Fellow Members,

This month's meeting on the 20th will be the last meeting before we break for summer. The theme of the night is Guest Night, so bring a coworker, your spouse or someone you'd like to introduce to IMA. We will also be taking food and cash donations again for the Akron Canton Food Bank. Please remember those who are less fortunate than you.

As the year draws to a close, please join me in thanking the outgoing board members Doug Rinearson, Jeff Falter, Gary Floyd, Tamra Emmett, Dean Hull, Steve Law, Sue Arnold, Roy Howarter, Ken Bechtol, Diane Saulino, Doreen Kuster, Chris Reed, Shirley Calvin, Jack Brillhart, Kim Williams, Lisa Morgan, Il-Woon Kim, Wendy Tietz and Gary Morgan. I would like to thank them for their hard work, support and dedication. You will notice many are returning as board members in the following year.

In the last two weeks, there have been two successful IMA events. The Meonske Conference was again a success with an impressive slate of speakers. We are fortunate to have a stellar conference so close. Last Saturday was the Fifth Annual Golf Outing to support student chapters and activities. The weather cooperated this year and the outing was a success. See reports on both events later in the newsletter. Thank you to committees of both events.

I want to thank you for the opportunity to serve as President this year. Please join me in welcoming Doug Rinearson as the President for next year. I am certain that he, along with the new board , will continue to support the organization and its members.

See you on the 20th. Have a great summer break!

Becky Price
President
Akron Chapter IMA

Tangier Restaurant
MAY 20, 2009
Pre-Technical Session - 5:25 PM Sharp

BRUCE H. FAHEY and LISA A. KAINEC
"Managing Employees Who Can't or Won't or Don't Feel Like Working - Navigating the ADA/FMLA/WC Morass"

Bruce Fahey earned his undergraduate degree in Economics and Business in 1977 from Bethany College (cum laude) and his law degree in 1980 from the University of Akron. He was admitted to the Ohio bar and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio in 1980. Bruce has over twenty years of workers' compensation experience, including private practice representing employers, in-house management of a large corporation's workers' compensation program, and the management of a third-party administration firm.

Bruce is a member of the Akron Bar Association and Ohio State Bar Association, and their respective workers' compensation law committees. Bruce is also a member and former Trustee and Secretary of the Self-Insurer's Group of Ohio. Bruce provides his expertise exclusively to management through advising and representing employers in all aspects of workers' compensation.

Lisa Kainec received her undergraduate degree in Management and Labor Relations from Cleveland State University, graduating cum laude in 1990. Lisa attended law school at Case Western Reserve University, where she served as an Executive Editor of the Case Western Reserve Law Review. Lisa received her law degree in 1993, graduating magna cum laude, and is a member of the Order of the Coif and recipient of the Heiss Labor Law Award.

Lisa handles all aspects of employment litigation on behalf of employers in both state and federal courts, and counsels employers on a wide array of employment law issues, particularly ADA and FMLA compliance. Lisa also develops policies and procedures and provides extensive management training for clients to ensure compliance with state and federal employment discrimination laws, particularly in the areas of ADA, FMLA, and sexual harassment. She also handles labor arbitrations, NLRB, EEOC and OCRC proceedings, as well as fact- finding and conciliation on behalf of public and private sector employers.

Lisa is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of Ohio, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First, Fourth, Sixth and Eighth Circuits, and the U.S. District Court for the Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio and the Western District of Michigan. Lisa is a member of the Labor and Employment Law Sections of the Cleveland and Ohio State Bar Associations and the Federal Bar Association.

Tangier Restaurant
May 20, 2009
GUEST NIGHT
Technical Session

BRETT KIMMELL, CPA, CITP, CISM
Vice President and CFO
United Way of Summit County
"Leveraging Technology to Control Business Processes and Reduce Costs"

Brett Kimmell is Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for United Way of Summit County, a position he has held for four years. Among his many accomplishments during that time, Brett has re- organized and streamlined United Way of Summit County's accounting procedures, implemented an online pledging application, and created an online portal for affiliated organizations to better manage financial contributions.

Brett has also served as an adjunct professor for the University of Akron's accounting department. He is active in the community as well. He has served on numerous committees, including the West Hill Neighborhood Organization, Torchbearers, and Bridgestone Invitational Gates Committee, and has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, Keep Akron Beautiful, St. Bernard's Sunday Soup Kitchen, Summit Education Initiative, and United Way.

Brett is a graduate of the University of Akron with a Bachelor's degree in Accounting and a Master's degree in Accounting Information Systems. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP), and has recently passed the Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) examination. Brett and his wife Danielle live in Akron's historic near-west side.

