WORLDWIDE B u l l e t i n

WORLDWIDE
B u l l e t i n
The bimonthly newsletter of
BKR INTERNATIONAL,
the premier association of
independent accounting
and business advisory firms.
CHAIRMAN’S LETTER
IAL
C
E
SP TING
!
E
ME TION
I
ED
VOLUME 36 · NO. 6
November/December
2014
IN THIS ISSUE:
Chairman’s Letter
1, 10
San Francisco Hosts 2014
Annual Worldwide Meeting
1-4
BKR’s First Easy Runner’s
Coyote Ridge Trail Run a
Success
5
Milan Hosts 2014 Alps and
Mediterranean Subregional
Meeting
5
Member Profile: Abou Nasr &
Associates (Beirut)
6
BKR Membership Update
7
BKR Announces 2015/2016
Leadership Institute
7
Logista Rides in the Nedbank
Sani2C Mountain Bike Stage
Race
8, 11
BKR International in the Press
8
Six Months from a Shell to ASX
Listing: Walker Wayland NSW
9
Niche News
10-11
Get Ready for Expo Milano!
11
Member News and Notes
12-15
Meeting/Telemeeting Schedule
16
I am so pleased to
announce that more than
285 members, companions, and guests representing 38 countries participated in BKR’s 2014
Annual Worldwide Meeting and 25th anniversary celebration in San Francisco. Members embraced the
spirit of the meeting. The new format for some of the
presentations, as well as the variety of topics, was
well received. I would like to extend my sincere
appreciation to everyone who helped make this
meeting a huge success, particularly our two host
firms, Lindquist, von Husen and Joyce and
Johanson & Yau. Their assistance, generosity,
and warm hospitality will long be remembered.
For photographs and a first-hand account of
the meeting by Jeff Ryder (Seattle), see below
through page 4. Download the meeting presentations and more photos at www.bkr.com.
I would also like to welcome our newest member,
ACERTIS S.à r.l. (Windhof, Luxembourg), into our
association. I know you all will help me welcome them
and introduce your firm via e-mail, as well as at our
Continued on page 10
SAN FRANCISCO HOSTS
2014 ANNUAL WORLDWIDE
MEETING
By Jeff Ryder (Seattle)
This year’s BKR International
Annual Worldwide Meeting was
really something special.
Having just attended my first
BKR Americas Regional Meeting
in Denver earlier this year I had
an idea of what to expect, but
Jeff Ryder
the Worldwide Meeting in San
Francisco took it to a new level.
The meeting was held at The Fairmont Hotel on
San Francisco’s Nob Hill and was attended by representatives of more than 80 member firms from
around the world. The hotel and its accommodations
were top notch, and the city…well, what more can be
said about San Francisco?
BKR meetings are incredibly welcoming to all in
attendance, including members’ spouses or significant others, and I believe this helps contribute to the
“one big family” feel of the BKR meetings. My wife,
Lauri, came with me to San Francisco, and we took
advantage of our location and great weather, and
walked from the hotel to see many different attractions, including the Grace Cathedral (stunning
stained glass), the “Mrs. Doubtfire” house, Lombard
Avenue, Fisherman’s Wharf, and, of course, the forContinued on page 2
SAN FRANCISCO HOSTS
2014 ANNUAL WORLDWIDE MEETING
(Continued)
BKR’s 2014 Annual Worldwide Meeting and 25th
Anniversary Celebration was held at the Fairmont Hotel in
San Francisco from October 18-21.
Worldwide Chairman Howard Rosen (St. Louis) honors former Worldwide Chairman Angelo Colombo (Milan).
Host Jim Kraft (San Francisco) (right)
presents Kenneth Loftis with the BKR
Scholarship Award.
Continued from page 1
mer federal prison known as Alcatraz.
There were many opportunities to mingle
and network with fellow members and their significant others in relaxed and fun social settings. Saturday night’s dinner was at the Bistro
Boudin at Fisherman’s Wharf. A great time was
had by all, and I’m thankful for the bus that
brought us home!
The next day, Lauri and I went on the
member tour to the wine country of Napa
Valley and Sonoma. We met some wonderful
people that day, including Ron Gallucci from
New York, Brad Waese from Toronto, and
Raymi Mejia from Santo Domingo. A long
day of visiting wineries and touring the coun-
Hosts Byron Ishiwata, Sara Kelley, Fred Leonard, Sheryl Hinshaw, and Dave
Davis (San Jose)
2
tryside was followed-up by a 1960’s themed,
fun-filled buffet dinner, dancing, and karaoke at
the Fairmont’s famous “Tonga Room &
Hurricane Bar.” I still have visions of Scott
Larson from Vancouver singing “Crocodile
Rock!”
Monday night’s main event was the black
tie dinner, which, in part, celebrated BKR’s
25th anniversary. I wore my new suit and, of
course, Lauri looked stunning in her “new
dress” (which goes without saying).
Continued on page 3
Howard Rosen presents Junmin Xia
(Urumqi) with his firm’s membership
certificate.
SAN FRANCISCO HOSTS
2014 ANNUAL WORLDWIDE MEETING
(Continued)
Continued from page 2
Of course, we had to get down to
business at some point. Monday and
Tuesday were filled with very interesting
and informative conference sessions.
Presentations included topics such as
developing mental toughness to improve
job performance, CPA firm best practices,
break-out sessions covering marketing
and tax issues, as well as BKR administrative sessions and panel discussions on
trends and regional developments. One
interesting session related to the benefits
of “face reading,” which I have already
Lars Jerkø (Oslo), Jose Vidal and Mario Lopes (Rio de Janeiro), Les Fordham
used with particular success on my wife,
(Portland), Manuel Rangel, Jr. and Manuel Rangel, Sr. (Mexico City), Scott Bates
(Dallas), and Christian Hoferer (Oppenau) are recognized for their firms’ 20 years of
Lauri!
membership in BKR.
Maureen and Helen at BKR
International, the host firms of Lindquist, von Husen and Joyce
and Johanson & Yau (special thanks to Jim Kraft and his wife,
Peggy, from Lindquist; and Dave Davis and his wife, Jean, from
Johanson & Yau), and many, many others not mentioned, did an
absolutely fabulous job of organizing and putting on this event. It was
tremendous fun and very informative, and all at BKR should be proud of
their efforts.
