05 2019 Advantage final

News from Your Accounting Association

CPAmerica Advantage The Power of Surveys:

May 2019

CPAmerica surveys can help provide the information you need to retain and keep employees happy. discover the answers to the above questions and benchmark your progress from year to year.

Does your office environment foster employee engagement? Do your workers feel that they have a voice within your organization? Is it clear that your firm is committed to implementing changes to provide a more desirable place to work? CPAmerica’s Employee Engagement and Upward Evaluation Surveys give your employees a confidential way to provide honest feedback about your organization and its supervisors.

These in-depth customizable tools can help you

SurePrep: Next Gen Sponsor P. 2 Member News P. 3 Member Services - Grace Horvath P. 4

The Employee Engagement Survey identifies key indicators and drivers of employee engagement to help your organization develop an action plan.

This roughly 20-minute survey solicits information about firm culture, work environment, employee engagement, and overall job satisfaction. For $750, you will receive complete raw data, a two-page summary report that provides a quick glance of overall results, and a full survey report, which includes analyzed findings for each question. The final report arrives marketed to your firm and ready to share with employees.

CPAmerica's Technology Roundtable is set for Seattle in the center of the Emerald City. The luxurious Fairmont Olympic Hotel will host the event on June 5-7.

For more info on the CPAmerica website, visit and sign in at: https://tinyurl.com/yyeuvz4f

The Upward Evaluation Survey focuses less on overall firm environment and asks a series of See Surveys, continued on page 2

New Member Snapshot: Mathieson, Moyski, Austin & Co., LLP Headquarters:

Mathieson, Moyski, Austin & Co., LLP

Wheaton, Illinois

211 S. Wheaton Avenue, Suite 400 Wheaton, Illinois 60187 Tel: (630) 653-1616 | Fax: (630) 653-1735 www.mmaadvisors.com

Michael A. Moyski | Managing Partner | mmoyski@mmaadvisors.com

“Service to our clients is our number one priority at Mathieson, Moyski, Austin & Co., LLP.”

Ronald Austin | Partner | raustin@mmaadvisors.com Brett Mathieson | Partner | bmathieson@mmaadvisors.com John Straus | Partner | jstraus@mmaadvisors.com Brian Hagene | Partner | bhagene@mmaadvisors.com John Straus | HR Director | jstraus@mmaadvisors.com Brett Mathieson | Marketing Director | bmathieson@mmaadvisors.com Ronald Austin | IT Network Administrator | raustin@mmaadvisors.com

In February of 1987, Jim Mathieson and Mike Moyski founded the firm. They came to the business with a vision for growing a business in Wheaton and the western suburbs of Chicago, leveraging their entrepreneurial mindset. They saw an opportunity to serve a thriving community and planted their roots in Wheaton. In 1996, Mike Moyski served as a guest speaker on a panel at a Wheaton Chamber of Commerce event and there he met Ron Austin, another speaker at the event. In 1996, Ron joined the firm and quickly moved from manager to partner.

Surveys, continued from front page

Above: THF team members from the Tampa office pose outside the Amalie Arena before recieving the Spirit of Suncoast Award.

Thomas Howell Ferguson P.A. CPAs Tampa Team Named Winner of United Way Suncoast Award Thomas Howell Ferguson P.A. CPAs (THF), was named the winner of the United Way Spirit of Suncoast Award in the category of Less Than 100 Employees for the 2018 campaign year.

United Way’s Spirit of Suncoast Award honors local companies for their exceptional commitment and investment by their organization and their employees.

The award is presented to four companies according to employee size – less than 100 employees; 101 to 499 employees; 500 to 999 employees; and more than 1,000 employees. Nominations are submitted to an unbiased group of volunteers that review the submissions and cast their vote. THF’s Tampa team won the Less Than 100 Employees category for the entire Tampa Bay area.

Several areas were identified that set THF apart from the other companies. For the 2018 United Way Suncoast campaign, THF did many things to make it successful.

