4 The Conrad Indianapolis Hotel Indianapolis, Indiana November 2 4, 2015
Workshop The PRIME Symposium The PRIME Symposium Workshop Monday, November 2 9:30 a.m. Registration and Lite Breakfast 10:30 a.m. The PRIME Symposium Workshop: Leading Change in Your Firm Presented By Pete Pande and Cheralynn Abbott of Pivotal Resources Pivotal Resources is a leader in the practice of organization improvement. Their comprehensive hands on approach and materials provide a strong foundation to master a wide array of improvement concepts and tools. You will deepen your understanding of challenges involved in leading change and transforming culture with hands on materials. Engage with fellow PRIME guests and reflect on past and current challenges and efforts to learn how to diagnose issues, and clarify strengths and opportunities to successfully lead change in your firm. All materials are included in the registration cost. Pivotal s leadership services build the dynamic skills and governance processes that all leaders must master to inspire and guide successful change. 12:30 p.m. Lunch 1:15 p.m. The PRIME Symposium Workshop Resumes 2:45 p.m. Break 3 p.m. The PRIME Symposium Workshop Resumes 5:15 p.m. The PRIME Symposium Workshop Adjourns THE PRIME COCKTAIL RECEPTION THE LONG SHARP GALLERY The Conrad Indianapolis 5:30 P.M. 6:30 P.M. Sponsored by: Carl George Advisory THE PRIME DINNER THE CAPITAL GRILLE The Conrad Indianapolis 6:30 P.M. Additional Fee 2
The PRIME Symposium Tuesday, November 3 7 a.m. Registration and Breakfast 7:30 a.m. Book Signing: The Road to Reinvention, Josh Linkner 8 a.m. The PRIME Symposium Welcome 8:15 a.m. Leading Change: Harnessing Innovation and Turning Raw Ideas Into Powerful Results Presented by Josh Linkner Sponsored by BDO Alliance USA 9:30 a.m. Break 9:50 a.m. Leading Change Continued 10:30 a.m. Key Findings From The 2015 Best of the Best: Mike Platt, INSIDE Public Accounting 11:30 a.m. The 2015 Best of the Best Awards The 2015 Pyramid of Excellence Smith & Howard The 2015 Fastest Growing Calvetti Ferguson The 2015 Pyramid Hein & Associates 11:45 a.m. Lunch 12:45 p.m. Breakout Discussion 1 1:30 p.m. Break 1:50 p.m. M&A Trends and Best Practices: Ted Dickman, Bill Hagaman and John Schweisberger Moderated by Carl George, Carl George Advisory 2:50 p.m. Break 3:05 p.m. Breakout Discussion 2 3:50 p.m. Break 4 p.m. Best of the Best Panel: James Calvetti, John Lucht, Steve Tatone, Moderated by Mike Platt, INSIDE Public Accounting 5:15 p.m. The PRIME Symposium Day One Adjourns THE 2015 PRIME COCKTAIL RECEPTION THE SOUTH FOYER 2 ND FLOOR The Conrad Indianapolis 5:30 P.M. 6:30 P.M. 3
The PRIME Symposium Wednesday, November 4 7:30 a.m. Registration and Breakfast 8:30 a.m. The Empowerment Dymanic Thrive During Change Presented by Nate Biddick and Cindy Scott, 1st Global Sponsored and materials provided by 1st Global 10 a.m. Break 10:20 a.m. Best Practices for Engaging and Off Boarding Senior Partners: Ken Hughes, James Proppe and Jeremy Sperring Moderated by Kris McMasters, McMasters Consulting 11:20 a.m. Open Forum Discussion In Ballroom Q&A 11:45 a.m. Closing Comments 12 p.m. PRIME Adjourns Thank you, Kelly Platt, Mike Platt, Chris Camara, Mandi Heiny, Chelsea Page and Kayla Slick 4
The Platt Group INSIDE Public Accounting 4000 W. 106 th St., Ste. 125 197 Carmel IN 46032 (317) 733 1920 www.insidepublicaccounting.com prime@plattgroupllc.com 5
The PRIME Presenters Cheralynn Abbott Cheralynn is the senior vice president and COO of Pivotal Resources. She is responsible for overseeing day to day operations for Pivotal Resources in the U.S. and abroad. She has extensive experience in planning and coordinating organization wide business change efforts with such firms as adidas, Cisco Systems, BP, Starwood Hotels, Target, Oregon Department of Transportation, among many others. Nate Biddick Nate is the leader of the Consulting team for 1st Global Research & Consulting. His primary objective is to empower tax optimized wealth management practices to advance to the next level of success within their firms by working on the business. Nate leads a team of consultants whose primary purpose is to partner with CPA firms to identify and unlock the potential within their businesses to serve more clients and serve them more completely. Nate has been with 1st Global since 2007 and in that time has worked with over 200 affiliated firms in that time. His articles have been published in AccoutingWeb.com, 1st Global s Global Horizons Magazine, and he has spoken at numerous 1st Global affiliate firm events. James Calvetti Jim is Calvetti Ferguson s Energy Practice Leader. He applies his Energy Industry experience to developing practical business solutions for clients. Prior to founding the firm, Jim served in various officer positions for a multi national, publicly traded, oil field service/geophysical technology company. This included serving as Corporate Vice President