03 2020 CPAmerica Advantage newsletter

CPAmerica Advantage News From Your Accounting Association

2020 CPAmerica Events & Webinars:

Developing professional interactions, either at an event or online, is essential in establishing valuable connections and

March 2020 MCL Collaboration with ALSAC P. 2 Member News P. 2-3

Tax season is always demanding. Between the long hours and dealing with your clients’ demands, CPAmerica would like to remind you that we empathize with you and have many avenues for you to improve your firm once the hecticness is over. Two great forms of doing so are by participation in our many events and webinars we have scheduled for members after the April 15 tax deadline.

changes in the profession, proactive Member Services - Grace Horvath P. 4 leaders start with training. CPAmerica continues to make available for members the events, webinars, and sharing calls that will enable them to increase their Sharing Call: Dos firm’s bottom line and continue growing. & Don’ts of HR Our January 2020 issue of the Advantage Consulting Services newsletter included a webinar insert page which contained information on all of our 2020 A&A webinars (Our Tax Webinar Series can be found on our website). The issue also Join Dustin Paschal of came with a list of all of our events and employment law firm Simon Paschal PLLC on March 10 meetings for the year.

at 3:30 p.m. as he discusses the Dos and Don’ts of HR Consulting Services. Paschal knows that HR services are a vital and proactive function for all companies and will share ways that you can help your clients develop accurate and up-to-date policies and procedures.

Events & Meetings The Marketing Roundtable, being held at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel in Philadelphia on May 4-5, will be the next CPAmerica event.

For the purposes of improving your firm and in order to stay up to date with all the current and upcoming

These days, there are a slew of modern teleconferencing software and podcasts creating easy channels for people in the profession to experience, learn and take in in-depth conversations on accounting For more info, go to https:// topics. However, being able to experience tinyurl.com/wtjby4e in person and have on-site access to leading industry experts by attending one of our See Events & Webinars, continued on page 2

CPAmerica's 2020 A&A Conference: Charleston, South Carolina, is calling you this summer The historic colonial city of Charleston will provide the backdrop for the 2020 A&A Conference this June 16-19.

The well-located Belmond Charleston Place plays host to members as you learn recent A&A updates, earn CPE, and interact with your peers.

Consider coupling this event with a vacation, or stay just during the conference days; either way, you’ll get to enjoy the best that Charleston has to offer.

The Ravenel Bridge is an iconic Charleston landmark

Here is a testimonial from Dahlia P. Garcia, CPA, of CPAmerica member

firm Beasley, Mitchell & Co., LLP: "The A&A Conference is one of the best knowledge-sharing events for CPAs. I came back with valuable insights, fully charged and ready to enhance our practice with new ideas. What a dynamic and knowledgeable group -- everyone attending learns something valuable."

To register or for more information, please go to www.cpamerica.org > Events > Conferences & Meetings > 2020 A&A Conference

Events & Webinars, continued from front page

CPAmerica events is still one of the best ways to bolster your efforts in improving your firm. With nearly 20 events and meetings available to our members in 2020, the association has created them in order to promote best practices and to help develop your personal connections and beneficial interactions with your peers.

Take a look at our website (www. cpamerica.org). There you can navigate to the Events tab and then The Leading Partners Retreat over to Conferences & Meetings to will be at the luxurious resort, The Greenbrier, this see our solid lineup of topics and September 22-25 meeting locales we have planned throughout the U.S. Meetings for members from our association's five regions are being presented, and an assortment of more than 30 highly-regarded speakers will be featured at CPAmerica’s exclusive events, each specifically selected for our members.

We have an impressive group of upcoming events this year.