We hope to catch up at next year’s meetings in Philadelphia and
Paris. A special shout out to Ron Gallucci from Lauri and me – thanks
for making us feel welcome, and I remember your wise words; “A happy
wife means a happy life!”
Members learn how to improve their mental toughness.
BKR’s former (and current) worldwide chairmen are recognized at Monday night’s Gala Dinner Dance: Angelo
Colombo (Milan), Sheldon Webster (Birmingham), Don
Timmins (Ottawa), Howard Rosen (St. Louis), Geoffrey
Lewis (Dublin), Stephen Roger (Sydney), Bob Rothenberg
(London), and Tom Murray (Long Island).
Industry media moguls Vincent Huck (International
Accounting Bulletin), Daniel Hood (Accounting Today), Jim
Knafo (AICPA), and Michael Savoy (BKR’s Los Angeles
member and president of the California Board of
Accountancy) discuss future trends in accounting.
3
SAN FRANCISCO HOSTS
2014 ANNUAL WORLDWIDE MEETING
(Continued)
...and then dance the night away at the Gala Dinner Dance.
Members enjoy a fine dining experience...
The U.S. team emerges victorious at this year’s Easy Rider Golf Tournament.
Members visit the notorious Alcatraz Island Federal Penitentiary...
4
...before letting their freak flag fly at BKR’s 60’s
Party.
BKR’s FIRsT Easy RunnER’s
CoyoTE RIdgE TRaIl Run a suCCEss
BKR held its first Easy Runner’s Coyote Ridge Trail Run
during the 2014 Annual Worldwide Meeting in San Francisco.
BKR would like to congratulate all who participated.
Pictured left to right: Nancy Nerone (Montreal), third
place in her age group; Junmin Xia (Urumqi), third place
in his age group (while running in his dress shoes!); Roland
Schiff-Martini (Frankfurt), first place in his age group;
Jason Croston (Brisbane), first place in his age group;
Susanne Ude-Lomb (Frankfurt), second place in her age
group; Cristina Zanardi (Milan); Graeme Boake
(Johannesburg); Lien Le (Houston); Donovan Fraser
(Johannesburg); Kathy Steffan (Ottawa); Arcangelo
Agogliati (Milan); and Rita Dela Cruz (San Francisco).
MILAN HOSTS 2014
ALpS ANd MedITerrANeAN
SUBreGIONAL MeeTING
by Stephen Hamlet (London)
BKR’s 2014 Alps and Mediterranean cuss, in detail, the general economic situation as on the difficulties amd opportunities of runSubregional Meeting took place on Friday, and common experience on topical tax issues, ning an accounting firm in such a critical perias well as the evolution of transfer pricing leg- od.
September 12, in Milan, Italy.
Delegates who decided to enjoy the Milan
Even if September in Milan is not as islation, and the potential liabilities in tax comfashion weekend were hosted by BKR in the
delightful as Nice (last year’s venue), the 14 pliance and assistance.
During the afternoon, after a relaxing light downtown Valentino II restaurant for a real
delegates from eight separate firms coming
from five different countries in the region lunch in the garden of Hotel Manin, the meet- “Italian dinner.”
BKR would like to thank Arcangelo
enjoyed a useful and pleasant working day, ing continued with a general discussion
sharing professional experiences as well as focused on ways in which to generate business Agogliati and his colleagues in Milan for
in the Alps and Mediterranean region, as well hosting this successful subregional meeting.
strengthening personal relationships.
Starting from
the much appreciated 2013 experience, delegates
gave an update on
the last 12 months
of news regarding
their own firms and
the markets in
which they operate.
The issues
proposed enabled
participants to disDelegates met in Milan for BKR’s 2014 Alps and Mediterranean Meeting.
5
MEMBER PROFILE:
Abou NAsr & AssociAtes
(beirut)
Established in 1967 in Beirut, Lebanon,
Abou Nasr & Associates developed from
a sole proprietorship into a leading partnership, offering audit, taxation, and business
consultancy services. The firm has been serving Lebanese clients for almost 50 years, and
assists foreign companies and investors both
in Lebanon and in the Middle East in general.
From the outset, Abou Nasr & Associates
have always been able to meet the everchanging needs of their clients. Along the way,
the firm has managed to build a solid and reliable reputation based on a highly professional
approach and total commitment to its clients'
requirements, along with an unwavering level
of quality in their work and international standards.
Such international recognition and notoriety has renewed the firm’s confidence and
vigor. It has set a clear target to become leaders in the financial information services arena
in Lebanon and Iraq among non-Big 4 firms.
The firm’s total commitment to its clients
and their success has clearly paid off, and has
translated into solid ties with a large number of
leading businesses in Lebanon and worldwide.
In 1996, Abou Nasr & Associates became
the Lebanese member of BKR International.
In 2011, Imad Abou Nasr joined the
firm and is working on expanding the operation in the Middle East.
The first office expansion took place in
2013 with the opening of an office in Iraq,
which assists foreign and local businesses in
shaping their activities according to international and local standards.
Abou Nasr & Associates serve the following sectors:
•Manufacturing
•Healthcare
•Non-profit organizations
•Real estate
•Professional services
•Hospitality
•The firm is working on developing its knowledge in the oil and gas sector to provide all
related services in both Lebanon and Iraq.
•The firm specializes in solving tax-related
matters, and payroll and outsourced services to companies in both Lebanon and Iraq.
Abou Nasr & Associates offers the following services:
Audit Services
•Audit and Advisory:
◦ Internal audit
◦ External audit
◦ Review and compilation of financial
statements
Accounting Services
•Taxation services:
◦ Income tax
◦ Advisory
◦ Property tax, etc.
than 60 years in the accounting, audit, fiscal,
and legal aspects of businesses in different
sectors.
Danielle Al-Jammal is a member of
the LACPA and head of the firm’s Audit
Department. Her experience spans more than
15 years in the audit field.
Imad Abou Nasr is the managing partner
of the office in Iraq. His experience spans
more than 19 years in real estate and advisory services. He is the head of the firm’s
Advisory Department and Business
Development, and is working on expanding its
operation throughout the Middle East.