The last monthly meeting for the 2008/2009 year will be held at Tangiers Restaurant on the following date:
5/20/09

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

The 35th Annual Meonske Professional Development Conference & Workshop (held on the last Thursday and Friday of April at KSU) was the "best ever" according to several commentators. The April 24 Conference (with morning panel of Bob Herz, Charlie Niemeier, and Carlo Pippolo, moderated by Denny Beresford; luncheon speaker Harvey Pitt; and afternoon speakers Michael Capellas, Richard Marsh and Mark Belgya, moderated by Yank Heisler) drew a record 474 attendees. The April 23 Workshop (with concurrent sessions run by Norm Meonske & Dan Click and Greg O'Hara & Jay Wachowicz; afternoon speakers included Aaron Beam; and followed by a panel of Evan Scocos, Florian Kete, and Lisa Morgan, moderated by Jeff Bissell) also set records with 280 attendees (including 7 students) in the house. To commemorate the occasion of 35 years of a successful Meonske Conference at KSU, each Friday registrant received a handsome black leather, executive briefcase embroidered with the Meonske Conference logo.

Former SEC Chairman Harvey Pitt was a spectacular Conference Keynote Luncheon speaker, addressing the corporate scandals and fraud of the day, the financial market meltdown, today's broken regulatory environment and the need for a super-regulator, liquidated & nationalized banks, more unemployment, forecasted that we are 18 months away from hitting rock bottom, and concluded with his Ten Top Tips. Dr. Robert Frank, KSU Provost, made some opening comments and then Dr. Meonske was honored with the Dean's Award and Ohio Council Chairman Paul Myers present Dr. Norm with an award for 35 years of outstanding service to Ohio Council. A special thanks is due to Conference Chairman Nick Sucic and Program Chairman Dr. Norm Meonske and the committee members (Ken Bechtol, Sandy Brenner, Jeff Bissell, Dr. Thomas Calderon, Tamra Emmett, Dean Hull, Dewitt Harrell, Susan Pope, Robin Schade, Pat Smith, and Honey Wess). This year's Conference sponsors included premier corporate sponsor Robert Half, and other corporate sponsors Babcock & Wilcox, Becker CPA Review Course, Diebold Inc., Cohen & Co., Ernst & Young LLP, Goodyear, KeyBank, Research Credit Group, J.M. Smucker Co., and Time Warner Cable.

The planning committee appreciates the support from all the Ohio chapters. From a chapter perspective, Akron chapter led the way with 44 attendees (27 on Thursday and 40 on Friday). Other Ohio chapter support included 19 from Canton (10 on Thursday and 18 on Friday), 12 from Cleveland (6 on Thursday and 11 on Friday), 10 from Cleveland East (4 on Thursday and 9 on Friday), 5 from Dayton (3 on Thursday and 5 on Friday), 4 from Toledo (4 on Thursday and 4 on Friday), 3 from Columbus (1 on Thursday and 3 on Friday), 3 from Lima (1 on Thursday and 3 on Friday), 3 from Ohio Mid-Eastern (2 on Thursday and 2 on Friday), 1 from Cincinnati North (1 on Thursday and 1 on Friday), and 10 from Member-at-Large status (6 on Thursday and 9 on Friday).

Some of the registrant comments about the Friday Conference were "this is the best accounting finance conference in the state of Ohio" and "liked the financial reporting panel format with a moderator posing questions and extemporaneous replies rather than the traditional PowerPoint speaker presentations". Morning panelist Carlo Pippolo said he "felt like a ballplayer being called up to the majors" considering the credentials of the other speakers (FASB Chairman Bob Herz, PCAOB Board member Charlie Niemeier, and former FASB Chairman Denny Beresford).

Registrant comments from the Thursday Workshop were "Aaron Beam was captivating and exceptionally humble" and thought fraud speaker Dan Click was exceptional, like the concept of bringing crooks with a nationwide story to our audience, and Fair Value Standards Boot Camp was timely and well done.

So, the registrants really enjoyed themselves and enjoyed perfect weather during the last Thursday & Friday in April at KSU. The Meonske scholarship fund enjoyed some nice contributions from spirited bidding (led by Norm himself) on a $2,500-value Becker CPA Review Course scholarship and a $1,000-value registration fee to the Annual IMA Conference & Exposition (in Denver in June). Keep April 29 & 30, 2010 open for next year's 36th Annual Meonske PD Conference & Workshop. This year's conference was a sellout and overflow accommodations were provided. Please remember to register early for next year's conference.

