News from Your Accounting Association

CPAmerica Advantage Filling a need Military spouses often face unique challenges when presented with furthering their careers during a deployment. A survey of military families released in June 2017 from Hiring Our Heroes, a U.S. Chamber of Commerce foundation, found that unemployment and

underemployment are major challenges for spouses of service members, of which 92 percent are female. The military spouse unemployment rate is between 20 to 25 percent, six times the rate for all adult women. We spoke to Erin Kidd, tax individual practice program manager at CPAmerica member firm , based in Fairfax, Va., about her experience dealing with organizations working to help connect military spouses with jobs. As a military spouse that runs a military spouse remote preparer program, Kidd is a big believer in the military spouse community as a great resource

February 2018 for employers to find team members, both full- and part-time, and a perfect fit for available positions.

CPAmerica promotions P. 2 Member News P. 3 President's Corner - Alan Deichler P. 4

CPAmerica noted how it seems as if there are a variety of services available for military spouses to find employment Celebrating 40 years of Improving such as: MadSkills (www.hiremadskills. Through Sharing at CPAmerica com); In Gear Career (www.ingearcareer. org); and Serving Talent (www.servingtalent.com); and we wondered what the differences and similarities between these organizations were. Kidd remarked, “In Gear Career (now Hiring our Heroes - Military Spouse Professional Network) is a nonprofit and was started by three military spouses. They ended up linking with Hiring Our Heroes (a nationwide initiative to help vetAbove, l. to r.: Former CPAmerica erans and military spouses find employment President Doug Thompson (1992turns over the reins of opportunities) and work with local Chamber 2009) CPAmerica to current President of Commerce chapters. It’s basically a com- Alan Deichler in 2009. munity of career-minded spouses. They are set up with a chapter lead at various military installations around the world and a virtual chapter on Facebook for those that are not near an installation. See Military Spouses, continued on page 2

New Member Snapshot: Cooper Norman CPAs & Business Advisors See LEAD FD, continued on page 2 Cooper Norman CPAs & Business Advisors 1000 Riverwalk Dr., Suite 100 Idaho Falls, Idaho 83405 Tel: (208) 523-0862 | Fax: (208) 525-8038

www.coopernorman.com

bank relationship and tax services. Services include: accounting and auditing; business adviso ry; business valuation forensic accounting & internal controls; tax services; and transition planning.

Clint Tavenner | Partner | ctavenner@coopernorman.com

Blake Johnson | Partner | bjohnson@coopernorman.com

Tim Anderson | Partner | tanderson@coopernorman.com

Kevin Koplin | Partner | kkoplin@coopernorman.com

Mark Brady | Partner | mbrady@coopernorman.com

Ryan Mathews | Partner | rmathews@coopernorman.com

Lance Fenton | Partner | lfenton@coopernorman.com

Daniel Packard | Partner | dpackard@coopernorman.com

Terri Gazdik | Partner | tgazdik@coopernorman.com

Karl Skinner | Partner | kskinner@coopernorman.com

Rolynne Hendricks | Partner | rhendricks@coopernorman.com

Todd Wadsworth | Partner | twadsworth@coopernorman.com

Chantelle Macy | Firm Administrator | cmacy@coopernorman.com Tara Gartell | HR Director | tgartell@coopernorman.com Eric Story | IT Network Administrator | estory@coopernorman.com Brooke Eppa | Marketing Director | beppa@coopernorman.com

Headquarters:

Idaho Falls, Idaho

CELEBRATING:

CPAmerica International congratulates D'Yãn Davis and Lauren Bush on their recent promotions CPAmerica International congratulates D'Yãn Davis on her promotion to Director of Member Services and Lauren Bush on her promotion to Director of Finance and Human Resources. D'Yãn Davis joined CPAmerica in 2015 after working as a firm administrator and human resources director at a local accounting firm. She received her bachelor's in history from the University of Central Florida. In this role, Davis is responsible for the management of the D'Yãn Davis Senior Member Services Team which develops resources and provides day-to-day support for CPAmerica and CPAConnect member firms. Lauren Bush joined CPAmerica in 2008 after working as an attorney and staff accountant in north Florida. She received her bachelor's at Binghamton University, and her Juris Doctor at the New York Law School. In her new role, Bush will oversee all aspects of the finance Lauren Bush department and will continue to handle human resources-related matters, including onboarding/offboarding, and salary and benefit plan responsibilities. CPAmerica congratulates Davis and Bush on their well-deserved promotions. “We are pleased to retain and recognize a team of highly qualified individuals to support the ongoing needs of our members and the initiatives of the association,” said Vice President of Services, Grace Horvath.

