Fellow Akron IMA Members:

I truly hope that you enjoy your summer, and look forward to seeing you in September.

Thank You,
Douglas R. Rinearson
President
Akron Chapter IMA

September 16, 2009
October 21, 2009
November 18, 2009
January 20, 2010
February 17, 2010
March 17, 2010
April 21, 2010
May 19, 2010

Dinner cost for the regular meetings is $25 (or $23 using the Pay Pal option) and $10 per Pre-Tech Session.

Jeff Falter and Doreen Kuster are in the process of finding topics and speakers for the upcoming year. If you have any topics you would like to hear, or speakers you have heard or would be interested in speaking, please contact Jeff or Doreen.

IMA Akron Chapter
CMA Review Class News
Look What's Coming

The CMA Review course will return again this fall at the University of Akron through the Continuing Education Department. Please contact the University CED at (330) 972-7577 or Steve Law, IMA Akron Chapter Director of CMA Education (330) 666-8395

Part 3 Strategic Management - September 12 & 19 ; October 3 & 10
Part 4 Business Applications (Prerequisite: Pass/Waive Part 1, Passed Parts 2 and 3) October 31; November 7, 14 & 21

Thanks, hope you are having a nice summer.
Steve

Please contact Roy Howarter if you have a job available or are looking for an employment opportunity.

Roy Howarter - Akron IMA Employment Director, 1- 800-321-5583

President -----------------------------Douglas Rinearson
VP Administration ------------------Dean Hull II
Past President ---------------------Becky Price
VP Communication ---------------Diane Saulino
VP Prof. Education ----------------Jeff Falter
VP Membership --------------------Yelena Kemp
Treasurer ---------------------------- Dean Hull II
Secretary -----------------------------Steve Law
Director, CMA Program -----------Steve Law
Director, Student Relations ------Lisa Morgan
Director, Program Book -----------Gary Floyd
Webmaster ---------------------------Gary Floyd
Director, Employment, Insurance and Archives --- Roy Howarter
Director, Newsletter --------------------Shirley Calvin
Assoc. Director, Speakers ------------Doreen Kuster
Assoc. Director, Program Book ------Ken Bechtol
Chair, Nominating Committee -------Becky Price
Director, Technical and Board Meeting Facilitation & Attendance- -Susan Arnold
Director, Chapter Awards ---------Doreen Kuster
Director, December PD Seminar ------ Diane Saulino
Associate Director, Young Professional Group - Alicia Letchworth
Associate Director, Member Attendance - Jack Brillhart
Chair- Audit-------------------------------- Christopher Reed

The chapter is co-sponsoring an event with Cleveland East chapter at Northfield Park Racetrack on August 17th. The dinner/meeting cost is $20 and we will receive one-hour CPE credit on the topic of gaming in the State of Ohio. Registration Info

Congratulations to the following participants of the spring CMA review class at the University of Akron who passed Part 2 of the exam
Lee Hilton
Barbara Hagler
Sharon Wright

This summer, we are updating the Membership Roster section of the Annual Program Book, which will be distributed in September. As a source document for membership information, Ken Bechtol is using a chapter dump dated 7-2-09. Please review your information on the IMA National website by going to www.imanet.org and then follow 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 address label of Strategic Finance magazine), Password (usually your last name, unless you changed your password), click "Go", and click "My Profile". When screen displays your information, update any necessary changes to your "Home" and "Business" addresses, 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 after 7-2-09, please notify Ken Bechtol (Ken.Bechtol@davey.com) because he will be using the 7-2-09 chapter dump information for the membership roster section of the program book, unless you notify him differently. 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 display your home phone number and e-mail address (rather than work information), please advise Ken Bechtol accordingly by August 15.

Winston Churchill famously observed that, "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." Despite the very real challenges presented by the difficult economic climate, positive-minded, creative business leaders are uncovering ways to position their firms for both short- and long-term growth. Based on Robert Half International's recently released guide, 7 Hidden Business Opportunities in Today's Economy, here are several strategies for emerging from the downturn stronger than ever:

Nourish Grassroots Ideas
The most revolutionary ideas don't always come from the top. Employees "in the trenches" are particularly motivated to come up with new solutions in tough times because they know their livelihoods are tied to the company's success. Listen to them.
Emphasize to every member of your accounting team, regardless of their level, that you're interested in hearing their suggestions. Provide handy tools, such as internal blogs, intranet sites or even suggestion boxes, to encourage employees to share their thoughts on improving processes, consolidating functions, boosting morale and saving money.

Strengthen Your Talent Bench
Hiring activity is down, but some progressive companies are shrewdly bringing aboard top accounting professionals. Many outstanding performers are now on the employment sidelines through no fault of their own. Even as you closely monitor budgets, it makes long-term sense to selectively hire talented individuals who may be difficult to attract in more robust times. This is especially true if these candidates are proficient in multiple areas or have specialized expertise that can help you both now and when conditions improve.
And once hired, don't make the mistake of assuming these strong employees are so good they don't need your support. Identify opportunities for them to continue growing.

Invest in Training
Now's the time to reinforce training efforts - not cut them. Trimming developmental opportunities may save you money immediately but can cost dearly in the long run. Employees who feel their company is not invested in their careers will be the first to jump ship when an improving economy brings new job opportunities. Continuing to make professional development a priority will help you build a more skilled, versatile and loyal staff.
You can still stay within budget by using low-cost, high- reward initiatives ranging from launching a formal mentoring program to sponsoring weekly brownbag training classes. You may be able to interest recently retired employees in leading some of the sessions or ask current team members who recently attended an important industry conference or seminar to share what they learned with their colleagues.

For more ideas about building business in a downturn, see 7 Hidden Business Opportunities in a Challenging Economy, available at www.rhi.com/businessopportunities

Accountemps is the world's first and largest temporary staffing service specializing in the placement of accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. The company has more than 360 offices worldwide and offers online job search services at www.accountemps.com.

email: floyd@sssnet.com

web: http://akron.imanet.org