Article by attorney David Johanson (2/98). Many companies sponsoring an employee stock ownership plan and trust (ESOP Companies) face a significant issue after either the debt incurred to purchase the ESOP's interest is repaid in full or the ESOP reaches its maximum ownership level (e.g., 100%) by some other means. At that point, it gets very difficult to provide broad-based equity incentives to new employees who were not employed during the time the debt was being repaid or the original contributions were made.