Alabama Center for Employee Ownership · ALCEO
Local Legacy
Conference
A one-day gathering for business owners, advisors, and community leaders committed to keeping Birmingham businesses locally owned.
About the Event
What would it take to keep Birmingham's business legacies alive?
The Local Legacy Conference brings together business owners, financial advisors, legal experts, and community leaders to explore practical paths for business succession — with a focus on employee ownership as a strategy that keeps wealth local, preserves jobs, and strengthens neighborhoods.
Through expert panels, real-world case studies, and interactive working sessions, attendees will gain the tools and connections to take meaningful next steps.
- Understand employee ownership as a succession strategy
- Connect with advisors, peers, and resources for business transitions
- Learn from real-world ESOP case studies featuring Alabama businesses
- Identify clear next steps for exploring employee ownership
Event Details
20 32nd St N, Birmingham, AL 35222
3:00 PM · All attendees welcome
April 17, 2026
Full Agenda
9:00 AM Lobby + West Room
Arrival
Registration & Networking Breakfast
Check-in, light breakfast, and coffee. Registration table set up in the lobby; breakfast served in the West Room.
9:30 AM West Room
Opening
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Welcome and housekeeping, conference goals and outcomes, and an overview of why employee ownership matters now.
11:00 AM West Room
Panel Discussion
Exit Planning: Plan Ahead for a Successful Business Sale
A moderated panel exploring practical strategies for business succession and exit planning. Panelists share perspectives from business brokerage, financing, and employee ownership on what owners need to know before they're ready to sell.
Moderated by Kevin Burns — Alabama Center for Employee Ownership
11:15 AM
Break · Coffee & Snacks
12:00 PM
Concurrent Sessions
Session A · West Room
Employee Ownership Showcase: Alatrade Foods, Inc.
Documentary screening followed by a Q&A panel discussion. Learn how Alatrade Foods, an Alabama-based company, navigated its 2021 ESOP transaction — from strategic planning and structuring through execution.
Session B · Conference Room
Employee Ownership as Economic Development: How ESOPs Build Worker Wealth
Employee ownership is more than a business transition strategy — it's a proven mechanism for building community wealth. This session explores how ESOPs can preserve local businesses, strengthen communities, and build worker wealth, particularly for lower- to middle-income workers who tend to have notably larger retirement balances than comparable workers nationally. Includes an introduction to NCEO and its collaboration with EOX and state centers like ALCEO.
12:45 PM West Room
Midday
Lunch & Networking
Buffet-style lunch and open networking for attendees, speakers, and sponsors.
1:30 PM West Room + Furnaces Walk + Conference Room
Working Session
Built to Last: Preserving Birmingham's Business Legacy
A participant-driven working session built around one question: What would it actually take to make sure every successful Birmingham business can keep its legacy alive? Attendees break into small groups, develop concrete plans, and present to the full room. Facilitators then connect participant energy to existing programs and resources already underway in Birmingham.
1:45 PM
Break · Coffee & Snacks
2:30 PM West Room
Keynote Case Study
Employee Ownership Showcase: Recovery Hardware
A keynote-style case study from the founder of Recovery Hardware on building and transitioning a mission-driven business through employee ownership — from one store to 13 locations and 300+ employees. Followed by audience Q&A.
3:00 PM West Room
Closing
Key Takeaways & Call to Action
Major insights from the day, available resources and technical assistance, and clear next steps for business owners interested in exploring employee ownership transitions.
Optional
Networking Reception / Happy Hour
An optional post-conference reception for continued networking and conversation. Location to be announced. All attendees welcome!
Featured Presenters
Meet the Speakers
Donna Sky
Project Equity Senior Manager, Business Engagement & Partnerships
Opening Panel · Exit Planning
Donna Sky is a Senior Business Engagement and Partnership Manager at Project Equity, a national nonprofit that helps businesses transition to employee ownership. She works directly with business owners and community partners to promote employee ownership as a strategy for succession, talent retention, and strengthening local economies. Donna is passionate about working with founders who want to use business as a force for good and is a long-time social entrepreneur.
