EO Advantage Learning Programs

Employee Ownership for Business Brokers

Expand your exit strategy toolkit by learning how employee ownership can deliver value, continuity, and stronger outcomes for business owners

FACULTY: Stacey Smith, Emily Bergstrom, Hunter Arwood, Colby Mayberry

$59

1.25 hours CPE
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Flexible schedule

Any time, self-paced

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Build toward your CEOA designation

Expanding exit options for business owners

Business owners increasingly want exit strategies that preserve legacy, protect employees, and maximize long-term value. For business brokers, understanding employee ownership opens the door to a broader, more flexible set of transition options—especially when traditional sales aren’t the right fit. Advisors who can confidently navigate these paths strengthen client trust and expand deal possibilities.

This Certified Employee Ownership Advisor elective course equips business brokers to support employee ownership transitions. You’ll gain a clear understanding of core employee ownership principles, learn how to evaluate financial outcomes, and develop strategies that help clients move through ownership transitions smoothly while sustaining employee engagement.

 

Learning objectives

By the end of this module, participants will be able to:

  • Understand the core principles of employee ownership
  • Develop and implement employee ownership transition strategies
  • Evaluate the financial impact of employee ownership using ROI analysis
  • Provide ongoing support to sustain employee engagement post-transition

Faculty

Our faculty aren’t just educators—they’re leaders in the field, bringing decades of hands-on experience to help advisors translate knowledge into impact.

Stacey Smith
Stacey Smith
Senior Vice President, Head of Programs

Stacey has spent most of her career helping businesses examine their impact and aligning it with their values. She started as a CPA with Arthur Andersen, then moved into strategy and organizational development. Seeking to devote her financial expertise to social and environmental issues, she was an early mover in the field of sustainability and corporate responsibility in the US. She joined Business for Social Responsibility in 2001 to build their business consulting practice and spent the next decade guiding Fortune 500 companies to address their negative impacts. Recently, Stacey began consulting to nonprofits and foundations to strengthen their strategy, management, and governance practices. Through her work with the Public Equity Group and her own independent practice, she explored the structural barriers to wealth and other drivers of generational poverty. At Project Equity she is helping grow our team of professionals to accelerate the adoption of employee ownership as a key to building wealth and high-quality careers in communities. In addition to having been a licensed CPA, Stacey has a degree in Business Administration from the University of Vermont and has done coursework in International Business Studies at the University of Copenhagen. When she is not working, you can find her hiking the Bay Area hills, indulging in the restaurant scene, and playing with her family.

Emily Bergstrom
Emily Bergstrom
Former Senior Manager of Investments & Partnerships, Project Equity

Emily is the Director of Manufacturing Operations for Meliora Cleaning Products. Before that she served as the Senior Manager, Investments & Partnerships at Project Equity for several years. At Project Equity, she advised owners on the benefits of transitioning their company to an employee-owned structure. Emily has an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with a focus on operations and economics. She received a Fulbright scholarship and spent two years abroad in Latin America, becoming fluent in Spanish. She earned her undergraduate degree at Michigan State University and comes from a long line of hard-working Detroiters.

Hunter Arwood
Hunter Arwood
Partner, Falco Sult

Hunter manages Falco Sult’s business brokerage and business valuation engagements. He joined the team in July 2019 after a brief hiatus from the firm. Hunter brings valuable insights to clients that he has gained from over nine years of professional experience serving local business owners in the Pacific Northwest, since graduating cum laude from Western Washington University in 2015. As both a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Valuation Analyst, Hunter leverages his expertise in business valuation and fluency in financial analysis to provide clear answers to clients who are seeking to either understand what their business is worth or for those who are considering a sale or transition of their business.

Colby Mayberry
Colby Mayberry
Financial Advisor, Edward Jones

Colby is a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Washington state, where he works closely with supply chain professionals and small business owners to build and manage their financial strategies. He holds multiple professional designations including CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®), Certified Exit Planning Advisor® (CEPA®), and Accredited Asset Management Specialist™ (AAMS®). Known for his client-focused approach, Colby is committed to helping clients achieve their long-term financial goals through thoughtful planning and ongoing guidance.

Continuing education

Upon successful completion of the course, participants will receive 1.25 hours CPE.
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Interested in enterprise licenses or channel partnerships?

Project Equity is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors.  State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit.  Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its web site: www.nasbaregistry.org.

Exit Planning Institute logo

Employee Ownership for Business Brokers has been approved for 1.25 hour(s) of continuing education (CE) credits by the Exit Planning Institute (EPI).

CFP Board

Employee Ownership for Business Brokers has been accepted by the Certified Financial Planner Board for continuing education credit. Upon successful completion of the program, 1.25 CE credit(s) will be granted by CFP Board.

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