The firm held a kickoff luncheon, had a tour of a partner agency to give team members a stronger understanding of the work the United Way performs (THF had 100 percent participation in the Tampa office), and had team member volunteer engagement including the Loaned Executive Program and the Joy of Giving event (Tampa’s largest Christmas Toy Drive).

The award was presented at the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game last month and THF received the award on the ice.

SurePrep: Sponsor of the 2019 CPAmerica Next Generation Conference on May 15-17 SurePrep delivers seamless integration with your existing tax software to automate and streamline the entire 1040 process for both the taxpayer and tax professional.

SurePrep is the leader in 1040 tax automation for CPA firms. We provide innovative, comprehensive, and productive 1040 tax automation solutions that include scan and populate with an optional OCR verification service, outsourcing and a two-time award-winning mobile solution that eliminates the

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questions about each partner and/or manager to evaluate key aspects of his or her performance. This assessment is intended to help motivate supervisors to achieve their highest potential by reviewing employee responses about their communication, motivation and feedback, training practices, and leadership. When you purchase this survey for $250, you receive the raw data and a brief summary report for each supervisor that we evaluate. Because this survey is in such high demand, we have recently created a premium report that offers an in-depth look at each super v isor’s results and compares their scores to the firm’s overall averages for an additional fee of $750.

In addition to these valuable i nter na l assessments, CPAmerica also offers a Client Satisfaction Survey designed to determine overall client satisfaction, identify potential niche services, improve client communication, discover client loyalty drivers, and clarify areas of strength and weakness within your firm.

For $750, your firm receives raw survey data and a full report that is ready to share with employees.

Firms who participated in the 2019 Human Resources Bench ma rk i ng Su r vey a nd/or t he 2019 Ma rket i ng Su r vey will receive a 10 percent discount on any of the abovementioned surveys. Member firms also have the option of purchasing a bundle, which includes the Client Satisfaction Survey, Employee Engagement Survey, and Upward Evaluation with basic results for $1,500. Our questionnaires are customizable and we are more than happy to work with your firm to ensure that your firm receives the feedback that you are looking for.

Please contact Colleen Gaddy at cgaddy@cpamerica. org or (352) 727-4142 for more information on all of CPAmerica’s custom surveys.

paper organizer. Our solutions are utilized by nearly 20,000 tax professionals at CPA firms large and small, ranging across the spectrum from Big 4 firms to sole practitioners.

For additional information, contact Vice President of Marketing Greg Pope at: gpope@sureprep.com (800) 805-8582 ext. 2800 sureprep.com

Member News Tallahassee firm congratulates Mott on being selected as an FICPA Horizon Award recipient (THF), headquartered in Tallahassee, Fla., congratulates Brandon Mott on being selected as a Florida Institute of Certified Professional Accountants (FICPA) Horizon Award recipient.

The FICPA’s Horizon Awards recognize the brightest young CPAs Brandon Mott who are advancing the CPA profession and working to better their communities through service. Honorees are considered to be accelerating the accounting field through professional experience, leadership, entrepreneurialism, and professional credentials. They are also participants in FICPA volunteer activities, community outreach, and media activities. In addition, the Horizon Award winners are enhancing the accounting profession through non-FICPA activities such as writing articles or speaking at conferences or CPE seminars. Lastly, they are involved in charitable activities that positively impact the honoree’s community.

Qualifying candidates must be under the age of 36 and have accomplishments that have benefited the accounting industry, as well as their commitment to their communities.

Harper & Whitfield, P.C. announces recent hires and promotions

Farmington, Conn.-based member firm , announces that Beth A. Thurz, CPA , has joined the firm as a director; Patrick J. Paternostro has joined as an experienced senior accountant; Mary Elizabeth Shutran, CPA, was promoted to director; Rebecca B. Zappone, CPA, was promoted to director; Ann L. Wesley, CPA, was promoted to supervisor; and Beth W. Gosciminski, CPA, was promoted to supervisor.

Prior to joining the firm, Thurz was a vice president of finance for a privatelyheld manufacturing company. She has a bachelor's from Wesleyan University and a master's in accounting from the University of Hartford.