Military Spouses, continued from page 1

In Gear Career is made up of volunteers and joins up with Hiring Our Heroes to present at job fairs. “Serving Talent and MadSkills are actually businesses that were started by military spouses (and foreign-service spouses) to address the issue of military spouse underemployment. Serving Talent focuses on military and foreign service spouses. MadSkills does matching of virtual jobs for military spouses. Both serve as recruiters for businesses seeking military spouse employees. “Also, the USO has a program called Pathfinder (www.uso.org/ programs/uso-pathfinder) that helps military spouses and activeThis was part one of two of the Military Spouses article. Part two will be printed in the next Advantage newsletter. This is the second part of the Culture Evolution with Beth Newton of Frazier & Deeter LLC, continued from the 2018 Jan. Advantage.

Newton said, “When you get to this question of how we measure results, if you look at your standard short-term measures – turnover, revenue growth, engagement, and client satisfaction; all of these have continued to show positive results over the last five years; we’ve doubled our revenue, our most recent client satisfaction survey showed 96 percent of the respondents said the firm exceeded expectations, employee engagement at 91 percent is significantly higher than industry average and turnover continues to be very low, too (we are at 11 percent voluntary turnover). [In relation to] the turnover rate within the program of 34 people, we’ve had two people leave, one to re-locate and the other to work for one of our clients, which continues to be a great relationship. While short-term impact is significant, we believe the fruits of our labor will be realized over the many years to come. For example, as part of LEAD FD, we focus heavily not only on personal development, but also development of the firm and 'getting better at

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getting better.' As I mentioned, through optimize, the LEAD FD participants work directly on real business issues by leading six month-long projects that will impact the firm as a whole. Projects can be anything from the way we do our scheduling to the way we communicate across the firm. We have five offices, so one project was focused on building a more one-firm feel. Another year, a project focused on improving technical training. LEAD FD individuals leading these projects and teams are practicing their leadership skills while working on the firm. This brings us back to the whole idea of a deliberately developmental organization which is embedding development into your everyday work. It’s nothing extra, it’s not an extra class or extra work; it’s actually solving dayto-day business issues to help yourself and others grow.” Newton said that FD has shared quite a bit about LEAD FD at CPAmerica conferences. “We’ve had clients that have invited us in to talk to them and their senior leadership about what we are doing. We also just attended a DDO conference in Cambridge along with a number of other organizations – none of which were CPA firms - talking about how we all got started and how we are continuing to move along in our journeys. Discussion at the conference was consistent on how real growth comes with a lot of challenge and complexity. It takes a lot of practice and failure. That failure actually is, and should be, an option. And it’s a pro cess. We all live in a state of unfinished and in-process. For public accountants who tend to thrive on logic, achieving deadlines, and increasing charge hours, this is a concept that requires constantly challenging one another to think differently about practice versus performance and what’s best for the firm, our people and our clients in the long term. For us, in being a CPA firm, we are the only ones so far that we know of who are viewing growth and development in this way." As enriching as LEAD FD may seem, this is not a mandatory program for FD employees. Newton said, “In fact, we were adamant about letting people know that this is not a requirement for promotion. Partners are not eligible – senior associates all the way up to principal positions are eligible to apply, including internal client-serving team members. The idea is that if you are joining LEAD FD, you are someone who takes your own development and the development of others and the firm very seriously and you have demonstrated humility. In order to experience real growth, you have to be coachable, vulnerable, and willing to dig deep in order to expose your limitations so you can then do something about them. While LEAD FD is not a requirement for promotion, we have seen 21 promotions from LEAD FD, seven of which are new partners." The LEAD FD program itself is approaching a new stage in development. Newton said, “Over the last four years, the program has focused on 10 people at a time, so now [the question is] how do we take what’s been learned and embed it into the fabric of the entire firm at a deeper level? We are looking at incorporating some of the LEAD FD practices into new hire onboarding and the partner promotion process, among other things." Newton finished by saying that “Frazier & Deeter is in the early stages of this, and the term DDO is not about culture change, but is about culture evolution and enabling the organization and its individuals to become all they are meant to be. By offering constant challenge, support, and consistent practices, in an environment that provides safety for individuals to show up completely – the good parts and the messy parts – individuals and organizations thrive."