responsible for merger, acquisition and divestiture activities, and acting as the Vice President of Finance for a high technology division. Jim is a graduate of Texas A&M University. Ted Dickman Ted is CEO of Springfield, Mo. based BKD LLP. As a national CPA and advisory firm, BKD serves clients in all 50 states and internationally. Ted is responsible for the leadership and strategic direction of the firm s nearly 2,000 personnel, including approximately 250 partners. Ted is also the chair of BKD s Governing Board, which sets firm policy and oversees strategic initiatives. Before he was named CEO, Ted was regional MP of BKD s East Region and MP of the firm s Indianapolis, Bloomington, Ind., Fort Wayne, Ind., Merrillville, Ind., and Cincinnati offices. Ted focused on closely held businesses and families, providing tax, business advisory and wealth transfer planning strategies. 6
Carl George After a successful career as the MP of CliftonLArsonAllen, Carl founded Carl George Advisory. Carl s experience with issues confronting MPs and firms today enables him to relate one on one with the many needs of leaders and magement of firms. Carl is a former board member of the AICPA and chaired the National CPA Financial Literacy Commission of the AICPA for five years. Carl served on the AICPA MAP committee for six years, three as chair, and has served as a speaker or moderator at many conferences and partner retreats on practice management issues and solutions. Carl is following his passion for practice management by consulting with firms and mentoring MPs and CEOs. Bill Hagaman Bill is the MP and CEO of IPA Best of the Best firm WithumSmith+Brown, and has been a member of the firm's management for more than 30 years. Bill is a licensed CPA in New Jersey, New York and Florida, as well as a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA), specializing in merger and acquisition services and international business. He has also demonstrated a leadership role in expanding the firm s global capabilities, serving as a current executive committee member of HLB International s U.S. organization and as the former chairman of Nexia International USA both of which are worldwide networks of independent accounting firms and business advisors. Ken Hughes Ken is Chairman of DixonHughesGoodman. Ken served as Chairman and CEO from 2012 to 2014 and led the firm as CEO for most of his career. His strategic leadership has seen DHG undergo significant expansion through organic growth and significant mergers. With Ken at the helm, Crisp Hughes Evans merged with Dixon Odom in 2004 to form the super regional firm of Dixon Hughes. In 2011, Ken led the firm through a merger between Dixon Hughes and Goodman & Co. to create the IPA Top 20 firm Dixon Hughes Goodman. With more than 35 years of professional experience, he is considered a key influence in the accounting profession. Josh Linkner Josh who started his career as a jazz guitarist has been the founder and CEO of four tech companies, which sold for a combined value of over $200 million. He is an experienced business leader, venture capitalist, top rated keynote speaker, and author of two New York Times bestsellers: Disciplined Dreaming and The Road to Reinvention. In addition to his own startups, Josh has been involved with the launch, growth, or financing of over 100 other companies. He s helped raise more than $150 million of venture capital, and has mentored leaders and entrepreneurs through the struggles of explosive growth. 7
John Lucht John has been Atlanta based Smith & Howard s MP since 2010, having previously served as the PIC of the Accounting, Advisory and Assurance Services group at the firm. Lucht joined Smith & Howard in 1990, after spending several years with a Big 4 firm and a large local firm. As MP, John s role includes oversight of the firm s client service commitment, executing the firms strategic plan, working with a partner group of ten and overseeing the firm s almost 100 employees. Smith & Howard is celebrating it s second consecutive year as the No. 1 IPA Best of the Best Firm in the nation. Kris McMasters Krista became the CEO of Clifton Gunderson in 2009 becoming the firm s fourth CEO and the first female CEO in the history of the profession among the top 50 firms. She led Clifton Gunderson into a historic merger with Larson Allen in January 2012 becoming Co CEO of CliftonLarsonAllen LLP until retiring in April 2013. McMasters spent her 35 year career with Clifton Gunderson having joined as an associate accountant in 1978 and being admitted as partner in 1985. She is currently providing consulting to professional service firms in such areas as executive coaching, strategic planning, partner and staff engagement, communication, leadership development and operational excellence. Pete Pande Pete is the President of Pivotal Resources. Pete is a seasoned consultant in process improvement, organizational