Advantage CPAmerica

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CPAmerica Advantage Joe Ciccarello leads 2016 as the new CPAmerica board chair Joe Ciccarello, managing partner of , with headquarters in Canton, Mass., started in on his tenure as the new CPAmerica chairman of the board of directors for 2016. Ciccarello is a native of Italy and came to the U.S. at the age of 15. Maybe it was in his Joe Ciccarello, genes to become an accountant – even in 2016 new board chairman Italy, he had started learning bookkeeping in trade school and two of his uncles were bookkeepers. Now, after 30 years as an accountant, Ciccarello said that working and helping clients is still something he enjoys doing. After visiting CPAmerica headquarters in January for the first board of directors meeting of the year, Ciccarello took some time to talk to Advantage. Q: What are your impressions of CPAmerica as an association? JC: My impressions go back quite a number of years. I’ve been involved with CPAmerica for most of my career - it was after my first year at GG&G that I was asked to attend one of the conferences, and I’ve been a part of the association ever since. The association is something that has been very valuable to me as a professional CPA and also very valuable to GG&G. Q: What would you like to accomplish as chair in 2016? JC: I would like to make sure that we, as professionals and members of the association, continue to be relevant. I know that the profession is going through some major changes,

Board of Directors meet in Gainesville

and I want to make sure we are able to make the transition from being historians to being more of a strategic partner to our client base whereby we focus less on compliance and more on consulting and advice. Q: Is there a current project at your firm that you are excited about? JC: We are working through a number of projects, but the one I’m most excited about is the GG&G Leadership Academy that we plan to launch in May. We fully understand that talent is one of the major issues facing accounting firms today. One of our goals with the academy is to develop the firm’s future leaders so the firm has the bench strength we need to be sustainable and remain independent. That is the one initiative that I’m most excited about.

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Member News P. 3 President's Corner P. 4

Tax Extender Law Affects Many Small Captive Insurance Companies

On Dec. 18, 2015, President Barack Obama signed the 2015 tax extender legislation under the Protecting Americans From Tax Hikes Act of 2015 (PATH). One provision of the act affects small captive insurance companies. Find out more at: www.crowehorwath.com/ insights/tax-alert

When asked more about the Leadership Academy, Ciccarello and GG&G Director of Marketing, Kelly Monestime, explained that another of the Academy’s goals was to supplement the technical training they all receive every year with a curriculum that provides team members with the skills

See Ciccarello, continued on page 2

NTO Success Stories: We recently spoke to A.J. Schiavone and Lou Miller about CPAmerica’s arrangement that brings our member firms the opportunity to gain access to Crowe’s National Tax Office (NTO) for an annual fee. Schiavone said that in the first year of the offering, more than 30 CPAmerica firms took part. Much of that had to do with the tangible property regulations and the need for firms to help their clients with the implementation of the rules. “As the initial year went on,” said Schiavone, “we also had a lot of good consultations on some interesting and tech-

February 2016

nical issues unrelated to the property regulations. “One of the first success stories [involved] a firm that had a client that was being assessed a penalty in the state of Florida. The firm tried unsuccessfully to get the penalty abated and called on [the NTO for assistance]. We were able to put them in touch with our SALT people in our Florida office who have contacts within the Florida Department of Revenue. Because of this, we were able to significantly lessen the penalty for the firm’s client.”

