanding Membership Recruitment by

The ESOP Association

News From the Chapter President

Hope springs eternal; the economy continues to show glimpses of life.  As ESOP companies, cautious optimism remains the path to follow.
 
On June 3, your Illinois Chapter of The ESOP Association hosted our 5th Annual Golf Outing at the beautiful Bloomingdale Golf Club.  We enjoyed a record turnout and thankfully Mother Nature cooperated.  The weather was spectacular!  (View photos under the Programs and Events tab above.)  A special THANK YOU to the many sponsors, volunteers, and golfers who generously supported the event.
 
Education and advocacy remain the top goals of your Chapter.  The officers and executive committee members are preparing a Company to Company event at Hobbico in Champaign.  We know the trip for some can be a bit of a stretch, so in the interest of multitasking, Hobbico will not only host the Company to Company, but also host the Chapter's second annual HR Roundtable (a BIG thank you to Hobbico!) following immediately after.  You can expect to see the exact date, agenda and details soon.
 
Speaking of annual events, Bimba has graciously agreed to host our 3rd annual CFO Roundtable in Q3.  Former participants have found this half-day event to be enlightening and fulfilling.  Watch for a specific date to be published shortly.
 
I would be remiss if I did not mention the 2nd annual Midwest ESOP Regional Conference on September 23-24 at the Minneapolis Marriott Airport Hotel.  I can honestly inform you that the presentations lined up look fantastic; the hardest decision to make will be which breakout to attend.  A complete agenda and registration details will be available in early July.
 
As always, if you have any questions or suggestions please don’t hesitate to contact any of your chapter officers, we are always interested in supporting you.
 
Yours In Ownership,
Anton Lessmeister
President

The Illinois Chapter of The ESOP Association