change, Lean Six Sigma initiatives and is one of the recognized experts in the field. Pete provides senior executive training and deployment consulting services for such companies as GE Capital, Cisco Systems, Starwood Hotels, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Adobe, Givaudan, and many others. Jim Proppe Jim is a member of Plante Moran s six person management team. In his role as group MP, Jim leads client service, growth, and people development for the firm s industry focused practice areas. Prior to his current role, Jim led the firm s client service groups, including assurance, tax, management consulting, Plante Moran Financial Advisors, and Plante Moran CRESA. Jim was instrumental in leading the group through the creation of a number of new services, including Plante Moran Group Benefit Advisors, the Enterprise Risk Management group, Plante Moran Global Services, and development of the firm s Shanghai, Monterey, and Mumbai offices. 8
John Schweisberger John serves as the Chief Integration Officer for Armanino following the firm s August 2015 merger with Los Angeles based RBZ, for whom he was the CEO since 2013. In his role, John is responsible for setting the course and driving the rapid and effective post merger integration programs across all practice and operating disciplines, combining the best of both firms into the largest accounting and consulting firm based in California. Recruited to be the first CEO in RBZ s history and one of the first non CPAs to head a firm in the U.S. accounting profession, John led RBZ from the 124 th largest firm nationally to an IPA 100 in just two years. Cindy Scott Cindy is the director of 1st Global Wealth Management Academy. Cindy oversees the ongoing series of education programs available for 1st Global affiliated advisors. Her main focus is developing actionable content that equips 1st Global advisors with the motivation, best practices and vision for their own firms to achieve new levels of growth and success. Her team is responsible for planning and executing 1st Global National Conference, Eagles Executive Forum, Communities, Technology Roadshows and Link, 1st Global s new technology conference. Jeremy Sperring Jeremy serves as the CFO and COO of IPA Best of the Best Firm, Frazier & Deeter, Atlanta. Jeremy s primary responsibilities include overseeing the financial reporting, budgeting, and capacity planning of the firm, as well as working directly with the managing partner to ensure that the operational objectives of the firm s strategic plan are achieved. Over the past four years, Jeremy has headed the due diligence process for the firm s M&A strategy, which resulted in the successful mergers of four firms. In 2013, Jeremy also took on the role as partner in charge of leading FD Fund Administration. Stephen Tatone Stephen is CEO of IPA Best of the Best firm, AKT Group LLP. Stephen began his career in 1973 and in 1979 became the MP of the Salem Oregon based firm. Under his leadership the firm grew from a single office to a multi state west coast regional firm with deep industry expertise in several sectors. His areas of expertise include strategic planning, executive coaching, business consultation and human resource issues. In addition, he excels at skillfully negotiating business mergers, sales and acquisitions. Steve was awarded the professional services category CEO of the year in 2009 by the Portland Business Journal. 9
The PRIME Sponsors CPA firms demand profitable growth even in difficult times. They want to create lasting momentum by finding and implementing sustainable growth strategies. Current financial trends have compelled both CPA firms and their clients to re evaluate the quality and delivery of the financial advice they need to reach their financial goals. There is a tremendous opportunity to deepen and solidify relationships with your best clients and attract highly desired prospective clients. Building a successful wealth management practice within a multi partner accounting firm takes a proven blueprint for reaching the firm s highest potential. Based on expertise gained from working with hundreds of successful firms, 1st Global has developed proven processes that include market research, practice consulting, business development processes and innovative technology. The BDO Alliance USA is a nationwide association of independently owned local and regional accounting, consulting and service firms with similar client service goals. The BDO Alliance presents an opportunity for these firms, by accessing the resources of BDO USA, LLP and other Alliance members, to expand services to their clients without jeopardizing their existing relationships or autonomy. The BDO Alliance was developed to provide member firms with an alternative strategy for gaining competitive advantage in the face of a changing business landscape. The Alliance represents an opportunity for BDO to enhance