"[Under] a 'trickle in' strategy ... the company will use its annual profits (cash) to redeem a small percentage of stock from an owner ... [typically] limited to 25% of eligible payroll (or less). The company will in turn contribute those shares, in kind, to the ESOP and allocate them as a current year retirement plan benefit to the employees based on their eligible pay for the year.... This approach ... may be a good alternative for companies that cannot afford the costs of the larger, complex transaction and/or maybe want to get their feet wet a bit on the ESOP concept ... [and/or] to accommodate the liquidity event for a small, minority shareholder, knowing that the intention is to have the ESOP be a larger shareholder at some point down the road."

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