Hello fellow Akron Chapter Members and Happy Summer! It is with great pleasure that I serve as President as the Akron Chapter celebrates 70 years. If it's June, that means the Board has just started planning the year's events. If you have ideas to share on what you feel would be an appropriate celebration, or know of speakers or topics you would like to hear, please let me know.
We are looking at various outings this year that will enable those members who cannot make it to the regular monthly meetings an opportunity to network and gain some CPE.
We still have the position of Director of Speakers open due to the person moving out of town. This position is responsible for helping collect the bios for the program booklet, and following up each month with the speaker to remind them of the meeting and see what presentation tools they need. Most of the work will be done during the summer, so if you would like to get involved with the Board, please let me know.
We will let you know about the CMA Review Course that will be rolled out in the near future by National. Don't forget that November 30, 2007 is the last day to register for the old program CMA or the CFM.
I want to congratulate Dean Hull and last year's Board on the tremendous job they did planning the year. For the 2006-07 IMA year, Akron chapter finished in 11th place in Stevenson competition. We also received the Three-year Retention Award.
Enjoy your summer and know that your Board is working hard to make our 70th year as good as the rest.

Sincerely,
Doreen Kuster
President
Akron Chapter IMA

The Certified Management Accountant (CMA) designation provides corporate management and individual Members with an objective measure of knowledge and competence in the field of management accounting.The CMA is an invaluable credential for professional advancement and for broadening professional skills and perspective.

For further information contact: E-mail Steve Law (at Home)

or E-mail Steve Law (at Work) or phone (330) 666-8395.

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

From the boss's perspective, summertime is still the ideal time for employee vacations. In a recent Accountemps survey, executives were asked: "In your company, what is the best month for employees to take a vacation?" Thirty-six percent of respondents said August, while 21 percent named July as the most favorable time for staff breaks.

While the summer months may be the best time for vacations, scheduling issues can still be a challenge for managers. As summer approaches and you receive more and more overlapping vacation requests from staff members, it can be difficult to determine how to grant them without hampering productivity. For accounting departments, the issue is compounded by key deadlines related to end-of-quarter financial reports. This places added pressure on you to ensure you have sufficient staff on hand to handle the workload. Following are scheduling suggestions to help you prepare for vacation season:

Develop a game plan. Create a system for granting vacation requests, whether it's on a first-come-first- served basis, seniority or otherwise. Also, clearly communicate specific dates when you will need all hands on deck. And if you haven't done so already, explain how much notice you require. The earlier you know which team members want to be out at what times, the sooner you can devise a game plan to maintain appropriate staff levels.

Delegate early. Determine which employees are best prepared to take over crucial responsibilities when senior staffers are absent. This helps maintain efficient workflow and gives you an opportunity to evaluate less-tenured team members as they take on new tasks and assignments. Their performance while pinch-hitting can help you identify up-and- coming candidates for higher-level positions that open up at your firm.

Seek temporary support. Engaging temporary accountants is another effective strategy. Consider in advance what is needed for initiatives to progress when major players are on vacation and make arrangements for interim backup support. Doing so will keep productivity and morale high by taking some of the burden off your core staffers who remain in the office.

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 350 offices throughout North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and offers online job search services at www.accountemps.com.

Please welcome the following new members:
Michael Ranttila - Youngstown State Student
Angela Duskey - Youngstown State Student
Jennifer Wehr - Venture Plastics

For a complete record of CPE earned at Akron chapter pre-tech, tech session and PD seminar meetings (from September 2000 through May 2007), go to the chapter website, www.akron.imanet.org, click on "Events", and then click on "CPE History" (bottom of page). The link shows date of meeting, name of speaker, title of presentation, CPE categorization, and number of hours of CPE credit earned.

Brott Mardis & Co professional Charles Mullen was among 31 recipients of the first "30 For the Future" awards, given by the Greater Akron Chamber. The awards, part of the chamber's strategy to attract and retain talent in the region, honor young professionals (ages 25 - 39) who live and/or work in the region, are considered trendsetters in their industries and make an impact through leadership, entrepreneurship or community service. Charles, a CMA and CPA, has been a member of Akron chapter IMA since 6-15-2000.

email: floyd@sssnet.com

web: http://akron.imanet.org