Old Harbor Advisors

Owners often put it this way: “I’m ready to step back, but I don’t want to sell to a competitor. I want the company to keep its name, its people and the way it does business.” It is a reasonable goal. It helps to be specific, because independence can mean ...

Since October 6, 2026, Massachusetts has offered to share the cost of taking a serious look at employee ownership. The Massachusetts Center for Employee Ownership, known as MassCEO, runs a Technical Assistance Stipend Program that can pay half of certain ...

Many owners who want the company to stay in familiar hands narrow the choice to two inside buyers: the management team, or an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) that holds shares for employees. Both can keep the company independent and reward the people who ...

Owners who look into selling to an ESOP soon hear about Section 1042. It can let a seller postpone capital gains tax on a sale to an ESOP, if a long list of conditions is met. It postpones the tax. It does not forgive it.

Before an owner decides to sell to an ESOP, someone has to answer a practical question: could this work for this company, at a price and on terms the owner would accept? That is the job of a feasibility study. It is a test, not a decision.