Making Administration Easier for You

Blue Ridge has developed an online tool – ESOPConnection™ – that can be customized to help your staff with employee inquiries, financial planning and benefits management related to your ESOP.

ESOPConnection™ can be designed to function as a part of your corporate web site or intranet. You can post documents, forms, newsletters and other relevant information to ESOPConnection™, enabling your employees to obtain the Plan information they need without taking up your staff time.

This tool also allows your designated internal point of contact to view participant information for all employees, such as individual account activity and balances.

Saving You Time Internally

• Interactive Summary of Accounts (SOA) by year, detailing all participants, their census data, account beginning and ending balances, and transactions for the year. The SOA is sortable by any field and searchable by Social Security Number and/or Name; it can be downloaded into Excel for further manipulation, and directly into a format consistent with repurchase obligation planning software widely used in the marketplace. From the SOA page, you can select any individual participant and click through to their individual demographic information and ESOP Statement.
• Interactive Distribution, Diversification, Dividend and Voting Processing. These tools allow the processing of distributions, diversifications, dividends and ballots between Blue Ridge ESOP Associates and the client. The information is first prepared and posted by Blue Ridge and the client then reviews and approves the transactions, which are then processed by Blue Ridge. The client can follow along through-out the process and view the progress of transactions.
• Archiving Function. Archived Documents stores copies of the following documents in a well-organized, easy-to-retrieve format: i) Executed Legal Documents such as Plan Documents, Amendments, Restatements, Loan Documents, Modification Agreements, etc.; ii) Regulatory Filings such as Forms 5500, Forms 1099, Determination letters, etc.; iii) Annual Valuation Reports; iv) Annual ESOP Reports such as the Annual Allocation and Compliance report prepared by Blue Ridge ESOP Associates; Trust Financial Statements; Summary Annual Report; and Summary of Material Modifications.
• On-line, secure file transfer. The File Manager allows the client to upload and submit necessary files in a secure environment, directly to their Blue Ridge Administrator; and vice versa.
• E-Consent. The E-Consent functionality allows the client to view a report indicating the participants who have elected to receive ESOP communications electronically, and to send out both required communications as well as other messages.
• Getting Started Checklist and Year End Letter. This functionality allows the client to complete the essential ESOP information online in a secure environment. Each year, the annual update to the information is completed by the client through a process of updates; all prior year information is stored in static format.

Keeping Employee-Owners Informed

With ESOPConnection™, your employees can:

• View their account balances with interactive definitions
• Download copies of their individual participant statements
• Check their personal information and submit update requests
• Access Plan documents, such as the Summary Plan Description and Summary Annual Report
• Process administrative forms electronically, such as distribution and beneficiary form
• Custom FAQs and engaging learning activities
• Learn more about ESOPs and their own Plan
• You can post announcements, videos and news about your ESOP to promote the plan and encourage employees to visit th site.

Communicate the Value of Your ESOP

Blue Ridge ESOP Associates can provide you with communication services that are cost-effective and targeted to your employees, such as:

• Preparation of news releases, letters from company executives and other content to be posted on ESOPConnection™
• Development of communication and/or promotional campaigns to inform your employees about ESOPConnection™ and encourage them to frequently visit the site

ESOP Plan Governance Module

ESOP Plan Governance is an "add on" module to ESOPConnection that is designed to meet the needs of your Administrative Committee and Trustees. When used, the template driven tool will facilitate compliance with the applicable ERISA fiduciary and documentation requirements, which will streamline your ESOP administration and minimize your legal exposure. Some highlights include the ability to:

• Schedule meetings, prepare agendas, prepare minutes and create resolutions.
• Archive all documentation of the Committee and Trustees.
• Create an annual ESOP Calendar of responsibilities and timelines along with corresponding meetings and minutes.
• Access ESOP template forms, policies and procedures to allow the client to quickly and easily create their own customized versions (e.g. distribution polices, QDROs).
• Use a Plan Governance Roadmap with training and guidance on fiduciary duties and liabilities, insurance and indemnification, and updates on regulatory issues.
• Instantly retrieve all ESOP related documents.

Visit ESOPConnection™