relationships with reputable firms that share a mutual business understanding. The BDO Alliance is a division of BDO USA, LLP, a Delaware limited liability partnership. BKD LLP is a national CPA and advisory firm that helps people and businesses realize their goals. BKD s approximately 2,400 personnel, including approximately 260 partners and principals, serve clients in all 50 states and internationally. BKD and its subsidiaries offer clients a variety of services in accounting, audit and assurance, tax, risk management, technology, corporate finance, forensic and valuation services and wealth management. We combine the insight and ideas of multiple disciplines to provide solutions to health care providers, manufacturers and distributors, financial institutions, construction and real estate companies as well as government entities, higher education institutions and not for profit organizations. BKD is the largest U.S. member of Praxity, AISBL, a global alliance of independent firms serving the dynamic needs of multinational clients. 10
CGA Carl George Advisory Carl George Advisory, a consulting firm located in Indianapolis, specializes in firm governance, strategic planning, succession planning, CEO mentoring, and merger and acquisition assistance. CGA s mission is to assist firms in reaching accelerated performance levels, by executing on thoughtful and actionable plans and protocols. Carl George is the CEO of Carl George Advisory, and brings decades of CPA firm management expertise to his clients. With origins dating back to 1919, CohnReznick LLP is the 11th largest accounting, tax, and advisory firm in the United States, combining the resources and technical expertise of a national firm with the hands on, entrepreneurial approach that today's dynamic business environment demands. CohnReznick serves a large number of diverse industries and offers specialized services for Fortune 1000 companies, owner managed firms, international enterprises, government agencies, not for profit organizations and other key market sectors. Headquartered in New York, CohnReznick serves its clients with more than 280 partners, 2,200 employees and 26 offices. The firm is a member of Nexia International, a global network of independent accountancy, tax and business advisors. As one of the top 65 CPA firms in the nation, Katz, Sapper & Miller has earned a reputation as a leader in the areas of accounting, tax and consulting services. Founded in 1942, the firm has more than 260 employees and is headquartered in Indianapolis, with additional offices in Fort Wayne, Ind. and New York. Katz, Sapper & Miller was named one of the Best of the Best accounting firms in the nation by INSIDE Public Accounting and has been recognized by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce as one of the Best Places to Work in Indiana for eight consecutive years. The firm is an independent member of Nexia International. MBAF is ranked nationally as an IPA Top 40 accounting and advisory firm and was named one of the 2015 Best of the Best firms in the country by INSIDE Public Accounting. More than 450 highly qualified principals and employees serve domestic and international clients across a broad range of industries and practices from our offices across the country. We offer a complete portfolio of services including assurance, tax and accounting, management advisory, private client wealth, and technology consulting. Our unwavering loyalty to putting our clients first has made us one of the most trusted independent accounting firms in the country. We are defined by our expertise, reputation and value. And we are known for our hands on service to our clients and commitment to our community. 11
The PRIME Guests Cheralynn Abbott Pivitol Resources Walnut Creek, Calif. Ed Amorosso McPhillps Roberts & Deans Norfolk, Va. Brandon Andries Baker Tilly Virchow Krause Madison, Wis. Chad Anschuetz Doeren Mayhew Troy, Mich. Rachel Anveski Matters Of Management Atlanta, Ga. Ken Baggett CohnReznick Atlanta, Ga. Warren Barnes Kernutt Stokes Eugene, Ore. Lisa Baskfield Carl George Advisory Fishers, Ind. Richard Berkowitz Berkowitz Pollack Brant Miami, Fla. Kelly Bernakevitch MNP LLP Calgary, Alberta Nate Bidick 1 st Global Dallas, Texas Lynne Born Seiler LLP Redwood City, Calif. Chris Camara The Platt Group West Kingston, R.I. 12 Brian Carey CBIZ Inc. Cleveland, Ohio Bob Childress Frost PLLC Little Rock, Ark. Brian Colton H.J. Umbaugh & Assoc. Indianapolis, Ind. Rick Coyne WithumSmith+Brown Princeton, N.J. Barry Davis BKD LLP Kansas City, Mo. Ted Dickman BKD LLP Indianapolis, Ind. Jamie Ellis Katz Sapper & Miller Indianapolis, Ind. Trip Farmer Henderson Hutcherson McCullough Chattanooga, Tenn. Alyssa Forslund Marks Paneth New York, N.Y. Brian Fox Marks Paneth New York, N.Y. Pat Fuelling Doeren Mayhew Troy, Mich. Carl George Carl George Advisory Fishers, Ind. Bill Hagaman WithumSmith+Brown Princeton, N.J.