Starting this May, these include our: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Marketing Roundtable New Leading Partner Meeting (May) Next Generation Conference Technology Roundtable A&A Conference Client Accounting Services Meeting Central Mountain/West Coast Regional Meeting Northeast/Midwest Regional Meeting New Partner Meeting Southeast Regional Meeting New Leading Partner Meeting (September) Large Firm Group Leading Partners Retreat Firm Management Roundtable CPAConnect Roundtable Tax Conference International Group Meeting

Webinars With their convenience, access to first-class presenters, and avenue to CPE at significant savings, CPAmerica's 15 webinars are being offered throughout 2020 on a variety of A&A and tax topics. Each webinar allows the opportunity for members to “learn and earn” without having to travel outside their office. Starting after tax season, you will be able to hear from experts such as Richard Daisley, CPA, Surgent CPE; Ane Ohm, LeaseCrunch; Charlie Blanton, Surgent CPE; Marci Thomas, Surgent McCoy CPE; Steven Siegel, The Siegel Group; James Hamill, Reynolds Hix & Co., P.A.; and Sean King, McGuire Sponsel.

CPAmerica is committed to helping our members stay in stride with change in 2020, and one of the best ways to achieve this is through our events and webinars. If you have any questions about any of our events or meetings, contact Senior Event Manager Toya Frazer-Ellis at: tellis@cpamerica.org and for questions about our webinars, contact Member Services Manager Colleen Gaddy at: cgaddy@cpamerica.org.

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MCL signs on as Jackson’s St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway CPAs CPAmerica member firm Matthews, Cutrer and Lindsay, P.A. (MCL) recently confirmed a collaboration with ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, by signing on as the official Certified Public Accountants of the 2020 Jackson, Mississippi, St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway set for August of this year. The firm quickly agreed to continue its volunteer support in accordance with the standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

“Volunteerism permeates our firm. Our people offer their expertise, time and other talents to a variety of organizations in the communities we serve. This opportunity with St. Jude is a prized one, and we look forward to our role that Rendering of the St. Jude ensures tickets are properly Dream Home verified and sorted for the awards,” said Kim Hardy, MCL shareholder and official firm contact for the event.

“MCL is an advocate, supporter, and trusted advisor of more than 220 nonprofit organizations.

We deeply value families and children. Serving our community in this way blends our personal and professional passions,” said Charles Lindsay, shareholder-in-charge of the firm’s nonprofit practice.

Member News Palmisano becomes Hughes, Snell & Co., P.A. shareholder

announces that Catherine Palmisano, CPA, has been named a shareholder in the firm.

Palmisano joined HSC in 2005. She has been the senior manager responsible for the firm’s financial reporting services area with more than 15 years of experience.

Recently named one of the “40 Under 40” to watch by the Business Observer, Palmisano graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University with a master's in accounting and taxation.

She is a CPA in the State of Florida, and member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Raley joins RTBH as a staff accountant

The partners of recently announced that the firm continues to grow with the addition of Connor Raley to their team as a staff accountant.

Raley is a recent graduate of Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama, where he earned his bachelor’s in business administration with a concentration in accounting.

Wheeler Wolfenden & Dwares, CPAs welcome new staff accountant

recently welcomed Jason Focacci to its audit and tax practices as a staff accountant. Focacci earned a bachelor's in accounting from West Chester University.

Member News GRF CPAs & Advisors promotes Litwack to partner

Bethesda, Md.-based GRF , a full-service professional services firm providing clients with audit, tax, outsourced accounting Elinor Litwack and advisory solutions, announced that the firm has promoted Elinor Litwack, CPA to partner. Litwack becomes the third partner in the firm’s Outsourced Accounting & Advisory Group, and she joins six other women partners and principals at GRF. She is also one of an expanding roster of team members age 40 and under who are preparing the firm for the next decade.

Gollob Morgan Peddy selects two new partners announced the promotion of Ben Watson and Megan Williams as partners/officers of the company.

Watson and Williams are both East Texas natives and graduates of the University of Texas at Tyler and each started their accounting careers at GMP in 2009.

Watson is a tax partner focusing on real estate, health care, and tax planning for high net-worth individuals.

As tax partner, Williams' practice areas include oil and gas, bankruptcy and high net-worth individuals.

