News from Your Accounting Association
CPAmerica Advantage 2018 CPAmerica Events and Webinars: Interacting
with peers, virtually or in person, is easy - just take a look at our Events and Webinars Calendar.
With another successful tax season in the books, members can now take a breather and take some time to look ahead to the rest of this year to plan how to build up their firms. Increasing revenue a nd becoming a better firm begins with training. C PA me r ic a cont inues to present a nd offer event s and webinars to help member firms achieve their potential. Our May issue of Advantage includes our insert page with the slate of this year’s events and meeting, as well as all of our specialized webinars.
Events and Meetings
Despite technology making it easier than ever to share tools and watch seminars from any loca-
May 2018 New CPAmerica Staff
Member News P. 3 tion which provides an internet connection, attending events in Member Services - Grace Horvath P. 4 person is still the most effective way to fashion strong and lasting relationships with your peers. CPAmerica is presenting a long list of events in 2018 designed to promote innovation through exposure to industry-leading presenters and to enhance your member connections. Take some time and take a look at the events and meetings page. We have assembled a very strong lineup of topics and location spaces around the country. Meetings for partners from each designated region are being presented along with a variety of more than 30 esteemed speakers featured at exclusive meetings specifically designed for our members. Our event headlines for 2018 include: Next Generation (Intro and Advanced Tracks), Marketing, A&A, Technology, CPAmerica's newsletter: This Leading Partners, Firm Administrators, month we go back 15 years and look at the association's newsletter, Tax, International, our New Partners Brainstorming. Although the look Group, and International meetings. is different, the commitment to "Improving Through Sharing" Of course we will also be offering our remains the same. companion association’s main event, the CPAConnect Roundtable, and the events insert also lists the Crowe Horwath Annual See Events and Webinars continued on page 2
Introducing CPAmerica's new Services Coordinator, Catherine Parsons, and Senior Member Services Manager, Jenn Walker CPAmerica is expanding its support to members and would like to introduce and welcome Catherine Parsons as our newest services coordinator and Jenn Walker as our newest senior member services manager. Catherine Parsons came to Florida from Richmond, Virginia, after her husband accepted a position at the University of Florida College of Medicine; her family relocated to Gainesville in 2016. She most recently worked implementing CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
marketing in the mortgage & real estate industry. Prior to this, Parsons worked in media buying and planning for ad agencies. When asked about her new role here at CPAmerica, Parsons said that in her position as member services administrative support, she's excited about the upcoming Next Generation Conference in May. She said the "members are fantastic and a great asset to our organization." See , continued on page 2
CELEBRATING:
, continued from page 1 Her new position will support CPAmerica services primarily through events and the Visitation Improvement Program (VIP). She will handle the documentation for specified meetings for speakers, sponsors, CPE, attendee correspondence and getting meeting materials into the sharing library. When asked about her interests, Parsons said she has been a member of the Gainesville Garden Club since relocating here in 2016. Prior to that, she was in the Garden Club of CATHERINE PARSONS Virginia for 15 years; she and her husband, Travis, have two children, Hollen and Cole. The family also includes many pets, ranging from freshwater fish to a 116 lb. black Labrador retriever, Spike, who enjoys long walks. Jenn Walker is originally a native of Long Island, New York, but she and her family moved to Coral Springs, Florida, when she was quite young. She commented, "I would say I was born in New York but I’ve spent most of my life in south Florida." In her new role as CPAmerica's newest senior member services manager, Walker said that the part she is most excited starting on is meeting and getting to know our members. She went on to say that her initial impressions of her peers and the association were very positive - "Without a doubt, the CPAmerica staff and our members have been so welcoming and warm. It’s been really great!"
JENN WALKER
The first event that she will be attending and managing is the 2018 Next Generation Conference that is taking place in Denver, Colorado.
