2026 Agenda

Agenda

8:00 – 8:45 AM - CHECK-IN | BREAKFAST - FFA Enrichment Center / Rm. #106-107

8:45 – 9:00 AM - WELCOME / Rm. #106-107

• Opening Remarks: Dr. Ken Brown, Dean, Wilson College of Business, University of Northern Iowa
• Storyteller: Jess Rindels, Group Health Supervisor, VGM Group, Inc.

9:00 – 9:30 AM - KEYNOTE address / Leading Forward Together: Navigating Change and Uncertainty with Confidence / Dr. Celina Peerman, President, Dr. Celina with The Peerman Group / Rm. #106-107

9:30 – 9:45 AM - PRESENTING SPONSORS / GreatBanc Trust Company / Principal / Rm. #106-107

9:45 – 10:00 AM - BREAK | visit sponsors / Rm. #106-107

10:00 – 11:00 AM - BREAKOUT SESSION ONE 

• Exploring Employee Ownership / The Ownership Playbook: Exploring Employee Ownership Models / Rm. #108-109
  The session introduces a practical guide to understanding the employee ownership options available. It walks participants through each major model while highlighting side-by-side differences and the situations in which each model tends to be the best fit. The presentation concludes with an actionable test on how to approach which model may align best with the selling owner's objectives.  
  Jon Landon - Shareholder, Fredrikson & Byron, P.A. / Stacy Mullinex - Sr. Program Manager, IA-CEO / Nick Viner, CFA - Director, Prairie Capital Advisors

• Growth Strategies / Diversifying Through an ESOP Holding Company / Rm. #112-113
  As ESOPs grow, leadership often faces a critical question: how do you protect employee-owners' retirement wealth while continuing to expand? This session brings together two executives from ESOP holding companies to share firsthand experience with diversification — the strategy behind it, the challenges of integrating new businesses, and the lessons learned. A retiree from Rayser Holdings will share how that decision to diversify directly shaped the security and value of her own ESOP benefit. Moderated in a Q&A format, the session pairs executive perspective with real human impact.
  Kathy Althoff - Retiree, Rayser Holdings / Angie Hoover - COO, Rayser Holdings / Kelly O'Hara, CFA - CFO/COO, Folience

• Academic Research / Practitioners / Rm. #208-209
  Mike Palmieri, PhD - Associate Director, Ohio Employee Ownership Center, Kent State University 
  Jerry Ripperger - National VP - Stock Plan Services Consulting, Principal
  Adria Scharf, PhD - Director, Institute for Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing, Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations 
  Scot Storjohann - Senior VP, GreatBanc Trust Company

• Culture & Engagement / Aligning Values, Leadership and Team Behavior: Play to Win / Rm. #114-115
  Winning ESOPs don't happen by chance. They succeed when leaders consistently align and reinforce the values, behaviors, and accountability that enable employee-owners to perform at their best. Join leaders from three successful ESOP companies for a practical conversation on how intentional leadership creates stronger accountability, greater engagement, and higher organizational performance through real-world experiences and lessons learned. Whether your organization is navigating growth, strengthening its culture, or looking to elevate leadership effectiveness, you'll leave with practical ideas to better align your people, your culture, and your performance—so your organization can truly play to win.
  Mary Jo McClain - Director of Finance, Mi-T-M Corp. / Alicia Murphy, CDI.D - Chief People Officer - Retired, Van Meter Inc. / Tom Pientok - President & CEO, Folience

11:00 – 11:15 aM - BREAK | Visit Sponsors / Rm. #106-107

11:15 – 11:45 AM - KEYNOTE address / Lt. Governor Chris Cournoyer, State of Iowa / Rm. #106-107

11:45 AM – 12:00 PM - PRESENTING SPONSORS / Dr. Celina with The Peerman Group / HDH / Rm. #106-107

12:00 – 1:15 PM - lUNCH / Rm. #106-107

• 12:45 – 1:15 PM FIRESIDE CHAT / Why We Believe: A Fireside Chat on the Power of Employee Ownership / Rm. #106-107

Three longtime ESOP leaders, with nearly a century of combined experience building and running employee-owned companies, come together for a candid, conversational fireside chat. Rather than a panel of talking points, this session is a chance to hear real stories — the moments that turned employee ownership from a business structure into a personal conviction. Our guests will share what first drew them to the ESOP model, the challenges and turning points along the way, and why — after decades in the community — they still believe employee ownership is one of the most powerful tools for building durable companies and shared prosperity. Whether you lead an ESOP company today or are exploring what employee ownership could mean for your own business, expect an honest, story-driven conversation about culture, resilience, and legacy.
Mike Mallaro - Board Chair, VGM Group, Inc. / Tom Pientok - President & CEO, Folience / David Zrostlik - President, Stellar Industries

