Mark your calendars for MSCPA’s 5th Industry Conference
MSCPA Industry Conference March 19 & 20, 2014
Best Western Great Northern Hotel, Helena with 2 bonus classes (8 CPE) on March
18th
The CPAs working in the industry, government and not-for-profit arena told us, “We want CPE designed to meet OUR needs.� You spoke. We listened. This two-day conference will be filled with a variety of two-hour classes that focus on topics the MSCPA Industry Group hand-picked. We encourage you to share this information with anyone you feel might benefit from this conference.
Sponsored by
Worth up to 16 hours of CPE. Register online at www.mscpa.org or call 406-442-7301. For hotel reservations please contact the Great Northern Hotel at 406-4575500, let them know you are attending the MSCPA Industry Conference. A room block has been set aside forttendees. This block will expire on March 5.
March 18 - Tuesday (bonus classes)
M S C PA I n d u s t r y C o n f e r e n c e
I attended my first Tommy Stevens class last year, and wish I would have attended his classes before! He is an excellent instructor, and the information he presented has been a huge benefit to me in my job. He taught ways of using EXCEL for improved internal controls and analysis. I look forward to taking his courses this year. - Marilyn Bartlett, Chief Financial Officer, Employee Benefit Management Services Inc, Billings 8:00 - 11:30 Excel Tips, Tricks & Techniques – Tommy Stephens, CPA, CITB, K2 Enterprises Do you want to become more efficient with Excel, the “accountant’s tool of choice?” If so, then make plans to participate in this fast-moving session, in which you will learn how to work with a number of Excel features, many of which you may not have realized even existed. Covered in this session will be tips associated with analyzing data, formatting reports and schedules, Cost to Attend: linking data, sharing workbooks and performing “what-if” analysis. Among Members: $135 the many features discussed in this session are Tables, Scenario Manager, Non-member: $160 PivotTables and PivotCharts, Sparklines and Conditional Formatting, Slicers and Precision as Displayed. If you use Excel (and who doesn’t!) ramp-up your skills by participating in this session. Register for this class click here. 12:30 - 4:00 Word, Outlook & PowerPoint: Tips & Tricks for Enhancing Productivity– Tommy Stephens, CPA, CITB, K2 Enterprises While many accounting and financial professionals focus their Microsoft Office learning on Excel, substantial opportunities exist to become more efficient in Word, Outlook and PowerPoint also. In this session, you will learn Cost to Attend: tips and tricks associated with these components of Microsoft Office, along Members: $135 with how to enhance productivity with these tools. Among others, specific Non-member: $160 features covered in this session include Styles, References and Cross-references, Themes and Templates, Presenter View, Eyedropper tool, graphics alignment, dragging-and-dropping within Outlook and assigning Tasks. Take advantage of this opportunity to become more proficient with the rest of the Microsoft Office Suite! Register for this class click here. These extra classes will be held at the Wingate Inn, 2007 Oakes, Helena 406-449-3000
March 19 - Wednesday
Day 1
M S C PA I n d u s t r y C o n f e r e n c e
7:00 - 8:00
Registration/Breakfast
8:00 – 9:40
Keynote Address: Staff Empowerment & Engagement: Fire all the Managers – Doug Kirkpatrick, RedShift3 Learn how to manage an enterprise without human bosses, managers or supervisors using natural leadership, timeless principles and thoughtful engagement. The social technology of management is the least productive activity that any business pursues. Learn powerful lessons from a world leading enterprise about how to create strategic advantage by allowing people to creatively focus, strategize, execute and do their best and most important work.
9:40 – 10:10 10:10 – 11:50
Register online
Break - Exhibitor Visits General Session: Going up for the Rebound – Anirban Basu, Sage Policy Group, Inc. This session will focus on the current state of the global, national and local economies. Special attention will be given to regions across Montana, as well as to key industries. The presentation will provide statistical details regarding financial markets, energy markets, labor markets and real estate. The presentation will conclude with an economic outlook for the balance of the year.