Walker is an avid University of Florida (UF) Gator fan and alumna, although there were a few stops in between. She said, "I attended my first year of college in New York at Adelphi University – it was an amazing experience and I made some great friends that I’m still friends with now, but it was too cold and [I moved back to Florida] to utilize my Florida scholarship. I went to school in Tallahassee for a year before transferring to the University of Florida." She studied advertising and eventually graduated from UF in 2003 and thought she was going to go back to south Florida, but said she "fell in love with the city of Gainesville and have been here ever since." Before joining CPAmerica, Walker started in ad sales and later, event planning. She also has her CMP (Certified Meeting Professional) designation. Outside of the office, Walker said she loves to travel and loves to go to the beach. She added, "I am a pretty laid back person. I enjoy spending time with my friends, especially during football season (tailgating season). I am a huge Gator fan!"
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This is part 2 of the Upward Evaluation Survey article from the April 2018 Advantage issue. To read part 1, go to: https://tinyurl.com/ycom58df.
... Part of the reason the survey works is that staff feedback is completely confidential so participants can speak candidly. Anglin-Reichmann-Snellgrove & Armstrong P.C.’s Director of Staff Development, Wendy Tucker, commented, “When CPAmerica made an upward evaluation available to us that was customizable, completely confidential, and easy, we decided to try something we had discussed for years. Our goal was to improve the firm by giving our team an opportunity to tell us, in total anonymity, what they see as strengths and weaknesses of our staff in upper levels with whom they work. W hen we received the results, we looked for common themes appearing in multiple evaluations that could be improved firm-wide, and we also looked at the individual results. We met with everyone who received an evaluation. This gave us an opportunity to help maximize their positive strengths in varying ways within the firm and find ways for improvement in the weaker areas. Many commented that they were aware of their strengths and weaknesses and others were surprised. Our staff valued the feedback and took it to heart … We repeated the evaluation using the same questions about 10 months later. Across the board, the ratings increased and the comments improved. With both surveys, our staff seemed appreciative of the opportunity to receive constructive feedback that ultimately helps them in their career path.”
Events and Webinars, continued from front page Meeting, too. For more information on any of our events, refer to the insert or visit the CPAmerica website (www.cpamerica.org).
Webinars
With their convenience and ability to provide CEUs on pertinent topics, a complete listing of all 2018 CPAmerica webinars is featured on side two of the insert. Each webinar is color-coded to distinguish between Tax and A&A titles. Each webinar offer the opportunity for members to learn more details on current niche topics from experts in the field. Starting this month, you can hear from Rich Daisley from Surgent CPE; Jim Hamill, Ph.D., CPA, and director of the tax practice at Reynolds Hix & Co., P.A.; and Charlie Blanton, CPA, director of Governmental and Nonprofit Product Development for Surgent CPE. CPAmerica is committed to helping our firms continually improve and one of the best ways we know how to do this is through our events and webinars. If you have any questions about any of our events or meetings, please contact Events Manager Lisa Browne at: lbrowne@cpamerica.org and for questions about our webinars, contact Colleen Gaddy at: cgaddy@cpamerica.org.
CELEBRATING:
Member News Charron promoted to president of Contryman Associates, P.C.
Dan Charron has been promoted to president of P.C. Charron has been the tax department shareholder lead for two years and will effectively take over the day-to-day operations of the CPA firm effective May 2018. He has been with Contryman Associates, P.C. since 1997 and a shareholder since 1999. Charron is also a wealth care professional for Wealth Advisors Network, Inc., which is owned by Contryman Associates, P.C. Jeff S. Anderson has been the president and CEO of the firm since 1999. With Charron taking over as the new president, Anderson will focus his attention on the growth of the wealth management business while retaining the CEO title in Contryman Associates, P.C.
Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. announces promotion
Tallahassee, Fla.- based,
, announced the promotion of Christine Devin, CPA, to manager in their Audit and Accounting Department. In her new position, Devin will be responsible for the management of audit and review engagements for the firm’s not-for-profit, commercial and pension clients. She received her bachelor's in accounting from Elms College and is a member of the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
CS&L CPAs promotes Messal, CPA, to leadership team
, a certified public accounting firm located in Bradenton, Sarasota and Tampa, Fla., announced that Jennifer Messal, CPA, has been promoted to principal. Messal provides full service tax consulting and compliance, specializing in federal taxation. With more than 15 years of experience, Messal has extensive experience working with family businesses spanning multiple generations placing importance on estate and succession planning. She focuses her talents on delivering personalized service in valued relationships as a trusted advisor. Messal is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FICPA), and the Manatee County Estate Planning Council. Messal is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University and the University of Florida.
