TAMPA, FL – The law firm of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP, is pleased to announce that Tampa Partner John Burgess has been appointed to the inaugural Board of Directors for the newly formed Florida Center for Employee Ownership (“FLCEO”). FLCEO’s purpose is to assist businesses in Florida in understanding employee ownership and the benefits to all who are involved and will promote a better understanding of the values of employee ownership among business leaders, public officials, employees, members of the media, students, teachers, nonprofit leaders, consumers, and other persons and organizations in Florida.
“As the US economy recovers, we believe that business succession planning will become a priority for many of the 2.4 million baby-boomers who are business owners. The option of transitioning to an employee ownership model must be top of mind for these business owners as they ponder what to do with their life’s work. FLCEO will be key to making this happen in the great state of Florida,” said Steve Storkan, the Executive Director of the Employee Ownership Expansion Network. “Getting the FLCEO started would not have been possible without the commitment and passion of members of the employee ownership community like John Burgess. He was one of a select few experts in this area that drove the formation of the FLCEO and continues to see it through today.”
John assists clients with all types of employee benefit plans, including tax-qualified pension plans; employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), health and welfare plans, and executive compensation arrangements. He counsels clients on plan documentation (including drafting plan documents, SPDs, amendments, and plan administrative procedures), plan qualification (including representing clients before the Internal Revenue Service), and other benefit plan issues, including tax and fiduciary matters. In addition, he regularly advises clients on benefits issues in the context of business mergers and acquisitions, including assistance with due diligence on benefit plans sponsored by an acquired company.
John is also a certified public accountant with an extensive tax and accounting background, which includes experience as an auditor with a large accounting firm. He is well versed in individual, corporate, partnership and estate and gift taxation issues at both the federal and state levels and uses that knowledge to assist clients in tax planning and compliance issues, including matters for international employees and non-profit organizations.
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Founded in 1925, Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP is a full-service law firm with more than 265 lawyers and seven offices in Toledo and Columbus, Ohio; Tampa and Sarasota, Florida; Charlotte, North Carolina; Charleston, South Carolina; and Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Shumaker is a premier provider of quality legal services. Whether it's commitment to clients or work in the community, involvement lies at the core of all of Shumaker’s initiatives.