In June 2013, Abou Nasr & Associates
recruited Amanda Couzi as the office manager for its Beirut branch and as a coordinator
with the Iraqi office. Amanda has a B.A. in
auditing and accounting, and is currently registered at the LACPA to become a CPA. Other
than following up and coordinating between
departments, she is working with upper management in developing a new system for the
firm to be implemented in the firm’s offices, as
well as throughout the region.
REMINDER!
Submissions for the
Consultancy
•Payroll
•Retirement planning and wealth management
Abou Nasr & Associates is composed of
two audit partners and a basic advisory partner.
Habib Abou Nasr, a member of the
Lebanese Association of Certified Public
Accountants (LACPA), is the managing partner
of the Beirut office. His experience spans more
6
January/February 2015 issue
of the BKR International
Worldwide Bulletin are due by
Monday, December 8, 2014.
Electronic formats are preferred for both text (e-mail,
Word, or PDF documents) and
photographs (high-resolution
JPG or TIF files only).
WORLDWIDE
BULLETIN
is a publication of
BKR INTERNATIONAL
BKR
MEMBERSHIP UPDATE
WORLDWIDE CHAIRMAN
Howard Rosen
Conner Ash P.C.
12101 Woodcrest Executive Dr.
Suite 300
St. Louis, Missouri 63141
USA
Phone: 1-314-205-2510/1-314-317-6500
Fax: 1-314-205-2505
Email: [email protected]
WORLDWIDE EXECUTIVE OFFICE
AND AMERICAS REGION
Maureen Schwartz
BKR International Executive Office
19 Fulton Street, Suite 401
New York, New York 10038
USA
Phone: (212) 964-2115
Fax: (212) 964-2133
E-mail: [email protected]
BKR International is pleased to announce
the acceptance of ACERTIS S.à r.l.
(Windhof, Luxembourg) into membership.
Established in 2008, ACERTIS S.à r.l.
offers a variety of accounting services, and
specializes in banking/investment funds, real
estate, private equity, public institutions
(including the European Commission), and
non-profits. The firm comprises Managing
Partner Thibaut Charles de la Brousse and a
staff of three.
BKR ANNOUNCES
2015/2016
Jason Tonjes, Chairman
Bland & Associates, P.C. (Omaha)
E-mail: [email protected]
LEADERSHIP
INSTITUTE
ASIA/PACIFIC REGION
Stephen Roger
Walker Wayland
60 Castlereagh Street
Level 11
Suite 11.01
Sydney, N.S.W., 2000
Australia
Phone: 61 2 9951 5400
Fax: 61 2 9951 5454
E-mail: [email protected]/
[email protected]
Nilar Chan, Chair
East Asia Sentinel Limited (Hong Kong)
E-mail: [email protected]
EMEA REGION
Stephen Hamlet
16 Great Queen Street
Covent Garden
London WC2B 5AH
United Kingdom
Phone: 44 20 7544 4840
Fax: 44 20 7935 6852
E-mail: [email protected]
Nilesh Shah, Chairman
Blick Rothenberg LLP (London)
E-mail: [email protected]
NEWSLETTER STAFF
Editor: Jeremy Jarrell
Contributing Editor: Belinda Rivera
SUBMISSIONS
BKR welcomes news and articles from
member firms, committees, and task
forces, which can be submitted via e-mail,
fax, or mail to BKR’s Executive Office.
Contact Information:
ACERTIS S.à r.l.
20, rue de l'Industrie
L-8399 Windhof
Luxembourg
Phone: 352 27 39 31 30
Fax:
352 27 39 52 14
Contact: Thibaut Charles de la Brousse
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.acertis.lu
BKR International is excited to announce
that registration is now open for its
2015/2016 Leadership Institute!
The program fee is $6,500 per person for
all four sessions, which includes all program
materials, instructor fees, breakfasts, lunches,
coffee breaks, and two group dinners. It does
not include airfare, hotel, or incidental expenses. A maximum of 20 participants will be
accepted to the Institute on a first-come, firstserved basis. Receive an early-bird discount of
$500 if your payment is received before
January 1, 2015.
Register your rising stars at:
h t t p : / / b k r. c o m / b k r - e v e n t . p h p ? B K R Leadership-Institute-Session-1-310.
You may cancel at any time before March
2 to receive a full refund. For cancellations
made between March 2 and May 1, a $500
cancellation fee and any applicable hotel cancellation penalty will apply. There will be no
refunds after May 1, but you may substitute
another member of your firm.
Fee free to contact BKR’s Executive Office
at [email protected] or 800-257-4685 (800-BKRINTL) with any questions.
PROGRAM DATES
Session One:
May 6-8, 2015
St. Louis, Missouri
Session Three:
November 12-13, 2015
Las Vegas, Nevada
Session Two:
August 5-7, 2015
Chicago, Illinois
Session Four:
May TBD, 2016
New York, New York
7
LOGISTA RIDES IN THE NEDBANk SANI2C MOUNTAIN BIkE STAGE RACE
by Jacques Coetzee (Pretoria)
As we turned off on the R617 at Howick
toward Underberg (South Africa), the challenge ahead slowly started to dawn on us. The
road toward Underberg is a series of winding
ups and downs through the Natal Midlands. No
doubt a clear indication of what the route
would be like when we start in the 10th
Nedbank Sani2C mountain bike stage race the
following day. No hill in Pretoria could prepare
us for what lay ahead!
The excitement really picked up at the
Underberg race village, where the quick registration and receiving all sorts of nice goodies
were followed by a few drinks to soothe the
nerves at the VIP lounge.
The nerves were later soothed a little
more when we enjoyed dinner at the Himeville
Arms Hotel, after which we headed back to our
B&B to enjoy the last soft bed for the next two
nights.
The Sani2C mountain bike
race, started by a passionate local
farmer, called Farmer Glen, is a
three-day stage race more than
270 km from Underberg to
Scottburgh.
Farmer Glen’s aim is to give
mountain bikers the chance to
enjoy rides through pristine, privately owned countryside, while
local communities benefit from the
funds raised through entry fees
and sponsorship.