The PRIME Guests Barry Hall Kruggel Lawton & Co. Elkhart, Ind. Mandi Heiny The Platt Group Carmel, Ind. Michael Horwitz BDO USA LLP Boston, Mass. Ken Hughes Dixon Hughes Goodman Charlotte, N.C. John Jones Linkenheimer LLP Santa Rosa, Calif. Tripp Kay Duggan & Massey Atlanta, Ga. David Knock 1 st Global Dallas, Texas Barbara Lewis Atkinson & Co. Albuquerque, N.M. Josh Linkner The Institute for Applied Creativity Detriot, Mich. Tamera Loerzel ConvergenceCoaching Prior Lake, Minn. John Lucht Smith & Howard Atlanta, Ga. Marty McLaughlin BDO Alliance USA Queen Creek, Ariz. Kris McMasters McMasters Consulting Hope, Idaho 13 Kam McQuay Blue & Co. Indianapolis, Ind. Jeff Melnick EisnerAmper New York, N.Y. Scott Miller H.J. Umbaugh & Assoc. Indianapolis, Ind. Martin Moll AKT LLP Lake Oswego, Ore. Ed Moss Moss Krusick & Assoc. Winter Park, Fla. Mike Nichols CBIZ Inc. Kansas City, Mo. Lief Nixon Desroches Partners Houston, Texas Patsy O Brien Smith & Howard Atlanta, Ga. Chris Olson Blue & Co. Carmel, Ind. Carli Ortiz Linkenheimer LLP Santa Rosa, Calif. Pete Pandi Pivotal Resources Walnut Creek, Calif. Chelsea Page The Platt Group Carmel, Ind. Joe Pease Pease & Associates CPAs Cleveland, Ohio
The PRIME Guests Kelly Platt The Platt Group Carmel, Ind. Mike Platt The Platt Group Carmel, Ind. Shaun Powell GBQ Holdings LLC Columbus, Ohio Jim Proppe Plante Moran Southfield, Mich. Jim Reeves Whitley Penn LLP Fort Worth, Texas David Resnick Katz Sapper & Miller Indianapolis, Ind. Ken Richey Richey May & Co. Englewood, Colo. Tony Rubenacker Kemper CPA Group LLP Evansville, Ind. Joe Saka Berkowitz Pollack Brant Miami, Fla. John Schweisberger Armanino San Ramon, Calif. Cindy Scott 1 st Global Dallas, Texas Dave Sibits CBIZ Inc. Cleveland, Ohio Barry Silver PYA Knoxville, Tenn. Kayla Slick The Platt Group Carmel, Ind. Scott Sorensen H.J. Umbaugh & Assoc. Indianapolis Jeremy Sperring Frazier & Deeter Atlanta, Ga. Chris Spurio CBIZ Inc. Cleveland, Ohio Stephen Tatone AKT LLP Lake Oswego, Ore. Chris Umerley Pease & Associates CPAs Cleveland, Ohio Steve Wasserman Gursey Schneider LLP Los Angeles, Calif. James Winton Hein & Associates Denver, Colo. 14
The 2015 Pyramid Awards Smith & Howard The Pyramid of Excellence Award Smith & Howard is the recipient of IPA s Pyramid of Excellence award this year, for the firm s stellar performance in the 25th annual IPA Survey and Analysis of Firms. The firm scored No. 1 on the IPA Best of the Best Firms list this year, this is the second consecutive year in a row for Smith & Howard. Smith & Howard is listed at No. 129 on the IPA 200, a list of the nation s largest accounting firms Hein & Associates The Pyramid Award Hein & Associates is receiving the fifth annual IPA Best of the Best Pyramid Award this year. Hein & Associates debuted on the IPA Best of the Best list in 1995, and has been named a Best of the Best firm 14 times during that time span, 12 consecutively. Hein & Associates is an IPA 100 firm, listed at No. 63 this year. Calvetti Furgeson The Fastest Growing Pyramid Award Calvetti Ferguson is receiving the fifth annual IPA Best of the Best Fastest Growing Pyramid Award. With an impressive 68.01% growth rate, with no mergers to boost that number, the firm has seen continued success in a tentative economic environment. In 2014, Calvetti Ferguson also was named a Best of the Best Under $5 Million and a Fastest Growing firm in this group. 15
