Alabama › Professional, scientific and technical services › 250 to 499 participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024
Nou Systems, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan
Sponsored by Nou Systems, Inc., Huntsville, AL
Form 5500 information is as filed by the plan administrator with the Department of Labor and may be amended. Figures reflect the plan year shown, not current balances. Form 5500 contains no individual account balances. Look up the original filing at EFAST2.
Nou Systems, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan is an employee stock ownership plan sponsored by Nou Systems, Inc. of Huntsville, Alabama. For the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024 it reported 250 participants, 212 of them active, and net assets of −$58.3M.
The employer contributed $3.8M during the year, or $17,898 per active participant against a same-size median of $2,017; participants contributed —. Benefits paid out totalled $29K.
Schedule C lists 1 service provider organisation paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $28K: $110 per participant, well below the same-size median of $141. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $28K. Schedule C does not capture every cost: fees netted from fund returns and fees the employer pays directly are outside it.
Across the filings on record, net assets went from $2.1M in 2021 to −$58.3M in 2024 (down 2920%), and participants from 164 to 250 (up 52%).
The independent accountant's opinion on the financial statements was unmodified (unqualified).
Compared with similar plans
| Measure | This plan | Same size | Same industry | All US DC plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | — | $48,746 | $73,951 | $53,102 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $17,898 | $2,017 | $3,219 | $2,175 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $110 | $141 | $148 | $123 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | — | 0.30% | 0.22% | 0.26% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $110 | $133 | $140 | $116 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined contribution plans with 100 or more participants: 250 to 499 participants (17,456 plans), professional, scientific and technical services (9,776) and all US plans (63,460). Fee medians cover plans that report an amount.
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer contributions | Participant contributions | Schedule C compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 250 | −$58.3M | −$233,352 | $3.8M | — | $28K |
| 2023 | 205 | $4.6M | $22,615 | $1.0M | — | $53K |
| 2022 | 192 | $3.1M | $16,130 | $802K | — | $6,000 |
| 2021 | 164 | $2.1M | $12,616 | $500K | — | $0 |
| 2020 | 129 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2019 | 100 | — | — | — | — | — |
Years in which the plan filed the full Form 5500 with 100 or more participants, from 2009. Plan year is the year in which the plan year began.
Statement for the year
- Net assets, beginning of year$4,636,330
- Employer contributions$3,794,386
- Participant contributions—
- Rollovers and other contributions—
- Total contributions$3,794,386
- Total income, including investment results−$61,015,267
- Benefits paid$29,114
- Administrative expenses$27,515
- Total expenses$1,959,234
- Net income−$62,974,501
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year−$58,338,171
Participants
- Active participants212
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits0
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits38
- Participants with account balances249
- Total participants, end of year250
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCJ Fiduciary Services | Trustee (discretionary) | $27,500 | $0 |
Schedule C, Part I line 2: providers that received $5,000 or more, with the form's own service codes. Individuals named on Schedule C (plan employees, individual trustees) are never shown and their compensation is excluded. Eligible indirect compensation disclosed by formula carries no dollar amount. See how to read Schedule C fees.
Administrative expenses on Schedule H
- Other trustee fees and expenses$27,500
- Other administrative expenses$15
- Total administrative expenses$27,515
Investment structure
Assets at year end by Schedule H category. The form shows the kind of vehicle holding the money, not the funds on the menu.
- Employer securities$3.8M · 95.1%
- Cash (interest and non-interest bearing)$198K · 4.9%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)No
- Accounting firmFrazier & Deeter, LLC
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateNo
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $500,000
- Blackout period during the yearNo
These are the plan administrator's own answers on Schedule H, Part IV. A reported late transmittal is the filer's disclosure of a timing lapse, usually corrected through the Department of Labor's voluntary program; the amount is the total involved, not a loss.
Plan characteristics
2IStock bonus2PLeveraged ESOP2QThe employer maintaining this ESOP is an S corporation3IPlan requiring that all or part of employer contributions be invested and held in employer securities
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 541700: Scientific Research & Development Services.
Other plans of Nou Systems, Inc.
| Plan | Participants | Net assets |
|---|---|---|
| Nou Systems, Inc. 401(k) Plan | 330 | $36.3M |
Similar plans in Alabama
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gan Corporation 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan | Gan Corporation | 255 | $24.4M | $95,788 |
| CDG Engineers & Associates, Inc. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan | CDG, Inc. | 249 | $21.9M | $88,130 |
| American Associated Pharmacies Savings Plan | American Associated Pharmacies | 259 | $11.3M | $43,525 |
| A-P-T Research, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Apt Research, Inc. | 245 | $33.1M | $135,005 |
| Dese Research, Inc. Profit Sharing Plan | Dese Research, Inc. | 260 | $70.7M | $271,995 |
| Summit 7 Systems 401(k) Plan | Summit 7 Systems, LLC | 244 | $8.5M | $34,644 |
Defined contribution plans in professional, scientific and technical services closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is Nou Systems, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan?
250 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, of whom 212 were active employees, with net assets of −$58,338,171. Among defined contribution plans that places it in the 250 to 499 participants band, which held 17,456 plans in plan year 2024.
What does Nou Systems, Inc. contribute per participant?
The filing reports $3,794,386 in employer contributions for the year, which is $17,898 per active participant; the median for plans of the same type and size was $2,017 in plan year 2024. Form 5500 reports the total only. It does not state the match formula, and the per-participant figure is an average, not any one person's contribution.
What fees does the plan pay and how do they compare?
Schedule C reports $27,500 in compensation to service provider organisations, $110 per participant. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $141 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $27,515. Investment costs deducted inside mutual funds and other pooled vehicles are not itemised on Form 5500, so these figures are a floor rather than a full cost.
Who runs the plan?
The sponsor is Nou Systems, Inc.. Trustee or custodian: SCJ Fiduciary Services. The financial statements were audited by Frazier & Deeter, LLC. Form 5500 also names the plan administrator's signer and other individuals; this site publishes organisations only.
Was the audit opinion unqualified?
The filing reports an unmodified (unqualified) opinion. Unmodified (formerly "unqualified") is the standard clean opinion.
How current is this, and does it show my balance?
This is the Form 5500 for the plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024, received by the Department of Labor on 28 Oct 2025. Filings are due seven months after the plan year ends, or nine and a half with an extension, so the public record always runs a year or more behind. It contains plan-level totals only: no individual balances, contributions or names of participants exist in the data.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 research files (Form 5500, Schedule H, Schedule C) for plan years 2009 to 2025, public domain, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. This page shows the latest filing on record for EIN 45-2815517, plan 002, received 28 Oct 2025; an amended filing replaces it at the next build. Medians and percentiles are computed by this site; see the methodology. Report an error through corrections.