Heinrich Regenass, Jacques Coetzee, Attie
This year, Logista had two
Bosman, and Gerhard Wessels
teams taking part: Heinrich
Regenass and Attie Bosman, and halted in February due to broken ribs from a
Gerhard Wessels and Jacques bad fall on a very technical downhill in Sabie,
Coetzee. Training started early in January but he managed to recover sufficiently to start
with many early Saturday morning rides to up the Sani2C race, albeit with a little more cauContinued on page 11
our fitness levels. Attie’s training was “briefly”
BKR INTERNATIONAL
IN THE PRESS
BKR International is excited to announce
that Anchin, Block & Anchin LLP (New
York) has made Inside Public Accounting's
2014 Best of the Best and Top 100 Firms lists.
The following BKR members made Inside
Public Accounting's 2014 Top 200 Firms list:
Briggs & Veselka Co. (Houston), Ostrow
Reisin Berk & Abrams, Ltd. Certified
Public Accountants (Chicago), Mize
Houser & Company P.A. (Topeka),
Gross, Mendelsohn & Associates, P.A.
(Baltimore), Matson and Isom (Chico), and
Gumbiner Savett Inc. (Los Angeles). View
the reports in their entirety at http://insidepublicaccounting.com.
BKR is also proud to announce that the
following member firms made Accounting
Today's Best Firms to Work For list: Bland &
Associates, P.C. (Omaha), Johanson &
Yau Accountancy Corporation (San
Jose), Rudler, PSC (Cincinnati), and
Snyder Cohn, PC (Washington, D.C.).
BKR International was featured in CPA
Trendlines' article, "5 Must-Do's for Every
Managing Partner Today." Read the article at
http://cpatrendlines.com/2014/08/13/fivethings-for-every-managing-partners-must-dolist.
Accounting Today published BKR’s article, "Five Things on Every Managing Partner's
Must Do List for 2015." Read the article at
http://www.accountingtoday.com/blogs/accoun
ting-tomorrow/five-things-on-every-managing-par tners-must-list-for-2015-722898
1.html.
BKR's "5 Tips for Accounting Firms to
Build Client Loyalty" was featured in CPA
Practice Advisor. Read the complete article at
http://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/news/120
09871/5-tips-for-accounting-firms-to-buildclient-loyalty.
BKR was also featured in the
AccountingWEB article, "Five Priorities for
Managing Partners in 2015." Read the article
at http://www.accountingweb.com/article/5priorities-managing-partners-2015/223799.
AccountingWeb also published BKR's top
recruiting tips in, "The 4 Ways to Attract Top
Recruits to Your Firm." Read the piece at
http://www.accountingweb.com/article/4-waysattract-top-recruits-your-firm/223830.
SIx MONTHS frOM A SHeLL TO ASx
LISTING: WALker WAyLANd NSW
When Singapore-based venture capital
firm 8Capita spotted an opportunity in cloudbased software services, it called on Walker
Wayland NSW (Sydney) to assist with its
plans.
The 8Capita team explained that they
wanted to set up an Australian company that
would buy an Australian software developer.
The new company would then add a compatible product from a Canadian developer that an
8Capita subsidiary already owned. The company would then list on the Australian Stock
Exchange. The project was to be completed in
just six months.
In that short time, the plan called for the
team at Walker Wayland to undertake due diligence for the purchase of the local software
development business and provide assistance
to the new company, 8common Limited, as it
prepared for an initial public offering and listing on the Australian Stock Exchange.
"They started with a blank sheet of paper
in February and listed 8common in the last
week of August," explained Walker Wayland
NSW Audit Partner Grant Allsopp.
According to Zoran Grujic, 8common
director and CFO, Walker Wayland provided
valuable strategic advice to the new company.
"Grant and his team at Walker Wayland
were very thorough in their guidance," he said.
"We were delighted and surprised by their level
of dedication and the long hours they put into
this project to ensure their advice was right.
"They were steadfast in their execution
and alignment to the mandate. It was very
clear in my mind that we had the right advisors."
Grant said that his firm was in a strong
position to complete the project through its
affiliations.
"We called on Advantage Advisors
(Melbourne), another member of the Walker
Wayland Australasia network, and also our col- the extraordinary seem quite smooth."
According to 8common's CEO, Nic Lim,
leagues in the international BKR accounting
association to work with us on a number of "There are clear opportunities for growth from
both our existing markets and Asia Pacific.
aspects of this undertaking," he said.
"We are delighted to have successfully
"A high level of knowledge of international transactions and tax implications was vital to completed the IPO and are particularly pleased
the success of our work. We could not have with the strong level of investor interest out of
Australia and Asia that resulted in the offering
done it alone."
8common's major assets are software being well oversubscribed.
"We have a clearly defined execution
products, Expense8 and Realtors8. Expense8
is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) product roadmap for both continued expansion within
designed to assist companies to process cor- our core markets in Australia and North
porate expense claims, such as credit card America, and growth markets in Asia, where we
expenses, e-invoices, and employee reim- can leverage existing clients in Hong Kong and
bursement expenses through a web and Japan," Lim added.
Besides Singapore and Australia, 8commobile interface. Realtors8 provides real
estate agents and brokers with a web-based mon has employees in Vancouver, Canada, and
content management system that helps users a dedicated outsourced team in the
to create unique websites to list property port- Philippines.
folios.
The new company first purchased the developer of
Expense8. It then bought
8Capita Solutions, a subsidiary
of 8Capita, which owned the real
estate product.
The company's initial public
offering through a prospectus
issued 14 million new shares at
an offer price of A$0.25 to raise
A$3.5 million, valuing the company at $13.5 million. The offer
was oversubscribed.
Grant Allsopp said, "Our
audit and assurance team
worked overtime to help the
8common team with this exciting
new venture. In the end, I think it
was a clear demonstration of
the power of the Walker Wayland
8common Executive Director, Chief Financial
team both in Sydney and Officer, and Company Secretary Zoran Grujic, and
Founder, Managing Director, and Chief Executive
throughout the network to make
Officer Kah Wui "Nic" Lim
9
NICHE NEWS
Americas Region Tax
The Americas Region Tax Committee held
a call on September 17. BKR International Tax
Committee Chair Lien Le (Houston) participated on the call to confirm the topics that
would be discussed during the International
Tax Workshop in San Francisco (38 members
participated). The group also discussed the
new streamlined offshore procedures, PFICs,
and assessments for filing Form 5472 late.