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Lou Miller added “One of the things that made this case unique was that we were able to capitalize on some personal relationships that our SALT people had that, I believe, would have been difficult to access in any other way.” Miller feels that although most firms

See NTO, continued on page 4

The CPAmerica Marketing Benchmarking Survey needs your feedback This is CPAmerica’s fourth year conducting the Marketing Benchmarking Survey, a survey that allows participating member firms to benchmark their marketing and business development efforts with other member firms across the nation. A few takeaways from last year’s results are: many firms plan to augment their social media plans, websites, and thought leadership programs by blogging, publishing articles and white papers, and doing speaking engagements; 90 percent of respondents said new business development is the most important to the firm’s overall marketing program; only 64 percent of member firms’ websites are mobile friendly; and more than 50 percent of respondents did not feel confident in their firm’s social media strategy.

today for tomorrow’s success. This information is not available elsewhere. This survey gives us confidence that the marketing choices we take are in step with our peers.” To take the survey, go to: https://www.surveymonkey. com/r/2015MarketingBenchmarkingSurvey. The deadline for participation is February 8, 2016. The survey is 61 questions long and should take 30-45 minutes to complete. Only participating firms receive the full survey report, so we urge each of our member firms to take advantage of this opportunity to acquire invaluable data about accounting marketing.

“Marketing relies on information and insight to create best practices that deliver results,” said Hunter Group CPA LLC’s Marketing Director, Larry Feld. “CPAmerica’s Marketing Benchmarking Survey delivers a wealth of information, including trends, staffing, budgets and software that our peer firms are currently using. It also offers an invaluable insight as to where and how member firms are investing

2016 CPAmerica Board of Directors Meeting The CPAmerica Board of Directors convened for their initial meeting of 2016. The meeting was held midJanuary at the headquarters of CPAmerica International in Gainesville, Florida. The board discussed the VIP which has 17 CPAmerica firms slated for visits this year. This leaves 6 firms to be visited in 2017 in order for every member firm to fulfill the requirement of hosting a visit. The next scheduled meeting of the board will take place on February 15, 2016 and will be conducted via teleconference.

In attendance at the 2016 Board of Directors meeting were: CPAmerica President Alan Deichler; Jack Savage (CF & Co., L.L.P.); Brad Steward (Pulakos CPAs, PC); Bob McGowen (McGowen, Hurst, Clark & Smith, P.C.); Chairman Joe Ciccarello (Gray, Gray & Gray, LLP); Tim Arter (Brickley DeLong, PC); John Lauer (HBL CPAs, P.C.); immediate past Chair Chip Helme (Thompson Greenspon); Sharon Thompson (Hughes, Snell & Co., P.A.); and Brian Malthouse (VonLehman & Company, Inc.)

Ciccarello, continued from front page they need to be successful both in their current and future roles. Monestime explained that as the firm has grown, they recognized the need to have a formalized training plan in place to help team members successfully navigate their career path as well as engage in consultative relationships with their clients. The academy currently has three levels of curriculum covering: management training; core training (knowing your firm, executive presence, etc.); communication training; firm economics; and more. The academy covers every non-technical component of what is needed to be a successful professional at a firm. We asked what he saw ahead in 2016, Ciccarello said, “I believe 2016 is going to be a pivotal year for the profession and the association. We need to, once again, re-invent ourselves and move away from being the compliance firms that we have been and become more like a strategic partner for our clients. This will allow us to be trusted advisors for people who come to us for advice.” When asked what had most benefitted him by being a CPAmerica member, he replied, “I would say the relationships I have been able to make over the years. [Members] have helped me in my career, and … as a CPA and [again] when I took on the leadership for Gray, Gray & Gray. They helped me become the managing partner that I am today.

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Member News

Member firm N&K CPAs establishes endowed scholarship at the Shidler College of Business

The Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UH-Manoa) has received a gift to create an endowed scholarship from (N&K). The endowed scholarship will provide tuition assistance to the best and brightest accounting students at the college in perpetuity. N&K has selected the Shidler College of Business Accounting program as the recipient of its endowment to assist deserving accounting students in preparing for a career in public accounting. Many of the team members of N&K are proud graduates of UH-Manoa's accounting program and the firm continues to recruit there. “We believe this gift is a good way to give back to the university and assist young students who aspire to become a CPA someday,” said Alton K. Miyashiro, N&K managing principal. “We are grateful to N&K for investing in the best and brightest Accounting students,” said Vance Roley, dean of the Shidler College of Business. The N&K endowment joins a scholarship program that is the largest in the entire UH System.