1:15 – 1:30 PM BREAK | Visit Sponsors / Rm. #106-107

 1:30 – 2:30 PM BREAKOUT SESSION TWO 

• Exploring Employee Ownership / Experiencing a Successful Ownership Transition / Rm. #108-109
  A candid conversation with leaders who have gone through an ESOP ownership transition.  The panel will explore leadership succession, unexpected challenges, and the lessons learned.
  Rachel Adams - Executive VP, Two Rivers Marketing / Ben Janssen - President, Cimarron Trailers, Inc. / Dave Zrostlik - President, Stellar Industries

• Growth Strategies / Using Your ESOP to Finance Acquisitions / Rm. #112-113
  Regina Carls - Managing Director / ESOP Advisory Group, JPMorgan 
  Charlie Daugherty - CFO, PPI Global
  Ken Feldman - CFO, Employee Owned Brands, Inc.
  Greg Fresh - Managing Director, Chartwell 

• Academic Research / Philanthropic Foundations / Rm. #208-209
  ESOP companies benefit their employees and communities in a number of ways. These benefits can be and are studied by researchers, and they are also of interest to philanthropic funders. This panel will explore the broad question of research on ESOP company benefit from a few angles. What are all the ways ESOP companies benefit their primary stakeholders (employees) and secondary stakeholders (communities)? What is studied and known, and what still needs to be studied? What are some of the obstacles and enablers for academic research? What type of research are funders investing in? How can state centers and universities (and ESOP companies!) work together to advance relevant research?
  Avner Ben-Ner, PhD - Professor, University of Minnesota
  Melissa Hoover - Managing Director of Ownership Culture, Apis & Heritage Capital Partners, Senior Fellow, Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing, Convener, Rutgers University Consortium on Employee Share Ownership
  Joseph Miller, PhD - Marketing & Entrepreneurship Head and Associate Professor, University of Northern Iowa
  Alyssa Nelson - Global Grants Manager, Principal Foundation

• Culture & Engagement / The New Language of Employee Ownership / Rm. #114-115
  This session continues the conversation around employee ownership by going beyond structure to explore how ownership actually shows up in culture, behavior, and decision-making. Through a moderated panel and guided audience discussion, attendees will reflect on common workforce challenges, test assumptions around engagement and retention, and share real-world experiences from their own organizations. Participants will leave with practical insights and a clearer understanding of how to translate ownership from a concept into something that sticks.
  Emily Coates - Marketing Coordinator, Rayser Holdings / Nathan Ettleman - Supply Chain Lead, Engineered Seal Products / Louis Lenz - Sr. Application Engineer, Engineered Seal Products / Johnny See - Associate, Prairie Capital Advisors

2:30 – 2:45 PM - BREAK | Visit Sponsors / Rm. #106-107

2:45 – 3:45 PM - BREAKOUT SESSION THREE 

• Exploring Employee Ownership / Financial and Organizational Impacts of Employee Ownership / Rm. #108-109
  A panel discussion regarding the financial and organizational impacts of employee ownership, with the CEO of a mature ESOP, CEO of a new ESOP, and a corporate ESOP attorney. The panelists tell stories and shares their experiences on questions including impacts on governance, transparency, the shift from new to mature ESOP, leadership development and succession, and how to manage competing interests as the company grows. Expect an interactive session that will include some laughter along with the education.
  Bob Gaffney - President & CEO, Rinderknecht Associates, Inc. / Drew Larson - Founding Partner, The Larson Firm / Dave Wageman - CEO, Hometown Restyling 

• Growth Strategies / Macroeconomic Outlook Update / Rm. #112-113
  Looking at today’s economic landscape through both a broad market lens and a real-world business perspective. JPMorganChase will discuss the major economic forces shaping markets and influencing business confidence, investment, and growth. Stellar Industries will then provide firsthand insight into how organizations are responding to these conditions and navigating opportunities and challenges in the current environment.
  Brian Vickers - CFO, Stellar Industries / Hanna Zlotnick, PhD - VP of Commercial Banking Market Insights, J.P. Morgan

• Academic Research / ESOP Management / Rm. #208-209
  Ellen Frank-Miller, PhD - CEO & Founder, Workforce & Organizational Research (WORC)
  Stephanie Gott - Chief People Officer, Kinzler Corporation 
  Adria Scharf, PhD - Director, Institute for Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing, Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations 
  Jeremy Stolz - CEO, VGM Group, Inc.

• Culture & Engagement / Building Engagement in an Employee-Owned Workplace / Rm. #114-115
  Employee ownership creates unique opportunities for engagement, but ownership alone doesn’t create an engaged culture. In this practical panel discussion, learn from people doing the work inside ESOP organizations to strengthen connection, participation, and an ownership mindset. Panelists will share what they’ve tried, what they’ve learned, and practical ideas you can take back and apply in your own workplace.
  Holly Adams - Human Resources Director, Timberline Manufacturing / Kaly Etten - VP, People and Culture, Crystal Group / Celina Peerman, PhD, CSP, SHRM-SCP - President, Dr. Celina with The Peerman Group

3:45 – 4:00 PM - CLOSING REMARKS / Rm. #106-107