The next meeting will be held on December 17.
Manuel Rangel (Mexico City) will give an
update on his country’s new tax laws.
Business Valuation
The Business Valuation Practice Group
Telemeeting was held on September 22. The
main topic discussed was deferred revenue.
Chair Tom Giordano (New York) encouraged participants to attend the upcoming
AICPA Forensic & Valuation Services
Conference and BKR’s group dinner on
November 10. The next telemeeting will be
held on December 10.
Canadian Tax
The Canadian Tax Practice Group held a
telemeeting on September 9. Topics included
trustees and association issues, stock option
plans and evaluations, beneficiaries of trusts,
executor liability in cases of estate insolvency,
Australian pension funds, voluntary disclosures, car dealerships and offshore companies, and electronic form signatures. The next
telemeeting will be held on December 4.
Firm Administrators
The Firm Administrators Practice Group
held a telemeeting on September 11.
Consultant Lisa Tierney presented a session
on “Team Building.” Her presentation focused
on the personality types identified by The
Enneagram Institute and the strengths, challenges, and development tips, for each. The
next telemeeting will be held on December 16.
Forensic Accounting/Litigation
Support
The Forensic Accounting/Litigation
Support Practice Group Telemeeting was held
on September 29. Agenda topics included
“Hot-Tubbing,” which is an alternative dispute
resolution (ADR) process, “Discovering Hidden
Assets in Matrimonial Cases,” “Employee NonCompete Contracts - Lost Earnings
Computation Versus Lost Value in Entity,” and
“Marketing Webinar Presentations.” Chair
Dave Hammel (Detroit) also shared tips for
gaining experience in this niche area. The next
telemeeting will be held on January 12.
State and Local Tax (SALT)
On October 27, Nishant Mittal, a cofounder of tech company, Monaeo, gave a
webinar about their smartphone app that
helps individuals and companies manage
multi-jurisdiction tax exposure by tracking
where they’ve been and how many more days
they can spend somewhere before triggering a
tax liability. For more information, contact
Nishant at [email protected]. The group
will hold their next telemeeting on January 26.
Continued on page 11
CHAIRMAN’S LETTER (Continued)
Continued from page 1
upcoming meetings. For more information, see
page 7.
If you were not able to attend this year’s
Annual Worldwide Meeting, there are still plenty of opportunities to network with fellow BKR
members during the next two months at the
U.S. Tax Workshop on November 7 in Chicago,
the EMEA Audit/Business Services and Tax
Meetings on November 24 in Amsterdam, and
at the Managing Partner Roundtables on
December 8 in Las Vegas. In addition, connect
via teleconference at a dozen different practice
group telemeetings scheduled before year’s
end.
And, it’s not too early to start planning for
the next round of BKR’s regional meetings in
2015: the Asia/Pacific Regional Meeting at the
Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Chengdu, China, from May
9-11; the EMEA Regional Meeting at the
Radisson Blu Waterfront in Stockholm, Sweden,
from May 16-18; and the Americas Regional
Meeting at the Westin Hotel in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, USA, from June 5-9. Our banner
event of 2015, BKR’s Annual Worldwide
Meeting, will be held October 31 through
November 3 in another wonderful city – Paris
– the City of Light!
Also next year, the BKR Leadership
Institute begins its bi-annual session in May
2015, so you’ll want to be sure and seize this
opportunity to train your best and brightest
senior managers and new partners (see page
7 for more information). The class is already
more than half filled, so be sure to register by
December 31 to ensure a seat and get a $500
discount off of the registration fee.
BKR’s full schedule of 2014-2015 meetings and telemeetings can be found on page
16. Strengthening your relationships with fel10
low members at meetings and telemeetings is
one of the best ways to leverage your membership in BKR.
I enjoyed seeing so many of you in San
Francisco, and I hope that everyone found the
meeting to be as productive and informative as
I did. With your support and dedication, I am
certain that we can achieve new levels of
excellence as we enter into our next quartercentury.
I would like to wish you a happy, healthy,
and safe holiday season, and I look forward to
seeing you in 2015!
Regards,
Howard Rosen
LOGISTA RIDES IN THE NEDBANk SANI2C MOUNTAIN BIkE STAGE RACE
(Continued)
Continued from page 8
tion on the dowhills!
Day 1 – 82 km
It was the next morning, and the excitement was high, as we set off in our respective
starting batches. The day’s route had many
vantage points (nothing else than steep up
hills!) to enjoy the spectacular views of the
Drakensberg Mountains behind us. The highlight of the day was the PG Bison Bridge, a
unique 200-meter long, curved, submerged
and floating bridge.
The day’s route ended with a stinging 2
km uphill toward the Mackenzie Country Club,
where the teams of two shared a tent for the
night. Food and beverages were available in
excess to replenish energy levels from the
day’s riding.
Day 2 – 99 km
Day two is undoubtedly the day every
mountain biker loves… and then hates. After
7 km, a 30-km, hand-built, single track downhill descending into the mighty Umkomaas
River Valley opens up. The views are spectacular, although only briefly, as you have to keep
your eyes on the route or you might have an
accelerated straight line drop to the bottom.
After this adrenaline rush, you hit the 40-km
mark at the bottom of the valley, and the
Sani2C’s tagline “Life’s not all downhill…”
suddenly becomes reality; for what goes down
must come up! The next 35 km are a constant
battle against gravity to work your way out of
Umkomaas Valley.
An absolute lifesaver is the Nando’s burgers at the 65-km mark. The freshly prepared
burgers and typical Nando’s style tongue-incheek advertising as you near the stop do
wonders to lift the spirit. With re-energized
spirits, we tackled the last climb out of the valley, which included the steep hill aptly called APush-of-a-Climb.
Just to make sure that you forget all the
climbing out of the valley (and obviously
return again next year), the 99-km end is a
fast downhill section into Jolivet Farm. The
night at Jolivet is characterized by the tasty
food in abundance (obviously steaks as
required by Tim Noakes!) and the day’s many
tales of riders conquering the mighty
Umkomaas.
Day 3 – 84 km
Day 3 is almost just a formality; I say
almost, as it is still an 84-km ride, but, compared to day two, this is just so much faster
and easier, and a more enjoyable ride through
sugar cane fields and indigenous forests.
