Hello Fellow Akron Chapter Members,

I hope everyone is enjoying a nice relaxing summer with your families and friends. I am sorry to say that the end of summer is not all that far away. With that in mind, have you given any thought to continuing education programs available through both your local chapter and National Headquarters?

There are a number of programs available to you at reasonable costs. Continuing Professional Education (CPE) is a benefit to you even if you are not required to earn CPEs due to your certification. Your efforts to obtain additional training are one way to show your employer, current or future, that you are interested in advancing yourself professionally.

Your local chapter offers our pre-tech and dinner speaker programs on subjects that are geared towards topics of interest to many of our members. This program is an easy way to earn up to 15 hours of CPE. We will also be holding our second annual Professional Development Seminar in December of 2006. This one-day event will be filled speakers covering a number of subjects. The chapter will continue to offer a CMA review program. Let’s not forget about the Ohio Council Meonske Conference at Kent State. There are a number of Akron chapter members who volunteer their time to plan and run this incredible event.

National headquarters is also dedicated to bringing certification programs to both IMA members and the business community. National currently offers the Holmes CMA review course. They are also rolling out a new course on Sarbanes-Oxley. These courses and other materials are offered to the membership at a discounted rate not available to non-IMA members.

So plan to take advantage of the opportunities to advance your career offered by your chapter and National Headquarters. If you need further information go to the national website, your chapter’s website, or contact Steve Law, Director of CMA & CFM Programs.

Enjoy, Dean C. Hull II

The 87th Annual Conference & Expo at the Rio All- Suites Hotel in Las Vegas (June 17 – 21) was my third IMA National Conference, but about 20 years since I last attended one. Much has changed over the years. We used to collect patches from the various states, trade them with fellow IMAers, and display them on a banner sash, but no more. After the CPE sessions ended for the day, we used to frequent various state hospitality rooms and socialize throughout the evening, but the only hospitality rooms I found in Las Vegas were the combined Ohio Council/Michigan Council room and the host Wild West Council room. Maybe the answer was this was Las Vegas with so much night life available, who needs a hospitality suite?

I did find the course offerings a lot more professional than years ago - earning 25.5 hours CPE credit (on basically Sarbanes-Oxley internal control topics, but there were other tracks available if you wanted them) and enjoyed such speakers as former FASB Chairman Dennis Beresford, Sam Mok (CFO of the U.S. Department of Labor), and Michael Zanoni (Boeing’s Director of Financial Compliance). Mr. Zanoni discussed the Top 10 complaints by companies completing one or more IC assessments, and suggested some best practices for a sustainable compliance effort (break the Year One model and perform value re-engineering of the assessment process, create an anticipatory rather than reactive control environment, shift key control focus to preventative and automated types of controls, etc.). He included some other tips that I would like to implement at my job during Year Three of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. The IMA also introduced its launch of a new SOX assessment framework – CARD: ME (Collaborative Assurance and Risk Design: Management Edition).

But all was not work during the Saturday – Wednesday Conference. I was able to reminiscence and party with former Akron chapter president Mike Pelech (now incoming president of the Memphis chapter, which finished #2 in Stevenson competition), former Akron Cascade chapter president Rich Martorano (who is now a member of the Columbus chapter), former Akron chapter president Brent Smith (now in California), and Sandy Brenner (Cleveland East chapter). Also attending from Ohio were 2 other Akron chapter members (Shelly Butcher and Barbara Hagler), 3 members from Canton chapter (Joyce Keane, Pam Porubcansky, and Mark Schoolcraft), Ohio Council officials (Nancy Garibay from Toledo and Stacey Stratis from Dayton), and folks from the KSU Conference (planning committee member Pat Smith from Columbus chapter and bank fraud/ethics speaker Gary Cerasi).

At a Tuesday luncheon session, I accepted the gold medal for Akron chapter’s 3-year Membership Retention Award, and at the Wednesday evening banquet, I accepted the 10th place Stevenson Banner award for Akron chapter while being escorted to the dais by Ohio Regional Vice President Nancy Garibay (seen on Akron chapter’s current website standing to the extreme right of Mike Pelech). My wife Patrice had a great time enjoying the pool at the Rio, but did take one day to tour the west rim of the Grand Canyon and a visit to a Hopi Indian village. We concluded our fabulous week in Vegas with a couple of days vacation at the Bellagio Hotel where I really enjoyed swimming laps in their 55 meter pool (old Masters swimmers never die).