Frazier & Deeter names four new partners

, a nationally ranked top 60 CPA firm, announced that Clay Huffman, Jason Nelson, Jennifer Ray, and Tommy Zavieh were each elected to partner. Huffman joins the partners in the firm’s Audit Practice while Nelson, Ray, and Zavieh are the newest partners in the Tax Practice.

Clay Huffman, CPA, is a member of the Audit and Attestation Practice of Frazier & Deeter. He also serves as the Chairman of the Georgia State Board of Accountancy.

He assists clients with the development of policies and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting, as well as performing and managing financial statement audits, reviews and other attestation engagements.

Jason Nelson, CPA, is a member of the Tax Practice of Frazier & Deeter, in charge of coordinating tax and accounting services for the firm’s business and individual tax clientele. Complimenting his client service responsibilities, Nelson is responsible for training and developing associates on tax engagements.

Jennifer Ray, CPA, is one of the leaders of Frazier & Deeter’s Tampa office Tax Practice. She provides comprehensive tax planning and compliance to the firm’s business and individual clients.

Ray specializes in serving clients in the

technology, real estate and manufacturing industries.

Tommy Zavieh, CPA, MST, MBA, has over 20 years of professional consulting experience, 14 of which have been dedicated to Research & Development Tax Credits. He is based in Atlanta and is the national leader of Frazier & Deeter’s R&D Tax Credit Practice.

Leadership team expands at Wegner CPAs

Madison, Wis.-based announced that Jason Stephens, CPA was recently appointed to partner in the Assurance Department.

Jason Stephens Stephens has been a driving force in the firm's Assurance Department for over 20 years with his diverse client experience and keen management skills. He is passionate about helping his clients find and implement operational improvements, while remaining compliant to the special regulations for commercial and taxexempt organizations who receive state and federal funding.

Williams & Company announces two advancements

announced the advancement of Ebony Rahe, CPA, as managing shareholder and Dan Semmler, CPA, as shareholder. Prior managing partner, Dave Radke, will step out of the role but continue as in-charge shareholder of the Onawa, Iowa, office.

Rahe is a 2001 graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, earning her bachelor's in accounting and finance and became a CPA in 2004.She has extensive experience in auditing, business consulting, tax planning and preparation, as well as assisting startups, established businesses, farmers, and individuals.

Semmler graduated from The University of South Dakota with both a bachelor's in business administration with emphasis in accounting and master's in professional accountancy in 2011 and became a CPA in 2016. He has extensive experience in income tax planning and preparation for individuals and businesses, audit and accounting services, preparation of compiled and reviewed financial statements, agricultural consulting and taxation, and consulting and taxation in the hospitality industry.

Kassouf & Co., P.C. announces the promotion of Bennett to shareholder

Zachary Bennett

The directors of Birmingham, Ala.-based, , announced the promotion of Zachary Bennett, CPA, PFS to shareholder.

Bennett joined the

firm in 2002 and has over 17 years of experience in public accounting.

He specializes in business advisory, tax, financial planning, healthcare management, and retirement planning for closely-held businesses and individuals.

He is a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants (ASCPA), and an active member of Church of the Highlands.

Bennett earned a Bachelor of Accountancy and a Master of Accountancy from the University of Mississippi. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Personal Financial Specialist (PFS).

Stephano Slack promotes longtime employee to partner

recently announced the promotion of Jay Brooks from senior manager to partner in the firm’s Accounting and Auditing Department. He began work with the firm as an intern in 2008 and has held positions of increasing responsibility.

The firm has experienced tremendous growth organically as well as through acquisitions, resulting in a 20 percent growth in headcount over the past year.

In his new role, Brooks will broaden his focus from just the Accounting and Auditing Department to the firm as a whole.

He will also be responsible for developing client relationships, both new and existing.

Widmer Roel promotes Serhienko to audit manager

Seth Serhienko has been promoted to manager in the audit department of Fargo, N.D.-based , a regional public accounting and business advisory firm.