1st Global names Mueller as a Five Diamond Eagle Firm for 2015

, headquartered in Elgin,Ill., was recognized for their accomplishments throughout the year at the 2015 1st Global National Conference that recently took place in Fernandina Beach, Florida. “As a partner to these exceptional teams, Diamond Eagle firms inspire us with their passion and lead us with their excellence, setting the standard for others to follow as they pave their paths to success,” 1st Global President David Knoch said. “They are exceptional because of the way they conduct their businesses and the important role they play in helping ... those who have been placed in their trust and care.” 1st Global honored Mueller for achieving Five Diamond Eagle status and Knoch said he truly respects and appreciates Mueller’s dedication.

Honkamp Krueger & Co., P.C. acquires new firm

In January 2016, Dubuque, Iowa-based member firm, P.C. (HK), acquired , located in Davenport, Iowa. Greg Burbach, managing partner for HK, said the firm was very excited about the recent acquisition of D&K because the firm has a fabulous reputation in the Quad GREG BURBACH City market and has a close cultural fit with HK. Steven Campana, former principal of D&K, and now partner with HK, adds, “My partners, Nick Nauman, Frank Ludgate, Michelle Steining and I knew where we wanted to lead the firm ... [and] were delighted to find that had likeSTEVEN CAMPANA minded leadership who, frankly, were already successful in delivering those services to a very similar client base. We look forward to serving the Quad City community together by helping our clients.”

Catanese Group announced three recent promotions

, with headquarters in Johnstown, Pa., announced three promotions: Sean Wonderling, CPA, and Greg Smith, CPA, were each promoted to tax manager. Jessica Dunlap, CPA, was promoted to audit manager. Wonderling began his career with the firm in 2003. He became a tax supervisor, working on tax and consulting engagements and has a bachelor’s in accounting from Mount Aloysius University. Dunlap began her career with Catanese Group as an audit supervisor. She oversees accounting and auditing engagements for the firm. She has a bachelor’s in accounting from University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. Smith began his career with the firm as a tax supervisor. He oversees individual and business tax compliance and also provides expertise on issues such as multistate taxation. He has a bachelor’s in accounting from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Seattle-based member firm announces Kirschner as an owner

The Seattle-based CPA firm of , announced that Bradley Kirschner, CPA, CA (Canada), TEP, CPA, has joined the firm as an owner. He is a CPA in the state of Washington and a CPA/Chartered Accountant in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. Kirschner’s work encompasses comprehensive tax planning services BRAD KIRSCHNER to a highly diverse mix of clients, including entrepreneurs, individuals with complex tax issues, Canadians living in or doing business in the U.S., Americans living or doing business in Canada, other emigrant or immigrant tax issues, and those with estate planning and tax compliance needs. Kirschner received his bachelor’s in accounting from California State University, Chico.

DZH Phillips announces promotions

San Francisco-based member firm DZH , has promoted Christine Davis to partner, making her the firm’s ninth female partner and furthering its status as a majority women-owned business. In addition, Chris Nicolette has been promoted to audit manager. Davis will continue to lead DZH Phillips’ Forensic Accounting and Litigation Support Group. In her practice, she provides expert consulting and testimony in complex commercial litigation and regulatory matters. In addition to her partnership election, Davis recently completed an intensive arbitrator certification program provided by the Bar Association of San Francisco and several other regional bar and legal associations. Her professional credentials include a CPA, CFF, CVA and CGMA. She holds a bachelor's in accounting from Golden Gate University. Chris Nicolette, a CPA, was previously an audit supervisor in the firm’s Accounting and Assurance Department. In his seven-year career, Nicolette has gained experience in individual and trust taxation, nonprofit financial management, 401k and 403b plans, unions, and defined-benefit retirement plans. He is a member of the CalCPA and the AICPA and earned his bachelor's in business administration at Sonoma State University.