TBC names Blessing new firm administrator
Alison Blessing, CPA, with over 20 years of leadership experience in public and private accounting has been named as third firm administrator in more than 45 years. While Michele Auricchio is finishing her career pending a late June retirement, Blessing will learn the responsibilities, drawing specifically on her roles as a principal at another CPA firm. Blessing graduated with a bachelor's in accounting from Siena College. Before joining TBC, she was most recently the CFO of the New York State School Boards Association. Blessing has also been involved with several affiliations outside of work. She was a previous board member and treasurer of The Food Pantries of the Capital District, and was also an at-large member of the New York State Government Finance Officers Association Board of Governors.
Gray, Gray, & Gray ranked among top Massachusetts accounting firms
Canton, Mass.-based , has been ranked as the 15th largest accounting firm in Massachusetts by the Boston Business Journal. The annual rankings are based on the size of the firm’s professional staff in the state. “It is gratifying to have the hard work and dedication of our staff recognized with this high ranking,” said Jim DeLeo, leading partner of GG&G. “While most of the firms ahead of us on the Boston Business Journal list are regional offices of large national firms, we are committed to remaining an independent firm so we can focus on providing personal service to our clients in Massachusetts and New England.” GG&G was also recently ranked among the top 20 fastest growing CPA firms in the U.S. by Accounting Today, and among the country’s Top 200 accounting firms by INSIDE Public Accounting magazine.
DMJ & Co. embraces title of "Coolest CPAs"
Greensboro, N.C.-based PLLC (DMJ), really knows how to make a splash! Recently, DMJ participated in the Triad Chill for Special Olympics. The firm took the first leap into the 50 ° waters of Wet n’ Wild Emerald Pointe and was followed by nearly 500 community and individual polar plunge teams. DMJ’s fundraising efforts resulted in $14,000 for Special Olympics and the firm was awarded “Most Money Earned” by a group. The event raised more than $45,000
for the athletes of Special Olympics. Caren Rodriguez, director of marketing, and Mike Gillis, managing partner, presented Special Olympics with a symbolic check commemorating DMJ’s milestone fundraising total of more than $150,000 since the inaugural Polar Plunge in 2000.
Cendrowski Corporate Advisors adds veteran accounting expert In Chicago (CCA), has added Randy Wilson to its Chicago office. Wilson brings his experience in internal corporate and government investigations, fraud analyses, embezzlement detection and prevention, risk management analysis, and forensic accounting investigations. He will work across CCA's accounting and financial services, litigation support, and various other groups to provide targeted investigations and advise clients on how to assess and design internal control programs, implement best practices, and monitor the progress of internal compliance programs. Wilson graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor's in accounting and a J.D. from the Chicago-Kent College of Law. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), and Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF).
New promotions at Tenn. firm, Coulter & Justus, P.C.
Knoxville, Tenn.-based member firm , recently announced various promotions. Susan Beavers to principal: Beavers is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA). She received her bachelor’s and master’s from the University of Montana, Bozeman. Julie Hayes, CPA, has been promoted to senior manager in the Audit Department. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s in accounting from the University of Tennessee. Patsy Bragg has been promoted to business development & training director. Alison Thomas, CPA , has been promoted to manager in the Audit Department. Matthew Esco, CPA, and Whitney Kubeja have both been promoted to senior in the Audit Department.
Wallace, Plese + Dreher promote Bromley to tax senior manager
Chandler, Ariz.-based , promoted Scott M. Bromley, CPA, to tax senior manager. Scott has over 20 years of certified public accounting experience and provides comprehensive tax services to individuals and privately-held, Arizona companies.
