A two-day regional employee stock ownership (ESOP) conference in Des Moines later this month is drawing a lot of interest.

As of last week, 340 people had registered for the 2012 ESOP Midwest Conference, Sept. 20-21 at the Des Moines Marriott Downtown, 700 Grand Ave.

Gov. Terry Branstad is slated to give the keynote address during the conference, along with Michael Keeling, president of the ESOP Association. In his Condition of the State address in January, Branstad urged Iowa businesses to form ESOPs as one of four economic development goals for the state.

The Iowa Legislature earlier this year established a $1 million loan fund and a technical assistance program to help companies form ESOPs. Under that program, a business owner who sells at least 30 percent of his or her company to an ESOP would qualify for exemption from Iowa capital gains taxes on the sale.

Round-table discussions and breakout sessions will lay out fundamentals and how-to advice about ESOPs. For more information or to register for the conference, visit www.esopassociation.org.