Ken Bechtol

This summer, we are updating the roster section of the Annual Program Book, which will be distributed in September. As a source document, Ken Bechtol is using a chapter dump dated 7-5-06. Please review your information on the IMA National website by going to www.imanet.org and then following this path in the "Members Only" block at the lower left-hand side of the screen: Username (your IMA account number, found above your name on the label of your Strategic Finance magazine), Password (usually your last name), click "Go", and click "My Profile". When screen displays your information, update any necessary changes to your "Home" & "Business" address, phone numbers, and e-mail address, and review your "Demographics" data. Be sure to logout after your website update. If you changed any personal information on your website entry, please notify Ken Bechtol because he will be using the 7-5-06 chapter dump information to update the roster section of the Program Book. This section will reflect your name, any credential designations (CMA, CFM, CPA, etc.), employer name, work phone and e-mail address. If you would rather reflect your home phone number and e-mail address (rather than work information), please advise Ken Bechtol accordingly by August 15.

IMA Akron Chapter Announces Plans for 2006-2007 CMA Education Program

• Starting September
• Chapter Sponsored
• Instructor led review class Part 1 Business Analysis (New Exam Version)
• Discounted Study Material to Group Members
• On-line Self Study Programs
• January 2007 - Return of University of Akron / IMA Akron Chapter Review
• Updated Learning System from Holmes Corporation

We are also looking for interested Course Instructor candidates (CMA/CPA Certification a must)

For further information: E-mail Steve Law or phone (330) 666-8395.

Recruiting good candidates in a tight labor market is definitely a challenge and the overall costs of finding the right candidate can become costly. Hiring mistakes can result in many wasted man hours from the employee, managers, peers, and H.R. personnel. Also, the length of time required to find a replacement increases when candidates are scarce. Did you know that the average direct cost of filling an exempt position according to the Employment Management Association is $10,500? That figure does not include H.R. salaries, management interview time, and candidate travel expense and it also does not include the cost of the vacancy. Back in 1999, the average time to fill an exempt position was two and ½ months. Christine Guest, Staffing Consultant WorkPlace Staffing Services, 650 Graham Rd, Suite 106 Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221 (330) 926-1880 (330) 926-9511 Fax

With retention becoming an ever-increasing concern for managers, improving rapport with staff has taken on greater importance. Positive relationships between an employee and supervisor can be the difference-maker in whether someone remains with an employer. In fact, research by our company has found that an employee’s relationship with his or her manager has the greatest impact on the level of job satisfaction.

Organizations seeking to improve retention rates and team continuity must nurture a culture in which employees feel valued and engaged. Professionals who genuinely enjoy interacting with their supervisors and peers not only make the office more enjoyable, but also produce better work and show the greatest motivation and loyalty.

Here are some tips that can help you foster better relationships with members of your team:

• Get into the trenches. Employees respect managers who roll up their sleeves and pitch in to help when necessary, so make sure to take on your fair share of less-than-desirable tasks and projects. Also consider getting into the trenches, literally. If appropriate, choose an office in close proximity to your team so you are visible and easily accessible.
• Build trust. Encouraging prudent risk-taking demonstrates your faith in employees’ ability to accomplish specific tasks and manage their time and activities efficiently. This will increase their confidence and provide a sense of ownership. When new ideas succeed, openly compliment team members who made the initial suggestions, as well as those who implemented them. Make it clear that no one will be penalized for taking wise and carefully considered risks, regardless of the results.
• Be a good listener. Effective communication goes beyond the spoken word. Experienced managers spend more time listening than talking because they know that employees whose concerns and opinions are heard and acted upon are more likely to perform their best. Staff members who feel comfortable communicating with supervisors also are more likely to maintain a sense of loyalty to their department and organization.

Many businesses have made strides in recent years in creating more worker-friendly environments, and managers’ relationships with their staff are a key part of this effort. Personnel structures and group dynamics change continually, and managers must be attuned to these shifts so they can nurture and maintain an environment where people enjoy working with each other -- and with their managers.

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All Meetings are on the third Wednesday of the Month

9/20/2006 Tangier Restaurant

10/18/2006 Tangier Restaurant

1/10/2007 2nd Wednesday Joint Luncheon Meeting with ASWA - 12:00 Noon @ Fairlawn Hilton Inn

1/17/2007 Tangier Restaurant No Pre-Tech Session (heavy hors d'oeuvres will be provided at 5:30 PM prior to short tech session meeting starting at 6:15 PM)

2/21/2007 Akron U Student Union

3/21/2007 Tangier Restaurant

4/18/2007 KSU Student Center

5/16/2007 Tangier Restaurant

This Schedule will be updated as confirmed.

Akron Chapter Professional Development Seminar - 7 hours CPE 12/8/2006 (Friday) - Tangier Restaurant (532 W. Market St., Akron, 330-376-7171)