Serhienko provides audit and accounting services to a wide range of clients. He is a native of Bottineau, N.D. and earned a bachelor’s from Iowa State University. He joined Widmer Roel in 2016 and has four years of experience.

Honkamp Krueger promotes Brawdy to partner P.C. (HK) announced the promotion of tax manager, Scott A. Brawdy, CPA, to partner.

Brawdy leads the firm’s Scott Brawdy State and Local Tax (SALT) Department, assisting businesses with complex sales and use tax issues, nexus tax laws, compliance with the South Dakota vs. Wayfair Supreme Court case, sales tax audits, and more.

With 20 years of experience, Brawdy applies his vast knowledge to help clients uncover opportunities in these areas.

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From Member Services: Participation is the Key to Improving Improving Through Sharing -- You all know the phrase. You have heard it hundreds, if not thousands, of times over your years as a member. It is the ubiquitous motto of your association.

Grace Horvath We build everything Vice President of to improve through Services

sharing, from conference agendas to the Visitation Improvement Program (VIP). As an extension of the sharing, the CPAmerica Advantage newsletter features stories about the interesting things being developed and going on with your fellow member firms. A visitor to Gainesville will see glossy, framed graphics of the short and sweet mantra hung throughout the offices and conference rooms of CPAmerica, made to ensure that our staff never lose sight of the focus of programs and services. They should all support your ability to improve through sharing. However, a staff dedicated to its mission and the best programs and services in the world are only as good as the degree of participation of the groups for whom they exist.

Our board met here in Gainesville this January for their first meeting of the New Year. The January meeting always includes a report on the conferences, meetings, and webinar participation for the year. I was glad to say that we hit our projected numbers for the most part and far exceeded expectations in some cases, such as the 2019 Tax Conference, that hit an all-time high. Yet I was apprehensive having any real feeling of satisfaction over this report. I pointed out to the board that while we might have made our numbers, we were far more troubled by the firms we could see missing from participation. We know the content and the programs are good. They are developed and driven based on your input and the

consistently high evaluations speak to your opinion of the end product. We are not so worried about the programs and those who are participating. Our concern lies with those who are not, which has the doubleedged result of not receiving the benefits of participation and diminishing the collective strength of the organization by suppressing resources.

I joined CPAmerica in 2011 during the implementation of the Good Members Guide.

In my first week here, I attended the Leading Partners Retreat in Boston when the Council of Members voted to adopt the "2012 and Beyond Strategic Plan" that included the guide. The discussion around this document stemmed from reinforcing the strength of the organization by implementing some minimum participation requirements.

The members and the board at the time all agreed that the strength of an association, whose model is to improve through sharing, must be through participation; in other words, the sharing of best practices, raising the awareness of expertise throughout the organization, and building strong relationships among member firms. The vote passed unanimously to accept the document that defined three minimum requirements for participation: sending someone to the Leading Partners Retreat; annual submission of the Practice Management Survey; and hosting a VIP once every four years.

CPAmerica made updates to its bylaws to reflect the adoption of the guide and the participation requirements that are now requisite to membership.

everyone. Sometimes life happens, important events take place, and things may be happening at the firm that must take priority.

People in this profession are exceptionally busy, and most firms are experiencing staff shortages that have managers and partners maxed out. This is precisely where the resources of the association can help by extending your abilities beyond your current limitations. Participation is key to familiarizing yourself with those resources.

If you are not interacting with your peers, you will not know of the best practices, the significant expertise, and the incredible willingness to help within CPAmerica firms.

Meeting your expectations to continuously improve, to make more money, to strengthen relationships among your peers, and to build prestige for your firm is what drives the CPAmerica team. Your participation is what makes it all work.

Evaluating your engagement is an ongoing task at CPAmerica. We look at every opportunity for participation and see which of you may be missing the true value of your membership.

Of course, not all programs apply to

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