Farmer Glen certainly leaves the best for
last: all the advice on the previous night of
GeT reAdy fOr
expO MILANO!
Expo Milano 2015 has been announced
and will be held in Milan, Italy, from May 1
through October 31, 2015. More than 130
countries have already committed to participating in the global exposition, whose theme
this year is “Feeding the Planet, Energy for
Life.” The site of the exhibition will cover one
million square meters, and organizers expect
more than 20 million visitors during the 184day event.
If any BKR member firms or their clients
are interested in participating, feel free to contact Angelo Colombo (Milan) for assistance.
For
more
information,
visit
http://www.expo2015.org.
11
what to do and what not to do on the 800meter floating bridge over the lagoon at
Scottburgh does not help to put one at ease,
as you suddenly hit it just before finishing the
race. Just as you thought you are certainly
going to have a premature swim in the sea,
you roll onto a hard surface, and the race ends
on the beach with a Nando’s burger in hand
and a photo of your team with Farmer Glen
himself.
The event has many memorable elements, from the sheer organizational magnitude required to organize the catering, showers, and sleeping spots for the almost 4,000
riders that take part, to the finer details of
having “chill” lounges with cappuccinos and
doughnuts on tap. But the most memorable is
certainly the beauty of the area and the proud
cheering faces of the local communities, as
you ride through their manicured single tracks.
As the whole experience slowly settles in, it is
then that you realize you want to make the rest
of the Sani2C tagline your own…
”Life’s not all downhill…so…make
things happen.”
NICHE
NEWS
(Continued)
Continued from page 10
Technology (Internal)
The Technology (Internal) Practice Group
held a telemeeting on August 11. Topics included antivirus software, spam filtering,
CryptoLocker, hard drive imaging, solid state
drive encryption, phone systems, risk assessment, mobile device management, BitLocker
PIN management, Thomson Reuters Creative
Solutions Accounting, the new Engagement
update, and antivirus exclusions. The next telemeeting will be held on November 10.
MEMBER nEWs and noTEs
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Ostrow Reisin Berk & Abrams,
Ltd. (ORBA) has been ranked as one of the
largest accounting firms in Chicago, according
to an annual survey published by Crain's
Chicago Business. The firm moves up the rankings this year to 16th place. The Largest
Accounting Firms survey, published in the
September 29 issue of Crain's Chicago
Business, is calculated based on the size of
local professional staff as of June 30. The list
of 25 firms range in size from 65 to 3,834
professional staff in the six-county area (Cook,
DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will
Counties).
Steven Lewis, CPA, has been named a
2014 Five Star Certified Public Accountant by
Five Star Professional. Steve is among an elite
group of award winners who are featured in
the November issue of Chicago magazine.
Steve specializes in serving high net worth
individuals, including physicians, attorneys,
professional athletes, consultants, and other
entrepreneurs. A practicing CPA since 1970,
Steve joined ORBA in February 2006 and has
been a member of the firm's Wealth
Management, Health Care, and Restaurant
Groups.
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Rudler, PSC has announced that the
board of directors of Be Concerned, Inc. elected Mike Lenihan, CPA,
to serve as its president.
Mike is president of
Rudler,
PSC.
Be
Concerned operates one
of the largest free food
pantries in Northern
Kentucky. They assist Mike Lenihan
more than 825 families a
month in the community.
Lori Warden, CPA,
has been appointed by
Governor Steve Beshear
to the State Board of
Accountancy. Lori is a
senior manager at Rudler, Lori Warden
PSC. The Kentucky State Board of
Accountancy is a state agency responsible for
protecting the public by licensing and regulating CPAs and CPA firms in Kentucky. The board
is composed of seven members appointed by
the governor to serve four-year terms. Six
members are CPAs, and one is a citizen member.
Christopher Guidugli, CPA, was
selected as one of three finalists for the 2014
Next Generation Leader Award for business
and financial services.
Chris is a supervisor at
the firm. The award recognizes the region's
young professionals for
significant accomplishments in their profession,
Chris Guidugli as well as their commitment and contribution to the community. Chris
was selected for his quick succession from
staff accountant to senior accountant and
serving leadership roles for the firm.
The firm has also announced that John
Wood has joined as a staff accountant. He
will specialize in business
and individual tax, as well
as accounting services,
while completing the testing and experience
requirements for the CPA
designation. John began
John Wood
his career at Rudler as an
intern in 2013 and continued with the firm
through his college years. He came on board
full-time in 2014.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Kanaan
&
Associates
Certified Public Accountants &
Advisors have highlighted their BKR membership in a new firm brochure, which is available
for
download
at
http://bkr.com/cmsAdmin/uploads/kanaanand-associates-brochure.pdf.
Jacksonville, Florida, USA
The LBA Group is pleased to
12
announce that Jamien
Durrence has joined the
firm as director of Human
Resources
and
Administration. Jamien
has more than 25 years
of experience in human
resources and operaJamien
Durrence
tional
management.
Jamien is a member of the Society for Human
Resources Management (SHRM) and serves
as a board member for the LaVilla Foundation.
She is a past member of the Jacksonville
Business Women's Organization.
Lefkosia (Nicosia), Cyprus
Euroglobal SEE Audit Limited is
pleased to announce that Argus Audit
S.R.L., its office in Bucharest, Romania, has
been honored at the 20th Congress of
Romanian Chamber of Chartered Accountants
as a “High Quality Provider of Professional
Services.” The award is given every two years
at the Romanian Accounting Profession
Congress, organised by the Romanian
Chamber of Chartered Accountants. This
year's congress took place in Bucharest on
September 12-13. The main topic discussed at
the event was “New Dimensions and
Challenges of the Accounting Profession:
Competitiveness, Innovation, and Compliance.”
Receiving the award is a distinct honour that
demonstrates the firm’s long-term commitment, and delivering the highest levels of personal client service and advice.
Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Deming, Malone, Livesay &
Ostroff, PSC is pleased to announce that
Chris Ward will succeed Jennifer Hughes
as president, effective April 30. The change in
leadership is part of a planned rotation in
leadership roles, according to a news release.
The president's role is a five-year term.
