Orange County/Long Beach Chapter
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Archive for the ‘President’s Message’ Category
August 18th, 2010
By Jeff Lenning
Have you had a chance to play with Microsoft Excel 2010? I’ve installed it, and I think it is a nice update. The most exciting feature to me is Office Web Apps, which were rolled out concurrently with Office 2010. Office Web Apps are a free lightweight browser-based Excel, Word, PowerPoint and OneNote. You can use Office Web Apps free without Office 2010 by visiting Microsoft’s website. You can find more information on this Web App blog, as well. Here is a screenshot of Excel Web App running through my web browser.
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July 15th, 2010
By Jeff Lenning
Hopefully, your summer is well under way and you are relaxing with family and friends. I know our family is loving summer so far. We have three kids at home, ages 2, 5 and 7 (picture below) so summertime is fun-for-all. We are enjoying the warm weather, swimming, barbeques, VBS and Super Mario Galaxy 2.
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June 10th, 2010
By Jeff Lenning
I’m not sure about you, but I’m looking forward to what the rest of this year will bring. Sure, busy season is over and summer and warm weather are here, birds are chirping, butterflies are flying, Lady Gaga is coming to LA, and that is all terrific. But 2010 has some really exciting technology!
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May 7th, 2010
By Brian Rush, CPA
My year as your chapter president has gone by much too quickly. I enjoyed getting to meet many of you at our mixers, golf day, fall seminar series, economic forecast breakfast, young emerging professional get-togethers and other events. I want to thank our officers, interest group chairs and board members for a job well done. Their tireless efforts often go unsung, but without them the chapter would not be able to accomplish what it does.
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April 7th, 2010
By Brian Rush, CPA
It is a very busy time for all of us, but I want to inform you of some important chapter events on the horizon. Please join us Thursday, May 6, for our post-busy season mixer at Zov’s Bistro in Tustin from 6–9 p.m. Take this opportunity to relax with your colleagues and meet your 2010–11 chapter officers and board directors. Please register for this event online.
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January 12th, 2010
By Brian Rush, CPA
I sincerely hope 2010 is a prosperous and rewarding year for all of you!
This looks to be another great year for the chapter. We begin with the Economic Forecast Breakfast Tuesday, Jan. 19, co-sponsored with the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce. I hope you can attend and perhaps bring a client with you because this is a very interesting and informative event. Register online.
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December 9th, 2009
By Brian Rush, CPA
I sincerely hope 2010 is a prosperous and rewarding year for all of you!
The new year looks to be a great one for our chapter. We begin Jan. 19 with the Economic Forecast Breakfast, co-sponsored by the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce. I hope you can attend—and perhaps bring a client with you. This is a very interesting and informative event. Register at the CalCPA website.
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November 11th, 2009
By Brian Rush, CPA
I beg forgiveness from my colleagues in taxation, but I think it timely to address a new standard that is applicable to certain attest engagements.
As many of you know, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board has adopted Auditing Standard No. 7, Engagement Quality Review, which applies to all audit and interim financial review engagements that are conducted pursuant to the PCAOB’s standards. This standard, if adopted by the SEC, will become effective for audits and interim reviews for fiscal years beginning on or after Dec. 15, 2009.
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October 8th, 2009
By Brian Rush, CPA
Like many of you, it is hard for me to believe that it is already October and we are in the fall months. Although I know I enjoyed the summer, I can’t remember what happened to it! But now we are well into the Fall Seminar Series, and I look forward to the Tuesday night sessions as a chance to meet up with old (read “longtime”) friends and to learn something new. This year’s speakers and topics have been most enjoyable.
As we begin our wrap-up of 2009 and look forward to 2010, it is clear we are going to be faced with many changes. Almost all I read about the economy suggests that the recovery will be a slow and modest process. As trusted advisers, whether in audit, tax or consulting, we need to proactively help our clients through these periods of change and encourage them to maintain a positive outlook. Perhaps the ideas below will help you make this happen.
There is a large body of change management knowledge, but the foundations of almost all of this knowledge address the phases that an individual or organization must go through during the change process. Referring to the Prosci model, the five specific stages that must be realized for an organization or individual to successfully change are:
- Awareness: recognizing why change is needed
- Desire: the motivation to participate in the change process
- Knowledge: knowing how to change and how to measure results
- Ability: adopting new skills and behaviors to make the necessary change happen
- Reinforcement: encouragement to sustain the change
When these stages are understood, the change management processes and tools can be applied with the least resistance and maximum buy-in. This requires a structured approach so the transition will be controlled and smooth.
Applying this to everyday pressures, however, is difficult, as one tends to get bogged down in daily tasks. What can work, though, is to step back from these pressures, clear your mind and take a fresh look at what’s happening. Research and networking go a long way in helping to attach a framework to the realm of change. Thereafter, analysis and judgment are key ingredients to developing a successful plan.
Whether you are considering growing your business or branching out to provide other services to your clients, the most important step is to prepare a plan that guides you through the change process. This plan also should provide measures that allow you to modify it if necessary and give you reasonable assurance that your objectives will be met upon successful implementation. All these concepts apply to your clients as well.
The economic, legislative and regulatory environments are in a state of flux. Maintaining the status quo will not take us where we need to be down the road. I encourage you to give some thought to where you want to be and develop a strategy to attain those goals. It takes less time to do things right than to do them over.
My best to all of you.
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September 11th, 2009
By Brian Rush, CPA
I hope everyone is enjoying the last few weeks of summer despite the heat and fires. The chapter held its end-of-summer mixer Aug. 27 at Table Ten in downtown Fullerton. We had 63 members attend, the discussions were lively and the food was very good. I look forward to seeing you at the next mixer to be scheduled later this year. These events really are a lot of fun!
The Fall Seminar Series started Sept. 8 and continues on Tuesday evenings through Nov. 3 (with a week off Sept. 15 and again Oct. 13). We have a great lineup of speakers and there is plenty of accounting, auditing and fraud continuing professional credit available. Danny Santucci will be the featured speaker Sept. 22 and Wealth Management Network will host a reception beginning at 5 p.m. Please be sure to sign up online for the best and most economical continuing education available.
Last year your chapter board voted to award a scholarship to a doctoral candidate majoring in accounting at UC Irvine. Each year, for three successive years, we will be awarding $10,000 to a deserving candidate to help support the creation of much-needed accounting professorships. We are able to make this significant contribution thanks to your support of chapter scholarship events and through donations to the scholarship fund. We encourage you to continue this important support.
Two years ago we created the CFO of the Year Awards. This event has grown to be a showcase for recognizing outstanding contributions to the business community by accounting and finance professionals. Now sponsored by CalCPA and other organizations, including the Orange County Business Journal, the awards dinner is held each January. Our chapter will receive a $2,500 contribution to its scholarship fund this year from the proceeds of the event. We encourage you to attend this gala evening and will provide additional information regarding registration as the date nears. In addition, if you would like to make a nomination for a CFO of the Year or would like to participate on the chapter’s selection committee, please respond to this blog.
As we begin to get ready for another busy season, let’s not forget to enjoy the love and friendship of family, friends and colleagues throughout the coming months. This is a great source of energy to keep us going through the heavy workloads of year-end and the upcoming tax season. It is always good to remember in some special way those who support us through these busy times and make out lives much more rewarding.
My best to all of you.
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