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President's Corner: Why Learn Anything New? In our association, there is a direct relationship between our tenet of continuously improving and striving to learn new things in life. During the holidays, we were visiting family back in Texas. We stopped in to say hello to a friend whose husband had passed away a couple of years ago. She is a bit older but still drives and is active with family, church and other activities. She lives by herself and has settled into a regular and somewhat limited schedule. As we spoke, it was a bit surprising when she said, “I don’t need to learn anything new.” A LAN D EICHLER P RESI D ENT

That comment really struck me. It was one of those moments where a simple statement made a strong impression. Most of us have worked and lived in environments that encouraged and trained us to always be learning. Most of us really thrive on learning new things. We look for opportunities to learn both in our work as well as in our personal lives. One of the biggest advantages of technology is in its ability to assist us with acquiring knowledge about new concepts.

The challenges of the accounting profes sions can sometimes make the idea of being i n a le s s de m a nd i n g job v e r y t e m pt i n g . But to exceed ordinary expectations, and achieve continued growth throughout your life, steady routine and consistent hours are not always the path to take. Continuing to hone and refine your skills in an impactful field of work are certainly a benefit received from going through a trying tax season. One of the best parts of working for CPAmerica is that I constantly get to learn new things, meet new people, and have new e x p e r i e nc e s . S om e of t h e m r e a l l y t e s t m e . Others are just exciting and fun to do. The opportunities to meet new professionals, visit prospective member firms, or to ask Google a question about a new technical phrase which I may have recently heard, are all what keeps my job fresh and something I look forward to doing. In your job, you should also have the ability to meet new clients or colleagues and learn new things about them. Regardless of what stage you are in your career, I would suggest you continue to explore the different aspects of your firm to always continue your learning. If your work hasn’t gotten you

quite there at the moment, I hope you see it in your future. I can’t imagine how unsatisfactory life would be if we found ourselves in a position of settling into a stale schedule and doing the same things day after day with no expectation of doing new things and meeting new people. Wouldn’t it be dispiriting to feel like my older friend that said, “I don’t need to learn anything new”? The advantage of working at a business the size of most of our member firms is having the twofold opportunity to meet and work with decision makers and entrepreneurs and also to do a variety of challenging tasks in an effort to meet client expectations. In this profession, you are always learning new things.

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NTO, continued from front page can handle in-house the vast majority of tax issues they face, there is always a small amount of issues outside of a firm’s scope. NTO is a way for firms to have that extra bit of bandwidth for those times when they encounter an unusual client tax issue. The NTO can be thought of as providing peace of mind; it can provide additional bench strength for the occasional times where a firm needs some rapid assistance in a specialized tax area. There can also be a “sounding board” benefit to the NTO. Miller explained, “There may be a case where a firm has taken a particular tax issue almost all the way through and they feel fairly confident that they’ve adequately dealt with the issue, but because it may be in a big risk area, they may want to get a second set of eyes on it and talk it through in order to make sure they aren’t missing anything.” When asked what he would say to members who are not currently using the NTO, Miller said, “When you look at other [affiliations that offer pro-

grams similar to the NTO], ours is very reasonable considering we give half of the initial fees back to a firm in the form of service revenue. You also get firm-wide access to six to eight CPE hours." “Our goal is to build relationships so that we can extend a firm’s tax reach,” said Schiavone. The CPE hours are earned through participation in Crowe’s bi-monthly, hour-long webinars. The NTO handles all the administrative work, then issues CPE certificates to all those who attended the webinars. The NTO offering is facilitated by CPAmerica for its members. “This program has great potential for our firms by providing access to expertise not otherwise available,” said Alan Deichler, president of CPAmerica. For more information on the NTO, contact Joyce Arthur, CPAmerica senior member services manager, at: [email protected] or call (352) 727-4152

104 N. Main St. Gainesville, FL 32601 (352) 727-4070 www.cpamerica.org

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