CELEBRATING:

Member News DeLeo elected leading partner at Gray, Gray & Gray

James A. DeLeo, MBA, CPA/MST, of Burlington, Mass., has been elected to serve as leading partner at Canton, Mass.-based member firm Gray, Gray & Gray, LLP (GG&G). DeLeo has been instrumental in developing a thriving mergers & acquisitions JAMES DELEO practice group at GG&G, and has also played a key role in their Client Services Department. DeLeo succeeds C. Joseph Ciccarello, CPA, MST, who had led Gray, Gray & Gray since 2008 and who will continue to serve as partner of GG&G while managing the firm’s energy and succession planning practices. DeLeo joined GG&G in 1990 and was elected a partner in 2002. He received a bachelor’s in accounting from Bentley College, earned a master’s in taxation from Suffolk University, and holds a master’s in business administration from Babson College. DeLeo is a member of the AICPA, the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the Association for Corporate Growth. A native of Watertown, Mass., DeLeo resides in Burlington, Mass., with his wife and three children.

DMJ Greensboro adds CPA tax manager

Greensboro, N.C.-based member firm , announced that Andrew (Drew) Steel, CPA, has joined the firm as a tax manager in DMJ’s Greensboro, N.C. office. Steel’s education includes a bachelor’s and master's in business management with an accounting concentration from Southern Connecticut State University.

Frazier & Deeter announces new office space

Member firm , announced that their Alpharetta office of F&D recently moved into a new office space at Avalon (a mixed-use development). The Alpharetta office is home to their Forensic Accounting and Employee Benefit Plan Services Group, as well as their tax practice. F&D's Alpharetta tax partners serve clients ranging from business owners and executives to large corporations.

Honkamp Krueger & HKP announce five new partners Dubuque, Iowa-based

and its workforce management affiliate, HK , have announced the addition of five new partners. Ryan Burbach, CPA, has been made a partner at HK. As a partner in decision support services, Burbach works with clients to develop a practical and effective business advisory RYAN BURBACH model, involving datadriven decisions and the continuous improvement of business processes. Burbach earned a bachelor's in accounting from Loras College. Nicole Gantz, has been made a partner at HK and is responsible for marketing strategy and implementation of innovative marketing solutions for both HK and HKP. She also provides NICOLE GANTZ marketing consulting to assist businesses with their own marketing strategies and initiatives. Gantz earned a bachelor's in business administration with a specialty in marketing from Marquette University and an master's in management from Cardinal Stritch University. Sue Lawler, CPA, has been made an audit partner at HK. Lawler is responsible for overseeing audit team members, planning and reviewing client attestation SUE LAWLER engagements, presenting financial statements and other reports to clients, and researching new accounting pronouncements and auditing standards. Lawler earned a bachelor's in accounting from the University of Northern Iowa. Stacey May, has been made a partner at HKP. As partner of the tax credit program, May leads a team who actively pursues several federal STACEY MAY and state employment tax credits for hundreds of businesses. May earned a bachelor's in business administration with a specialty in marketing from Marquette University. Stephanie Mettille, CPA, has been made a partner of HK. As a ... (contin.)

partner, Mettille assists businesses and individuals with tax planning, tax preparation, and general business consulting. She works with clients in a wide variety of STEPHANIE METTILLE industries including construction, real estate, automobile dealerships and manufacturers, and has extensive experience with multi-state businesses. Mettille earned a bachelor's in accounting from Loras College.

Brock, Schechter & Polakoff, LLP announces new hires

Buffalo, N.Y.-based member firm,

LLP (BS&P), announced three new accountants. Katlynn Cole graduated from SUNY Fredonia with a bachelor's in public accountancy and has joined the firm as a staff accountant. Prior to joining the firm, she worked for one year in public accounting specializing in individual and corporate tax. Cole is a member of the New York State Society of CPAs. Molly Kassirer received her bachelor's in public accountancy and a bachelor's in computer information systems from SUNY Fredonia and has joined the firm as a staff accountant. While in school, she was the site coordinator for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program and she received the M.R. Poummit Achievement Award for graduating with the highest overall GPA in the Business School. Michael Biggane received his bachelor's in accounting from SUNY Fredonia and earned a master’s in accounting from the University at Buffalo. Biggane joined the firm as a staff accountant.

Aldrich Wealth surpasses $1 billion in assets under management

has announced that it has surpassed $1 billion in assets under management. The 20-year-old registered investment advisory firm provides financial guidance to individuals, businesses, trusts and corporate retirement plans. Aldrich Wealth serves individuals with a holistic approach to their financial life. This includes investment management, analysis and reporting on retirement planning, estate planning, insurance planning, business transition planning, education planning and comprehensive tax services through member firm headquartered in Salem, Ore.