CPE Information The PRIME Symposium qualifies for up to 18.5 CPE credits in the Business Management & Organization and Personal Development categories. The Platt Consulting Group, dba INSIDE Public Accounting is sponsoring The PRIME Symposium as a continuing professional education activity. In accordance with the standards of the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, CPE credits have been granted based on a 50 minute hour. There are no prerequisites of advanced preparation needed for this intermediate level program. INSIDE Public Accounting is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.learningmarket.org. INSIDE Public Accounting retains, for a five year period, all documentation pertaining to the CPE courses it sponsors. This documentation includes complete records of attendance, including earned CPE credit, and documentation of the course itself. Course documentation includes: title, instructor, date, location, number of CPE credits, and a summary of the evaluation scores. 16
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2015 Best of the Best Anders CPAs & Advisors Armanino LLP Bennett Thrasher Berkowitz Pollack Brant Advisors BKD LLP Bowman & Company Bradley Consulting Group Calvetti Ferguson CEA LLP Desroches Partners Doeren Mayhew Draffin & Tucker Erickson Brown & Kloster Frank Rimerman + Co. Frazier & Deeter Frost PLLC GBH CPAs Gramkow Carnevale Seifert & Co. Grassi & Co. GreerWalker LLP Gursey Schneider LLP Habif Arogeti & Wynne Hein & Associates Henderson Hutcherson McCullough Holthouse Carlin & Van Trigt Honkamp Krueger & Co. Iannuzzi Manetta & Co. Katz Sapper & Miller Kiesling Associates Kirsch CPA Group L. Paul Kassouf & Co. Lane Gorman Trubitt Linkenheimer LLP Lutz MaloneBailey LLP Maxwell Locke & Ritter May & Company MBAF McPhillips Roberts & Deans Miller Grossbard Advisors Moore Colson Novogradac & Company Padgett Stratemann & Co. Pease & Associates Inc. Perelson Weiner Realize CPA RotenbergMeril RRBB Accountants & Advisors SC&H Group. Seiler LLP Shea Labagh Dobberstein Smith & Howard Tanner LLC TPP Certified Public Accountants Vine Dahlen Walter & Shuffain Weber Shapiro & Co Whitley Penn WithumSmith+Brown 18
The 2015 Top Five Scoring IPA Best Of The Best Cogratulations to the top scoring IPA Best of the Best firms in 2015. The following firms, listed in ranking order, scored the highest of the more than 500 firms participating in the annual IPA survey and analysis of firms. For the second consecutive year, Smith & Howard, of Atlanta places No. 1 overall. Celebrating three consecutive years as an IPA Top Scoring Best of the Best is Holthouse Carlin & Van Trigt. Smith & Howard Atlanta Calvetti Ferguson Houston Holthouse Carlin & Van Trigt Los Angeles Whitley Penn Fort Worth, Texas Armanino LLP San Ramon, Calif. 19