Meet the Team
Van Olson has over 25 years of large law firm experience as a lawyer and partner in one of the top ERISA and employee benefit practices in the country. He completed his first ESOP transaction in 1986. In 2008 Van established the Van Olson Law Firm to focus on ESOPs and serve the ESOP community. To date Van has participated in approximately 200 ESOP transactions.
Van graduated from Indiana University in 1976 with a BS in Finance and the Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis in 1980, magnum cum laude. Van is an emeritus member of the ESOP Administration Committee of The ESOP Association and a current member of the Legislative and Regulatory committee. He is also a past chair and board member of the Indiana Benefits Conference.
Van is a frequent author and speaker on all aspects of ESOPs. Van's recent engagements include:
Van graduated from Indiana University in 1976 with a BS in Finance and the Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis in 1980, magnum cum laude. Van is an emeritus member of the ESOP Administration Committee of The ESOP Association and a current member of the Legislative and Regulatory committee. He is also a past chair and board member of the Indiana Benefits Conference.
Van is a frequent author and speaker on all aspects of ESOPs. Van's recent engagements include:
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
- "ABCs for New Employee Owners" panel at the Great Lakes Regional ESOP Conference
- "Keeping ESOPs Sustainable: Don't Kill the Patient" panel at the Ohio Employee Ownership Center 30th Annual Conference (During his presentation Van recommended the chapter on ESOP sustainability of the NCEO publication S Corporation ESOPs, Fourth Edition. That publication can be ordered here.)
2015
- "Distributions - How Benefits are Reported and Distributed" panel at The ESOP Association Annual Conference
- "Emerging Trends Impacting ESOPs" panel at the Ohio Employee Ownership Center 29th Annual Conference
- "The GreatBanc Settlement; An ESOP Fiduciary’s Playbook?" panel at the Indiana Chapter of The ESOP Association Annual Conference
2014
- "Basic ESOP Administration" panel at the ESOP Association Las Vegas Conference and Trade Show
- "Ask The Experts" panel at the Indiana Chapter of The ESOP Association Annual Conference, Clearing The Way For ESOP Success
- "ABCs of ESOPs for Employee Owners" panel at the Ohio Employee Ownership Center 28th Annual Conference
2013
- "Employee Stock Ownership Plans - A Tax Effective Tool for Business Ownership Transition" at the K. B. Parrish Education Conference
- "ESOP Distributions – Part 2: Mechanics of the Process" at the ESOP Association Las Vegas Conference and Trade Show
- "Linchpins of ESOP Administration - Rules and Issues Unique to ESOPs" at the Indiana Chapter of The ESOP Association’s Annual Conference
2012
- "Basic ESOP Administration" at the ESOP Association Las Vegas Conference and Trade Show
- "Shareholder/Trustee Rights and Responsibilities" at the Indiana Chapter of The ESOP Association’s ESOP Corporate Governance Workshop
- "ESOP Legal Update" at the Ohio Employee Ownership Center 26th Annual Conference
- "ESOP Compliance Tests - Review and How to Avoid Common Errors" at the Indiana Chapter of The ESOP Association's Round Tables and Round Ball Conference
Tom Mills has over 25 years of experience working with qualified retirement plans, focusing primarily on ESOP's since 2006. His initial qualified plan experience was as a trust officer for several Indianapolis area banks. After graduation from law school he served as associate general counsel for a large Indianapolis third party administration firm that was acquired by OneAmerica Financial Partners in 2010. After the acquisition Tom was the Director of ESOP Consulting Services for OneAmerica. Tom has assisted over 50 ESOPs with document drafting, administration and compliance testing. Since joining the firm, he has participated in dozens of ESOP transactions. Tom has been a member of The ESOP Association since 2004. He is also a past chair and board member of the Indiana Benefits Conference.
Tom graduated from Indiana University in 1979 with a degree in Accounting and thereafter earned his CPA and CFP (both currently inactive) credentials. He earned his JD in 2001 from the Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis.
Tom is a co-author of the ESOP Association white paper on using dividends to make payments on an ESOP loan.
Tom's recent speaking engagements:
2018
2016
2015
Tom graduated from Indiana University in 1979 with a degree in Accounting and thereafter earned his CPA and CFP (both currently inactive) credentials. He earned his JD in 2001 from the Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis.
Tom is a co-author of the ESOP Association white paper on using dividends to make payments on an ESOP loan.
Tom's recent speaking engagements:
2018
- "ESOP Administration: Part 1" co-presenter at the ESOP Association Las Vegas Conference and Trade Show
- "Who and What is a Fiduciary" co-presenter at the Great Lakes Regional ESOP Conference
- "Reviewing the Administration Report" co-presenter at the Indiana Chapter of the ESOP Association Annual Conference. The Administration Report Review Checklist discussed at the conference is here. in-tea_2018_annual_administration_checklist_final.docx
- "ESOP Distributions: Part 1" co-presenter at the ESOP Association Las Vegas Conference and Trade Show
- "What Trustees & Administration Committees Should Look For in Reviewing a Valuation Report" co-presenter at the Indiana Chapter of the ESOP Association Annual Conference. The Valuation Report Review Checklist discussed at the conference is here. 2017_ind_conf_checklist.pdf
2016
- "ESOP Plan Design-The Basics and More" panel at the 15th Annual Tri-State ESOP Conference
- "How Does Stock Get Into My Account and How Do I Get The Value Out?" panel at the Indiana Chapter of the ESOP Association Annual Conference
2015
- "Diversification and Distribution Issues" panel at the 14th Annual Tri-State ESOP Conference