11:50– 1:00
Lunch - Vendor Presentations
1:00 – 2:40
Concurrent Sessions Best Practices for Cyber Security – Tommy Stephens, CPA, CITB, K2 Enterprises In an era where cyber threats are real and growing every day, how can you balance the need for protecting your online information and identity without crippling productivity? How do you separate myth from reality when faced with the challenge of ensuring secure computing? If you find answers to these questions to be difficult to come by, then you should participate in this session and learn how to mitigate the risks associated with modern computing environments, including the Cloud. Included in this session is a listing of best practices for secure computing and an analysis of how to recognize potential threats.
M S C PA I n d u s t r y C o n f e r e n c e
March 19 - Wednesday
Accounting & Auditing Update – Rick Reisig, CPA, Anderson ZurMuehlen & Co PC In the last year, the accounting profession has been undergoing significant change or discussion of change. Convergence with international financial reporting standards, implementation of the clarity standards, proposed changes to compilation standards, proposals of the private company council and the rollout of the Financial Reporting Framework for Small and Medium Sized Entities, have far-reaching impacts for many Montana businesses. This course will provide a comprehensive overview of these topics making it an essential course to keep you and your business up-todate on these various changes/proposed changes. 2:40 – 2:50
Break
2:50 – 4:30
Concurrent Sessions Session 1: – Tech Update – Tommy Stephens, CPA CITB, K2 Enterprises The only constant in technology is change and 2014 promises a great deal of change. In this session you will learn about major technology trends affecting accounting and financial professionals. More importantly, you will learn how to capitalize on these trends to ensure peak productivity. Hardware developments, software updates – including Windows 8 and Office 2013, software licensing strategies, and mobile and Cloud computing – all potentially impact how you will go about getting your job done in 2014 and beyond. Attend this session to prepare for substantial changes that will affect you and everyone on your team.
Register online
Session 2: Devloping & Maintaining a Retention Schedule – Rett Holler, CDIA+, The Office Center This session is designed to give administrative and executive level staff an understanding of the importance of developing and maintaining a retention schedule in any organization. It sets forth the processes involved in creating a records retention schedule, drafting, structuring and maintaining it. 4:30 - 7:00
CPA Lounge - please join us for hosted drinks and snacks as well as valuable networking opportunities. CPA Lounge is sponsored by:
M S C PA I n d u s t r y C o n f e r e n c e
March 20 - Thursday
Day 2
7:00 - 8:00
Registration/Breakfast
8:00 – 9:40
Keynote Address: Good to the Core: Building Value with Values – John G. Blumberg, CSP Get ready to engage the most untapped and impactful strategy available to any leader. In this session, we will explore the strategic nature of core values in a way you may have never thought of them before. This focus on the systemic connection of personal and organizational core values will certainly challenge you … yet, also leave you focused and refreshed! Through introspection, inspiration and a clear roadmap, John will share the first critical steps to discovering your individual core and intentionally igniting the core of your organization. John will address three critical areas in sustaining core values: to investigate, to indicate and to integrate. It is ultimately the roadmap to a solid bottom-line of natural alignment, authentic engagement and genuine service.
9:40 – 9:50
Break
9:50 – 11:30
Register online
11:50 – 12:30
Concurrent Sessions Session 1: Minimizing Exposure to Employee Claims – Malin Stearns Johnson, Garlington Lohn & Robinson Malin will provide an overview of Montana employment laws and liability risks and offer guidance on how to reduce your exposure to employment lawsuits. Session 2: Lean Management Techniques – Dev Warren, Anderson ZurMuehlen & Co PC With ever shrinking margins, leaders are looking to tighten their belts. One of the best tools they can use is Lean Six Sigma, where quality and efficiency are married. The problem lands when they try to take a complex approach with minimal resources. Efforts are wasted, employees and leaders rebel and initiatives fall to the way side. We will discuss five best practices to ensure that the effort is successful and your leaders can get your team on board. A simple approach led by your team results in long term success and buy in. Lunch/2014 Industry Award Presentation