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From Member Services: Worried about technology? Work on your people skills. Everywhere you turn as a CPA you see information that tells you how your business will not look t he sa me pr i ma r i ly due to fast-g row i ng technologies. At the same time, you continue to Grace Horvath remain among the most Vice President trusted individuals across of Services t he spectrum of t he professional world. You are right up there with nurses who ranked first in this year’s Gallup poll. The common connection I see that you share is being people who take care of people. This is something technology can never entirely replace. It is imperative we change the mindset that technical skills trump what are traditionally thought of as soft skills, or “people skills,” to stay competitive in the future of advisory firms. Each of CPAmerica’s meetings this year will feature soft skill sessions tailored to the profession. Learning how to communicate will be a substantial focus at Next Gen (both Intro and Advanced Tracks), Leading Partners Retreat, Firm Administrators Roundtable and our newest program, New Partner Group. It is ironic that this should go from a profession branded as full of introverts to one demanding a high level of people skills. Consider many of your most successful peers. They are probably the ones who stand out as having the charisma to be dynamic business developers, esteemed managers or admired leaders. I hear you speak of them as “never meets a stranger” and “just really loves helping people.” Innately understanding how to relate to people does come naturally to some, but for most of us, this requires just as much, if not more, training and work on communication and interpersonal relationships. Discovering
your personal style through DISC profiling, learning to tune into generational differences, mastering both difficult and inspiring conversations with staff and clients, and learning the "art of discovery” are some of the featured agenda topics this year aimed at each appropriate experience level that will help you grow these skills. Planning committees worked very hard seeking content that could be specific to the profession such as the Next Gen precon workshop designed specifically to build leadership skills as they relate to decision-making, judgment and leadership in carrying out sophisticated client work. Another interesting session that sprang from committee work is for the New Partner Group that will address the new and often surprising sense of responsibility that comes with that role and how to navigate that burden effectively. Regional meetings will also tackle communication skills with sessions such as “People, People, People,” led by Sam Allred at the Central Mountain/ West Coast Regional Meeting in Santa Barbara, Calif.
an established position of trust, but also require training in self-awareness and the ability to understand others’ needs. New technologies will replace or even eliminate a good portion of basic accounting. They will also create opportunities for you and your professionals to develop skills to better help your clients and grow leadership in the firm. As Paul J. Meyer, one of the world’s most outstanding authorities in professional development says, “Communication – the human connection – is the key to personal and career success.”
Soft skill development is not limited to conferences this year. Many sharing calls are planned as ongoing education for these overlooked or taken for granted areas of professional development. One call being offered is titled Gaining Respect. It will teach solutions for professional growth that will support being a strong leader in the firm and deepening client relationships. You will find these on the CPAmerica website under the News & Events/Upcoming Events page. Your ability to communicate effectively with your peers, staff and clients is a prominent factor of success. Effective communication and offering well-received solutions to problems stem partially from
CPAmerica's 2018 A&A Conference Yellow Book Pre-Con opportunity:
Gainesville, FL 32601 (352) 727-4070 www.cpamerica.org
Join Jim Woy of Anderson ZurMuehlen & Co., P.C. for a day of in-depth exploration of the Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards during this all-day workshop.