Andrea Elrod, CPA
AlaTrade Foods Chief Financial Officer & Board Member
Session A · Employee Ownership Showcase: Alatrade Foods
Andrea Elrod, CPA, serves as CFO and Board Member for AlaTrade Foods. She led the company through its 2021 ESOP transaction, guiding strategic planning, structuring, and execution. Active with NCEO, the ESOP Association, and Employee Owned S-Corporations of America, Andrea brings extensive experience from leadership roles at Progress Rail Services, BAE Systems North America, and Ernst & Young. She holds a B.S. in Accounting and a Master of Accountancy from the University of Alabama.
James Blake
AlaTrade Foods Plant Manager
Session A · Employee Ownership Showcase: Alatrade Foods
James Blake serves as Plant Manager for Alatrade Foods, currently overseeing the Boaz facility — a team of 450 hourly team members and 29 management and administrative staff. He has been with Alatrade Foods for 23 years. Prior to joining Alatrade, James served in various roles at the Tyson Foods Inc. Gadsden plant for 18 years.
Liza Shifrin
National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) Senior Researcher & Data Analyst
Session B · Employee Ownership as Economic Development
As the NCEO's senior researcher and data analyst, Liza is responsible for planning, designing, and executing research projects that benefit NCEO members. She earned her MA in Sociology from San Diego State University and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Liza has extensive experience in labor and work-related research, with previous work focused on labor precarity, wage theft, and how digital technology is reshaping the boundaries and meaning of work.
Gina Schaefer
Recovery Hardware Founder
Keynote Case Study · Employee Ownership Showcase
Gina Schaefer is a dynamic keynote speaker with nearly 22 years of experience in community-building and business transformation. She grew her business from one to 13 Ace Hardware locations, employing over 300 team members. Gina's talks focus on creating positive corporate cultures, effective succession planning, and empowering women in business — inspiring audiences with compelling stories and actionable insights.
Victor Brown, MSOL
Birmingham Business Alliance Director of Small Business
Opening Panel · Exit Planning
Victor Brown is a business advisor, senior executive leader, and community development strategist with nearly 17 years at the Birmingham Business Alliance. As Director of Small Business, he leads the Inclusive Procurement Council, working directly with business owners and executives to help them grow, make connections, and expand their pipeline in Birmingham and Jefferson County. He brings deep expertise in capital access, business retention, and regional economic development.
Philip Webb
Transworld Business Advisors of North Central Alabama President & Principal Owner
Opening Panel · Exit Planning
Philip Webb is the President and Principal Owner of Transworld Business Advisors of North Central Alabama, specializing in sell-side and buy-side advisory services and business brokering for main street and lower middle market businesses. Before entering the advisory space, Philip spent 26 years as a senior commercial and corporate banker, developing deep expertise in commercial real estate financing, SBA programs, C&I credit, equipment financing, and business structuring.
Kevin Burns
Alabama Center for Employee Ownership (ALCEO) Executive Director
Panel Moderator · Exit Planning
Kevin Burns is the Executive Director of the Alabama Center for Employee Ownership (ALCEO), the state's central hub for information, education, and resources on employee ownership. ALCEO promotes employee ownership as a strategy to preserve business legacies, build community wealth, and expand economic opportunity. Kevin provides outreach, free consultations to business owners exploring transitions, and referrals to financing and technical experts.
Daniel Marshall
ALCEO / Ginkgo Bioworks Board Chair, ALCEO
Working Session · Built to Last: Preserving Birmingham's Business Legacy
Daniel is a worker-owner at Ginkgo Bioworks and Board Chair at the ALCEO. A former public high school teacher, he co-founded Sand Mountain Cooperative Education Center and Lamplight, its flagship youth program, which now has sessions in Guntersville and West Birmingham. In his scarce free time, Daniel is helping to build a modern folk school in Birmingham and playing basketball whenever he can at the JCC.
The Local Legacy Conference is made possible by the generous support of our sponsors.
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