During Jennifer’s time as president, she
helped lead the firm through a transition of its
second generation of partners, formalized its
Continued on page 13
MEMBER nEWs and noTEs
(Continued)
Continued from page 12
vision and strategic plan, helped with the
acquisition of Weinberg & Associates PSC in
2011, and continued the firm's consistent
growth, which included the addition of five
partners. She will continue to work with the
leadership team to implement firm strategy
and initiatives, in addition to devoting more
time to working directly with clients in the longterm care and not-for-profit industries.
Chris began his accounting career with
DMLO in 1996 and has been a director since
2007. He has served on the firm’s Executive
Committee since its formation. As president,
Chris will be responsible for the development of
the firm’s specialty groups and for its expansion through organic growth and acquisitions.
Passing the baton: Chris Ward and
Jennifer Hughes
The firm has also announced that it is
changing its brand name to DMLO CPAs.
DMLO has won the 2014 When Work
Works Award from the Families and Work
Institute. Read the full story at
http://dmlo.com/dmlocpas-wins-national-workplace-award.
The Association of
Certified Fraud Examiners
(ACFE) recently awarded
Renee
Gehring,
supervisor with DMLO Renee Gehring
CPAs, the globally preferred certified fraud
examiner (CFE) credential. Renee is a CPA with
more than five years of experience practicing
public accounting in the Louisville area.
Los Angeles, California, USA
Gumbiner Savett Inc. is pleased to
announce the promotion of Yunhee Chung,
Helena Song, and Jane Zhou to senior
manager in the Audit and Accounting
Department.
Yunhee specializes in attestation work,
including financial statement audits and
401K/employee benefit plan audits. She has
experience in both public
and non-public growth
businesses in various
industries, including manufacturing, information
technology, construction,
wholesale, pharmaceutical, and nonprofit organi- Yunhee Chung
zations. Yunhee also provides income tax services and personal financial statements for
wealthy individuals and trusts.
Helena provides attestation services to
companies in both public
and non-public sectors.
She specializes in midsized companies, and
works with clients in multiple industries, including
manufacturing and distribution, asset manage- Helena Song
ment firms, real
estate funds, home
developers, owneroperators,
and
property
managers.
Jane has worked with
both public and non-public companies. She provides attestation services
and accounting guidance
to clients in the real
estate, contractor, and
construction sectors, Jessamyn Lim
including home developers, commercial/residential lessors, and construction and residential mortgage lenders and
investors.
The firm has also
announced
that Ma Su Myat
Jessamyn Lim and Ma Su Myat were
promoted to manager in the Tax Department.
Mt. Arlington, New Jersey, USA
Members of Nisivoccia LLP, along
with friends and family of employee Harlene
Stevens, participated in the Mayor's
Run/Walk to Break the Silence on Ovarian
Cancer on September 14. Harlene, a volunteer
member of the National Ovarian Cancer
Coalition, coordinated Team Linda in memory
of her sister, Linda Hope Schumer. Team Linda
raised more than $6,000, which will be used to
increase awareness of the early symptoms of
ovarian cancer. Nisivoccia LLP was a sponsor
of the event. There were more than 800 participants in the race, which took place in West
Continued on page 14
Team Linda at Mayor's Run/Walk to Break the Silence on
Ovarian Cancer on September 14
Jane Zhou
13
MEMBER nEWs and noTEs
(Continued)
Continued from page 13
Orange, New Jersey.
New York, New York, USA
Anchin, Block & Anchin LLP has
Deirdre Hartmann, CPA and Health
more than 15 years of experience. Chris is a
member of the Firm's Technology Industry
Group and Construction Industry Group. He
specializes in working with aggressively growing entrepreneurial businesses to well established, privately held companies.
announced a new principal and partners.
Care Practice Group leader, attended the 2014
Tamir Dardashtian, esq., is a tax prinNew York Metro Ambulatory Surgery Center cipal and licensed attorney in Anchin's Tax
(ASC) Symposium, enti- Department, and brings a
tled, "Bringing Together distinctive outlook and
ASC Leaders throughout expertise to his clients. He
Omaha, Nebraska, USA
New York." Topics includ- is a member of the firm's
Bland & Associates, P.C. has released a
ed Managed Care & ASCs, Private Client Group and
new video in its BlandVision series on benchfeaturing representatives its Trust & Estates
marking, available at http://bza.me/?TYU1X8.
from New York's major Services
Group.
More firm videos are available at
managed
care
providers;
Throughout
his
career,
https://www.youtube.com/user/chiprender/vide
Tamir
Deirdre
Hartmann
HIPAA Compliance for Tamir has handled all Dardashtian
os and http://blandcpa.com/video.
ASCs; Unique Challenges to Opening and aspects of taxation and planning for high net
Managing an ASC in the NY Market; Evaluating worth families and large
Paris, France
& Selling an ASC; and more. Ambulatory trusts and estates.
Exponens Conseil & Expertise has
Surgery Centers is a focused segment for the
Yair Holtzman,
announced that, on September 14, 12 female
firm.
CPA, is a partner at
co-workers of Exponens took up the challenge
Steve Van Houten, director of Human Anchin, Block & Anchin
of "La Parisienne," an annual race for the fight
Resources, participated in the Centenary LLP, where he is a memagainst breast cancer. La Parisienne is the
College Summer Culture and Language ber of the firm's Tax
largest all-female running meet in Europe.
Program mock interviews sessions. Steve, Credits & Incentives Yair Holtzman Much more than a simple run, it's a mix of
Group. He is
the practice
leader of the
Research &
Development
(R&D)
Tax
Credits Group.
He has more
than 20 years
of experience
with national
p u b l i c
a
ccounting
Nisivoccia volunteers participated in the
Centenary College Summer Culture and
and manageLanguage Program mock interviews sessions.
ment consultalong with other volunteers, helped the stu- ing firms, focusing on fedThe Exponens running team
dents prepare for their post-college interviews. eral tax consulting issues
show, challenge, and sport. The morning, filled
Bob
Charlton,
and assisting senior execwith emotion, was a great, cohesive opportunipartner at the firm,
utives with strategy develty for the Exponens team members. Their wish
authored "Select the
opment and implementafor 2015? Doing it again by increasing the
Appropriate Business
tion.
number!