Tuesday, June 5 in Miami Beach, Florida Hotel: The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort Hotel cutoff date: May 14
For more information on either the Yellow Book Pre-Con or the A&A Conference, contact Lisa Browne at: lbrowne@ cpamerica.org or visit: www.cpamerica.org
Send feedback and advantage@cpamerica.org OHM
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Leaders Achieving Change 2018 Events and Meetings www.cpamerica.org Next Generation Conference
May 16-18
Northeast Regional Meeting
Crowe Horwath Annual Meeting
June 14-15
October 14-17
Denver, Colorado
New Paltz, New York
Berlin, Germany
Focus: Senior/Manager Growth and Leadership
Focus: Partner-Level Member Sharing
Focus: International Practice Growth & Management
Hotel: Mohonk Mountain House
Hotel: TBD
Central Mountain Regional Meeting
CPAConnect Roundtable
July 19-20
October 31 - November 2
Hotel: The Westin Denver Downtown
Marketing Roundtable
May 17
Portland, Oregon
Santa Barbara, California
New Orleans, Louisiana
Focus: Marketing
Focus: Partner-Level Member Sharing
Focus: Practice Growth & Management
Hotel: Hilton Portland Downtown
Hotel: Kimpton Canary
Hotel: Omni Royal Orleans
A&A Conference
Southeast Regional Meeting
Tax Conference
Bal Harbour, Florida
Atlanta, Georgia
New Orleans, Louisiana
Focus: Audit
Focus: Partner-Level Member Sharing
Focus: Tax
Hotel: The St. Regis Bal Harbour
Hotel: The Mandarin Oriental Atlanta
Hotel: The Ritz Carlton
Technology Roundtable
Leading Partners Retreat
Bal Harbour, Florida
Tucson, Arizona
New Orleans, Louisiana
Focus: Technology
Focus: Practice Growth and Management
Focus: New partners less than three years
Hotel: The St. Regis Bal Harbour
Hotel: Westin La Paloma Resort and Spa
Hotel: The Ritz Carlton
Firm Administrators Roundtable
International Group Meeting
Tucson, Arizona
Atlanta, Georgia
Focus: Firm Administration
Focus: International
Hotel: Westin La Paloma Resort and Spa
Hotel: The Four Seasons Hotel
June 5-8
June 5-8
Celebrating:
November 4-7
August 16-17
September 25-28
September 25-28
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New Partners Group
November 8
December 3-6
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A&A Webinar
Tax Webinar
Tax Webinar
May 31
June 26
August 7
2-4 p.m.
2-4 p.m.
2-4 p.m.
Title: A&A Update with focus on EBPs and ERISA Reporting Webinar
Title: Tax: Estate Planning Income Deduction Post-Tax Reform Webinar
Title: Tax: Reviewing a Partnership Agreement Webinar
Instructor: Rich Daisley
Instructor: Jim Hamill, Ph.D., CPA
Instructor: Jim Hamill, Ph.D., CPA
Tax Webinar
Tax Webinar
A&A Webinar
June 5
July 10
2-4 p.m.
2-4 p.m.
August 30
Title: Tax: C Corporations Post-Tax Reform Webinar
Title: Tax: Rental Property as a Trade or Business Webinar
Title: ASC 606: Disclosure Requirements Webinar
Instructor: Jim Hamill, Ph.D., CPA
Instructor: Jim Hamill, Ph.D., CPA
Instructor: Rich Daisley
Tax Webinar
Tax Webinar
A&A Webinar
June 12
July 17
2-4 p.m.
2-4 p.m.
November 15
Title: Tax: Flow-Through Entity Use Post-Tax Reform
Title: Tax: Section 1202 Exclusion and Effect on Entity Choice Webinar
Title: A&A Update & FASB Update for Smaller/Medium-Sized Businesses Webinar
Instructor: Jim Hamill, Ph.D., CPA
Instructor: Jim Hamill, Ph.D., CPA
Instructor: Rich Daisley
Tax Webinar
A&A Webinar
A&A Webinar
June 19
July 19
2-4 p.m.
2-4 p.m.
December 13
Title: Tax: The Section 199A Qualified Business Income Deduction Webinar
Title: GASB Update Webinar
Instructor: Jim Hamill, Ph.D., CPA
Instructor: Charlie Blanton,CPA
A&A Webinar
Tax Webinar
June 21
July 31
2-4 p.m.
2-4 p.m.
2018 Webinar Calendar
Title: Exploring the New NFP Disclosure Requirements Webinar
Title: Tax: Proving Material Participation
Leaders Achieving Change
Instructor: Rich Daisley
Instructor: Jim Hamill, Ph.D., CPA
2-4 p.m.
2-4 p.m.
2-4 p.m. Title: A&A Update & Special Purpose Framework Financial Statements Webinar
Instructor: Rich Daisley
To register or for more webinar information, go to: www.cpamerica.org > news & events > conferences-webinars-calls > webinars or emailing Colleen Gaddy at: cgaddy@cpamerica.org
www.cpamerica.org
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