M S C PA I n d u s t r y C o n f e r e n c e
March 20 - Thursday 12:30 - 2:10 Morgan’s presentation is sponsored by:
Register online
2:10 - 2:20
Concurrent Sessions Session 1: Designing Employee Insurance Benefits Post-Health Care Reform: A Fress Look at Employee Benefits – Morgan Hirschenberger, PayneWest Insurance This discussion will provide perspective on designing an employee benefit program in a rapidly changing environment. The presentation will focus on two key areas: 1. Strategic considerations when designing investment in employee benefits - through exploring organizational culture, macro economic factors and changing product availability we will provide attendees with advice that is practical and useful. The discussion will be focused on how insurance and other non-cash benefits fit in to the overall compensation package, and will be geared towards professionals charged with managing their company’s finances. 2. Reduce the fear of the Affordable Care Act – through adopting a proactive strategy regarding ACA regulations employers can use the changes to gain a competitive advantage in the employment market. The presentation will address the “opportunities” provided by the regulatory changes as applied to the recruiting and retention of talent. Session 2: We Don’t Have Wall Street Businesses and We Don’t Need Wall Street Exit Plans: Exit Planning That Values What is Important to You – Dev Warren, Anderson ZurMuehlen & Co PC When a business owner in Montana wants to start planning their exit, whether it be selling or passing the torch to a family member or employee, rarely is money the main concern. Often it is the employees, customers and legacy that are forefront in their mind. The challenge most face is how to exit and be successful financially, while still allowing their legacy and the business to thrive into the future. Our employment laws and remote location don’t have investors knocking down the doors to strategically take over our businesses so what is a business owner to do? We will touch on the challenges that owners often face and some potential solutions, including using creative financing and the related risk. And finally, we will touch on how to prepare family and employees to take over the business that the owner built and is the heart of, if that is the exit path they choose. Break
M S C PA I n d u s t r y C o n f e r e n c e
March 20 - Thursday 2:20 - 4:00
Concurrent Sessions Session 1: How Companies Get Hacked & What They Can Do About It – Sherri Davidoff, LMG Security Attackers use tools such as the Blackhole Exploit Kit to send phishing emails to accountants, infect their computers and steal assets. Organized crime groups around the world are targeting YOU in attempts to gain access to financial accounts, proprietary information and other valuable data. Watch a phishing attack in action and see what an infected computer does behind-the-scenes! We’ll show how attackers break into your computer, and then run through LMG’s 12-step security checklist so you can protect yourself and your company. Session 2: The Personal Accountability Revolution: Unleasing Extreme Contributions – Wendy Samson, FutureSYNC International Elusive performance, shrinking resources, economic instability and uncertain times have blown all known workplace strategies to “smithereens”. Across all industries and in almost all organizations, from large to small we are all impacted. Managing projects while maneuvering through turbulent resource allocation have concentrated our collective minds on something that, in the past, it happily avoided: intentional accountability management. When it comes to organizational outcomes, a leader’s actions make or break staff’s performance potential. As a leader, your destiny is inextricably intertwined with staff—you succeed to the degree that they succeed. Leaders must be equipped with state-of-the-art tools that will ignite the focus and fusion of personal and organizational accountability. Understand how to win results through accountability leadership; examine courage and its required presence in leadership effectiveness; learn how to mindfully shape a workplace culture; discover personal accountability and its rewards
Register online
4:00
The End – Thank you for coming! See you next year!
Bio’s
M S C PA I n d u s t r y C o n f e r e n c e Anirban Basu is Chairman and CEO of Sage Policy Group, Inc., an economic and policy consulting firm in Baltimore, Maryland. Mr. Basu is one of the Mid-Atlantic region’s most recognizable economists, in part because of his consulting work on behalf of numerous clients, including prominent developers, bankers, brokerage houses, energy suppliers and law firms.