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President's Corner: Try out the new CPAmerica website and take a break this busy season As you read this piece, you are probably getting into full swing of this year’s tax season or preparing for field work on a n u p c om i n g aud it . If at some point you are looking for a short break, Alan Deichler may I suggest getting on President the CPAmerica website to take a look at your association offerings. It’s a nice, quick way to see what services you might be missing. Welcome to our new website that was first launched in June 2017. Homepage On our homepage, find up-to-date member news and upcoming sharing calls, webinars, training and events both inside and outside of the association. To create an account, just click on the “Sign in” in the top right corner, and then click on “Need an Account? Click here to request one from CPAmerica Staff.” Member Directory Looking for someone you met at a conference last year? The Member Directory can assist you in your search. Let’s say their first name was “Jerry” and they were a manager. It’s pretty simple – click the “People Search” tab, type in Jerry in the “First name” field, or you can search by title – click in the “Select Search Criteria” dropdown box and search by job title.

Member Expertise Maybe you need to find someone with experience dealing with athletes and their taxes. Staying in Membership Directory on the “People Search” tab, select “Search by Expertise – Tax” in the Select Search Criteria dropdown box, then type “Athletes” in the “Tax Expertise” field and you’ll see we have three partners that have this particular expertise. Events By now, you probably don’t have much time before you have to go back to the 1040s, so let’s take a quick peek at CPAmerica’s 2018 events. Under “News and Events” header, select “Upcoming Events.” On the “Conferences & Meetings” line, click on “See All.” You’ll find 15 events offered during 2018, not counting some of our special interest groups like Business Valuation and Litigation in the fall. Event Details Now let’s get the details and agenda for the new combined “2018 Central Mountain/ West Coast Regional Meeting” this July in Santa Barbara, Calif. Click on the event link to get all the details. If you click on the agenda tab, you’ll see that Upstream Academy’s Sam Allred will be will be spending the entire day with us.

CPAmerica's new homepage

decides what individuals will attend which conferences, the list of attendees can now be registered by one person. This is much more convenient than in the past when everyone had to register themselves. Services Not sure what services you can get from CPAmerica? Click on the “Services” Header to see a list with short descriptions of many of our top offerings. Anything there look interesting? Click on “Read More” under each heading for a detailed explanation of the service and a way to start leveraging the program. There’s a lot to see and learn on the new CPAmerica website. It could be a very rewarding 15-20 minute break. Good luck on this year’s tax season and the beginning of the audit year!

This new website also allows someone to register on your behalf. After the firm

CPAmerica member firms each start 2018 with mergers In January 2018, The Knight Group, of Griffin, Ga., merged their practice with member firm Whaley Hammonds Tomasello, P.C. (WHT). This blending of two long-standing firms will expand WHT’s presence in tax, accounting, and financial services with the firm now being made up of eight partners and 35 staff. Operating under the WHT name, the firm will retain the Griffin, Ga., office staffed by David Knight and Alton Knight. David Knight, a CPA and State Representative for District 126, will join the firm as partner. Greg Hammonds, managing partner of WHT, stated, “This is a great opportunity for all of us ... David and Alton bring a wealth of experience to the firm and will be great catalysts as we continue to grow.” Member firm, Gollob Morgan Peddy, with headquarters in Tyler, Texas, announced its merger with Earle D. Crim, Jr. PC. Both firms have enjoyed a longstanding history of providing outstanding public accounting services to the East Texas community. Combining the expertise, experience, and energy of our staffs will provide the clients of both firms exceptional personal and professional attention. Effective January 2018, the resulting firm will conduct business as Gollob Morgan Peddy. Gollob Morgan Peddy began its practice in 1982. Referrals of clients and fellow professionals has since fueled firm growth with expansion in several niche areas, including the oil and gas and construction industries. Also effective January 2018, Dubuque, Iowa-based member firm, Honkamp Krueger & Co., P.C. (HK), a Top 100 CPA and business consulting firm in the U.S., acquired Gabelmann & Associates, located in Bettendorf, Iowa. Jon Thoms, HK’s partner-in-charge of the Quad Cities market, stated, “Upon the heels of our newly expanded and remodeled campus on 35th Street in Davenport, we are excited to welcome the talented professionals of Gabelmann & Associates to the HK Family. Our firms have a good cultural fit, passion for client service, and are excited to continue to grow our presence in the Quad Cities together.”

Gainesville, FL 32601 (352) 727-4070 www.cpamerica.org

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