Paternostro brings with him over 25 years' of diverse experience both in public and corporate accounting. He is a cum laude graduate of Quinnipiac University.

Shutran received her bachelor's in accounting from Central Connecticut State University and a master's of business administration from the University of Hartford.

Zappone focuses on tax planning and

compliance for individuals and closelyheld businesses and represents clients in IRS and state income tax audits. She is also a member of the AICPA and the Connecticut Society of CPAs. Wesley holds the CGMA designation and she is a member of the Connecticut and Washington State Societies of CPAs. Gosciminski graduated from the University of Delaware, Newark, Del., with a bachelor's in accounting.

and compliance for privately held and publicly held entities, both U.S. and foreign-owned, including SOX compliance.

North Carolina CPA firm "Polar Plunges" at the 2019 Triad Chill and Raises $13K for Special Olympics

Whalen & Company, CPAs grows with acquisition of Martinelli & Company , expanded after its recent acquisition of Bexley, Ohio-based accounting firm, Martinelli & Company.

The acquisition brings a staff member, Tania Willis, to the growing team at Whalen & Company, and an additional staff member, Dawn Griebel, was added to the firm's affiliate company, Simplitax.

“Martinelli & Company has worked hard to deliver exceptional client service, which aligns with one of our key core values,” said Whalen & Company's Managing Partner Richard D. Crabtree, CPA, PFS. “This merger is a cohesive fit,” said Whalen & Company's other Managing Partner Lisa G. Shuneson, CPA, PFS. “We are thrilled to welcome the Martinelli team and look forward to the expertise they will bring to our firm.”

Martinelli & Company served clients in the Columbus Area for more than 35 years. The acquisition brings numerous business and individual clients to Whalen & Company’s portfolio as well as individual clients to Simplitax.

Anglin Reichmann Armstrong, P.C., hires Fox as manufacturing consultant , with headquarters in Huntsville, Ala., announced that Kelly P. Fox has been hired as a full-time manufacturing consultant. Fox brings 11 years of experience in controller and CFO-level services after in-house work Kelly P. Fox with two manufacturers.

Fox earned a degree in accounting from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. She was a key member of a merger and acquisition team that handled due diligence, refinancing and reorganizations for multi-million dollar deals. Part of her work involved European and Chinese entities, including a two-year assignment in Belgium during the opening of a new manufacturing facility. Fox has also worked on financials

Come on in, the water's fine: DMJ polar plungers get ready to chill

Greensboro, N.C.-based (DMJ), really knows how to make a splash!

Earlier this year, DMJ took the first leap into the icy cold waters of Wet n’ Wild Emerald Pointe for Special Olympics at the 2019 Triad Chill. A week of nonstop rain didn’t stop the hundreds of local schools, community groups, and individual polar plunge teams from participating. DMJ’s fundraising efforts resulted in $13,000 for Special Olympics, with the event raising more than $45,000 in total for the nearly 40,000 athletes of Special Olympics.

At the event on Saturday, Caren Rodriguez, director of marketing, and Mike Gillis, managing partner, presented Special Olympics with a symbolic $13,000 check commemorating DMJ’s milestone fundraising total of more than $170,000 since its inaugural Polar Plunge in 2000. DMJ’s 2019 team of polar plungers included Ashleigh Anderson, Jess Bankhead, CPA, and David Mize, CPA of the Greensboro Office; Ginger Quick, CPA of the Sanford office; and Jeff Houston of the Durham Office.

DMJ has plunged for 19 consecutive years and remains the single longest supporter of the Triad Chill and Polar Plunge since it was created in 2000.

Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. welcomes Chotain Member firm

welcomed Meghan Chotain to their Audit and Accounting Department.

Her approach to service is rooted in respect, compassion and a desire to help clients achieve their short-and long-term financial goals.

Meghan holds a bachelor's in legal studies from Bay Path University and a certificate in advanced accounting from Northeastern University. She will graduate from Isenberg this year with an MSA.