Valuation Engagement,"
Christopher
The firm would also like to announce that
which was published in
Noble, CPA, is an
Jacqueline Wolfovski's nomination as
the New Jersey Law
accounting and audit Christopher
vice c hair man and tr easur er of BKR's
Noble
Bob Charlton
Journal.
partner at the firm with
Continued on page 15
14
MEMBER nEWs and noTEs
(Continued)
Continued from page 14
Worldwide Board was mentioned on
Wednesday, September 24, in Les Echos, a
French business and financial daily newspaper.
Philadelphia Region,
Pennsylvania, USA
St. Clair CPA Solutions was recently
honored to receive the Arc of Lehigh and
Northampton
Counties’
"Outstanding
Business" Award. Shareholder Alan
Gubernick, CPA, accepted the award on
behalf of the firm at the Arc's annual One Step
Forward Celebration on May 20 at Muhlenberg
College, where Alan also serves on the college's Board of Observers. The Arc's mission
is to advocate, educate, and provide services
and support for people with intellectual and
developmental disabilities and their families.
Frances Sperling Feldbaum, CPA,
MBA, and principal of St. Clair CPA Solutions,
who has special expertise serving nonprofit
clients, has been named an ambassador of the
Greater
Philadelphia
Chamber of Commerce
(GPCC), where she is also
a frequent panelist at
GPCC seminars for nonprofit organizations. Fran
is active in Philadelphia's
nonprofit community both
Frances
Sperling
professionally and perFeldbaum
sonally; upon completing
the Arts & Business Council of Greater
Philadelphia's Business on Board program,
she joined the board of directors of BalletX,
Philadelphia's premier contemporary ballet
company, for which she now serves as treasurer.
The firm welcomed three new certified
public accountants. On July 21, Justin
Stolte, CPA, joined the professional staff as
an accounting and auditing manager, bringing a
dozen years of accounting experience. Senior Tax
John
Accountant
Campbell, III, CPA, and
Staff Accountant Dohee
Han, CPA, also joined the Justin Stolte
firm this summer. Employees Michael
Gallagher, CPA, and Joseph Marino, CPA,
were promoted to accounting supervisors.
pleasure, culture, short and (at least for
accountants!) long walking tours, and beautiful
conviviality. The group also stopped for a
sparkling wine session at the winery, Tenuta
Ambrosini, in Cazzago San Martino, and for a
wine tasting session at the winery, Allegrini, in
Villa della Torre.
Almost one full day was spent in Verona,
where the group had a guided sightseeing
walk, including a visit of the arena where the
"alpini" (Italian mountain rangers) were celebrating, and a dinner of regional specialties –
not the only tasty meal they enjoyed during
these four days.
They returned to Switzerland with lots of
emotions and celebrated the end of the trip on
white-covered tables at a clearing in the woods
with a picnic lunch (prepared by the founder's
brother) that rounded off the culinary delights
of the last four days. It truly was a trip to
remember for all of the staff and partners, and
the firm is looking forward to the 30th anniversary trip!
Zürich, Switzerland
Like BKR International, Ferax
Treuhand AG is also celebrating its 25th
anniversary this year. The firm was established
in 1989 in Zürich and has grown to about 25
employees today, providing a variety of audit,
legal, tax, accounting, and business consulting
services.
For the firm's anniversary, it invited all
employees
and
their companions to
a four-day trip to
the Veneto region
in Italy. A coach was
chartered and a
group of 36 people
enjoyed a lovely
and eventful sightseeing tour from
Zürich to Bergamo,
Bardolino, Verona,
Sondrio, and back
via Savognin to
Zürich. The journey
offered a program
Ferax Treuhand employees tour Bergomo.
full of sensory
HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM YOUR
EXECUTIVE OFFICE TEAM!
15
MEETIng/TElEMEETIng sChEdulE
2014
2015
November 3
Future Leaders Practice Group Telemeeting [12:00 p.m. Eastern Time]
November 4
Real Estate and Construction/Affordable Housing Joint Practice Group Teleseminar*
November 7
U.S. Tax Practice Group Meeting
Hilton Chicago O'Hare Airport
Chicago, Illinois, USA
November 10
Technology (Internal) Practice Group Telemeeting*
November 12
Medical Practices and Health Care Practice Group Telemeeting*
November 17
Financial Services Practice Group Telemeeting*
November 20
Auto Dealers Practice Group Telemeeting*
November 24
EMEA Audit/Business Services and Tax Meetings
Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Hotel
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
December 3
High Net Worth Families/Estate Planning Practice Group Telemeeting*
December 3
Marketing Practice Group Telemeeting*
December 4
Canadian Tax Practice Group Telemeeting*
December 8
Managing Partner Roundtables
The Bellagio Hotel
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
December 9
Business Development Practice Group Telemeeting [2:30 p.m. Eastern Time]
December 10
Business Valuation Practice Group Telemeeting*
December 16
Firm Administrators Practice Group Telemeeting*
December 17
Americas Region Tax Practice Group Telemeeting*
January 12
Forensic Accounting/Litigation Support Practice Group Telemeeting*
January 26
SALT Practice Group Telemeeting*
January 27
Human Resources Practice Group Telemeeting*
March 9
BIG Subregional Meeting
Offices of Blick Rothenberg LLP
London, United Kingdom
May 6-8
BKR Leadership Institute (Session 1)
Hilton St. Louis Downtown at the Arch
St. Louis, Missouri, USA
May 9-11
ASIA/PACIFIC REGIONAL MEETING
The Ritz-Carlton
Chengdu, China
May 16-18
EMEA REGIONAL MEETING
Radisson Blu Waterfront Hotel
Stockholm, Sweden
June 5
June 5
June 5-9
BKR Leadership Institute Reunion
Governmental/Not-for-Profit Accounting and Auditing Practice Group Meeting
AMERICAS REGIONAL MEETING
The Westin Hotel
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
August 5-7
BKR Leadership Institute (Session 2)
Embassy Suites Chicago - Downtown
Chicago, Illinois, USA
October 31 - November 3
ANNUAL WORLDWIDE MEETING
The Westin Vendome
Paris, France
November 12-13
BKR Leadership Institute (Session 3)
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
* All telemeetings are held at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time except where noted.
16