Register online
John Blumberg is a national speaker and author inspiring a movement of leaders who want to strategically build value with core values. John started his career as a CPA at Arthur Andersen. After four years, he shifted his focus from numbers to people where he then spent 14 years in human resources and recruiting, including worldwide recruiting responsibilities for Andersen. In 1996, he decided to leave a firm and a position he loved, to follow his dream into the world of professional speaking. As a Certified Speaking Professional, John has received the highest earned designation in the speaking profession, which is held by less than 10% of the members of the International Federation of Professional Speakers. Sherri Davidoff is a principal and Senior Security Consultant at LMG Security. She has over a dozen years of experience as an information security professional, specializing in digital forensics, security awareness training, penetration testing and web security assessments. She is the coauthor of the textbook Network Forensics: Tracking Hackers Through Cyberspace
(Prentice Hall, 2012). Sherri is a GIAC-
Certified Forensic Examiner (GCFA) and Penetration Tester (GPEN) and holds her degree in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from MIT. Morgan Hirschenberger is a Vice President and Employee Benefits Consultant with PayneWest insurance. Since 2004 Morgan has been providing advice to employers throughout Montana in structuring their employee benefits package. His expertise is specifically related to employer sponsored insurance benefits. For the past four years Morgan and his team have specialized in helping employers achieve their goals within the challenges created by the Health Care Reform regulations. Rett Hollar CDIA+, is Vice President of The Office Center, Inc. in Great Falls. Rett has been working with organizations in various records management capacities since 1991. In addition he has been a member of the Big Sky Chapter of ARMA (The Association for Records & Information Management Professionals) and has served on the the board of directors several times. Malin Stearns Johnson is a lawyer in Missoula practicing in the area of employment law and litigation. Malin has been rated “AV” (pre-eminent) by her peers in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory and recognized as “Rising Star” by Mountain States Super Lawyers. Malin is an adjunct professor of Employment Law and Legal Writing at the University of Montana School of Law and is a frequent
M S C PA I n d u s t r y C o n f e r e n c e speaker and trainer on employment laws, discrimination and harassment, and law practice skills. Malin is a 2004 high honors graduate of the University of Montana School of Law and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Notre Dame. Doug Kirkpatrick grew up in the countryside near Kalispell. He holds an economics degree from Pacific Lutheran University and a law degree from Willamette University College of Law as well as a Senior Professional in Human Resources designation (SPHR). Doug is an author, TEDx Speaker, Executive Coach and Organizational Consultantand is a principal in consulting firm Redshift3 where he develops freedom-based organizations and business solutions. Rick Reisig, CPA is a shareholder with Anderson ZurMuehlen, Great Falls. He’s a member and past president of the Montana Society of CPAs. Rick served multiple terms as a governor-appointed member of the Montana Board of Public Accountants and he was recently elected to serve on the National Association of State Board of Accountancy’s Board of Directors, representing Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Nevada and Utah. He is a current member of the AICPA’s Auditing Standards Board, a senior committee of the Institute, dealing with the development of auditing standards for audits of nonpublic companies and is an immediate past-member of the AICPA’s Board of Examiners.
Wendy Samson is the President of FutureSYNC International, a forwardthinking employer resource and leadership consortia. She is the author of Heart Strings for Business and The Mosaic Manager Development. During her tenure as the President of FutureSYNC International, she has designed and developed leadership effectiveness programs, healthcare service systems/measurements and employee engagement programs for a wide variety of multisite organizations throughout the country. Wendy has been privileged to work with people committed to excellence in small and large progressive organizations. From “Lean Thinking,” “Accountability Cultures” to “Organizational Customer Focus,” FutureSYNC International is on the cutting-edge. Wendy’s tools and case study testimonies are the product of innovative practices and her “outcome-based” approach to organizational diagnosis, solution implementation and facilitation. Wendy is highly recognized as an inspiring, national speaker who delivers a lasting message packed with content. Tommy G. Stephens, Jr, CPA, CITP received a B.S. in Business Administration (Major in Accounting) from Auburn University and received his Masters of Science from the George State University. He has 24 years of public practice experience, five years of corporate internal auditing experience and four years corporate and cost accounting experience. Tommy has 18 years of experience as a continuing
C o n f eren ce Pricin g : MSCPA Members $300 Non-Members $400 Register Today!
Montana Society of CPAs 1534 9th Ave Helena, MT 59624 406.442.7301 800.272.0307
mscpa.org
M S C PA I n d u s t r y C o n f e r e n c e professional education discussion leader and has presented over 1,500 sessions to more than 45,000 participants. He is a member of the AICPA, Georgia Society of CPAs and is a former member of the Institute of Internal Auditors. Dev Warren works in the Helena office of Anderson ZurMuehlen & Co PC. With his fresh approach to developing and integrating workplace cultures, his insistence on being customer-centric and his requirement that everyone be personally invested in customer success, Dev has taken multiple companies from average to high performing. Developing and implementing strategic visions and plans, building strong cultures, and focusing on customer-driven offerings have always been key elements in Dev’s success.
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