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From Member Services: The Stuff That Keeps Me Up at Night Recently we conducted an informal analysis of what motivates you to prioritize you and your firm’s participation in CPA mer ica’s prog rams and services. While the exercise helped us to focus Grace Horvath on the need for a variety Vice President of approaches depending of Services on specific practice areas and concerns of the firms, it emphasized the much bigger issue at hand which is, chiefly, y ou r a w a r e ne s s of w h a t i s a v a i l a b l e t o y ou .

As a professional association, CPAmerica is not alone in the ongoing struggle to balance a valuable member engagement experience while not having our communications become part of the deluge that overwhelms your inboxes.

department creates a variety of clearly branded, easy-to-read items for you with an emphasis on the facts that let you quickly determine if this is news that is important to you or your firm. Data analytics tell us that early Saturday morning delivery of our alternating e-newsletters, Advantage Point and Top 5, result in the most interactions.

Top 5 was designed specifically for timely things you need to know in the next two weeks. Advantage Point provides more details and interesting content from our strategic partners and less conspicuous sources of relevant information. Online, we also host quarterly Association Benefits Overviews scheduled to coincide across the country during lunch time. However, we still see a participation gap that tells us we have a way to go to get a little bit closer to the top of your mind.

During all of my in-person interactions with members, from live meetings and Visitation Improvement Programs (VIP) to association benefits refreshers, I hear “we didn’t know about/we didn’t know how to access/we didn’t know who the audience was for [insert proven program].” This is the stuff that keeps me up at night! We strive to provide the most relevant, high-quality benefits, yet in many cases we fail to get on the radar, much less make the cut in your choice of activities. Imagine considering your own firm's offerings along with a desire to more deeply engage your clients and knowing you could help them even more if you had the chance. Now you see our dilemma and it is very much shared with one of your own.

Member satisfaction surveys indicated we were doing okay in communicating with you. You told us you did not want more paper and were satisfied with the amount of email.

Ironically we ended up rendering the data unreliable due to the low survey response.

The good news is participation remains consistent and perceived value received by those participating remains high. Our data is quantified through your conference evaluations, from phone calls to managing partners made by our board of directors each summer, and through your feedback when we have the pleasure of communicating with you directly. Nonetheless, I look at the number of partners and professionals in our firms compared to our participation and am compelled to improve methods to reach and help more of you. If you are even reading t his, we a lready have your at tent ion.

You might wonder what formal approach we take to communicate association resources to you. Among other things, our marketing

Pass it on to someone else in your firm and take a minute to go on the website and check out this year’s meetings and new lineup of webinars and educational offerings. Get the word out in your firm.

Just as you will continue to try to find ways to maximize your clients’ awareness of all that you have to offer, I am realistic that this quest will remain eternal for us. New leadership and people in the firms, recognizing when programs are approaching the end of their usefulness, and launching new services will always keep us on our toes in finding ways to lead you to the water and get you to take a drink. As I see you over the coming year, please tell me your ideas and opinions on how we can make sure you are getting the most of your membership. Or even as CPAmerica communications pop up on your screen, feel free to email me and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing from you.

Plan Your 2019 Staff Training Now is the time to put together your 2019 training line-up and CPAmerica has you covered with more training options than ever before. In addition to our member planned annual A&A and Tax webinar series, we have partnered with industry leaders to provide you with expanded access to highly relevant CPE training at discounted prices Our partnership with ACPEN (Accounting Continuing Professional Education Network) has received very positive responses from members. ACPEN has a wide-range of courses

with multiple dates and times to fit your schedule. Accessing the course catalog is easy – just visit the CPAmerica website and under Staff Training you will find a link to the course catalog. Don’t forget to enter your CPAmerica discount code, CPAMERICA25, at check-out to receive your member discount.

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

Why staff training is more important than ever: • Improves business performance • Retains quality employees • Competitive edge • Considered a company benefit that is appealing to new talent Check out all staff training by visiting the CPAmerica Website > CPE & Training > Staff Training

Send feedback and advantage@cpamerica.org OHM

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