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

No CMA review courses will be offered during the Summer 2009 term. The courses will resume during the Fall 2009 semester. To be informed of the dates once they are scheduled, please contact

The University of Akron Workforce Development and Continuing Education Department (330) 972-7577

For additional information please contact Steve Law, IMA Akron Chapter Director of CMA Education at (330) 666-8395 or stevelawnj@hotmail.com

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

The Akron Chapter held the 5th Annual Golf Outing on May 2nd at the Kent State University Golf Course. It was a very nice day and a good time was had by all. Although our attendance was down from years past, the outing was successful. We were able to raise money which will be used by the chapter to offset student related expenses the chapter picks up for student chapter activities.

If you are a chapter member who would like to get involved with our chapter's student chapters, the golf outing or with any other chapter activity, feel free to contact a board member to discuss your interests.

The chapter would like to thank Becky Price, Tamra Emmett and Gary Floyd for their efforts in putting together the outing. We would also like to thank our corporate sponsors: Davey Tree, Bruner-Cox, CFS Financial Staffing, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, RobertHalf, CorporateLadder Search Partners, Tangier's Restaurant, Key Bank, Cohen & Company, Summit Plastic, Industrial Tube & Steel, Babcock & Wilcox, Alliance Staffing, First Merit Bank, Pancho Lefty's, Whitey's Burgers & Booze, GoJo Industries, and American Environmental Group. Most importantly we want to thank the golfers without whom we would not have an event.

Please welcome:
James Senary
Kirk Heintzelman of ROMO Inc.

The American Red Cross recently honored Bill Dreyer as an Act of Courage recipient. The Award was presented at the 13th annual Acts of Courage banquet held on March 3 at the Tangier Restaurant. Bill earned this prestigious award by donating 28 gallons of blood, money for disaster relief, and furniture and electronics to assist refugees. Congratulations to Bill!!!

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
Chair- Audit-------------------------------- Christopher Reed

The IMA's 90th Annual Conference & Exposition is set for June 6-10, 2009 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel in Denver CO. Registration opened in early January at IMA's conference website, www.imaconference.org. Among the improvements coming to the 2009 conference are the following: (1) the event will be held in early June (one week earlier than last year, to avoid conflict with Father's Day), (2) it will conclude 1/2 day earlier (to make the conference more convenient for attendees), and (3) IMA and all exhibitors will showcase full exhibit booths as part of planned improvements to the Solutions Showcase exhibit hall. Attendees will be able to choose from nearly 40 sessions and earn up to 20 CPE credits. Sessions will cover costing methodologies, Enterprise Risk Management, performance management, CMA certification, and on-the-job tips & tools. In addition to a bevy of keynote speakers (including David Walker, former U.S. Comptroller General), the speaker slate will include some local Akron favorites - Bill Jelen (MrExcel.com) and Norbert "Nobby" Lewandowski.

Please SAVE THE DATE now and include the conference in your 2009 vacation plans.

Women comprise 65 percent* of professionals working in accounting and related fields. To keep pace with this trend, IMA ® is pleased to announce our renewed partnership with the American Society of Women Accountants (ASWA).

IMA members who wish to join ASWA can take advantage of a special ASWA national membership rate of $97 for the first year (a savings of 25%).

Click here to download a special enrollment form.

ASWA is the home for all women accounting and finance professionals whether new to the field, experienced or considering a career transition. ASWA supports women in accounting and finance by providing leadership, education and networking opportunities needed to achieve their career goals. ASWA's members have access to a national network of professional contacts, career resources and discounted continuing professional education (CPE) credits, as well as a source for industry information. Go to www.aswa.org for more information or contact ASWA via aswa@aswa.org.

* U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2006

You posted a job opening and received countless applications. You diligently reviewed a towering pile of resumes, went through the time- consuming task of interviewing the most promising individuals and narrowed the field down to two exceptional accounting professionals.
The problem?

You can't decide whom to choose because both candidates meet your criteria and possess similar experience. While it's an enviable staffing-related problem to have, particularly during a recession, the situation still makes for a difficult hiring decision. Following are tips to consider and additional questions to ask to help you identify the person who's truly best suited for the job:

Look beneath the surface. Ask both candidates back for follow-up interviews so you can dig deeper. Engage them in conversations that provide more insight into their personalities, workstyles and critical- thinking skills. Consider asking open-ended questions such as, "Describe a politically sensitive situation in your former workplace and how you resolved the problem," or "What was your biggest professional setback and how did you handle it?" Frequently, what distinguishes outstanding employees is the ability to solve dilemmas and learn from their mistakes.

Put a spotlight on people skills. In today's challenging economic environment, any new hire should possess strong technical skills and a bottom-line focus. But because so much business today is founded on collaboration, it's also wise to focus on less-tangible qualities such as interpersonal abilities. Try to identify the person who possesses the stronger team- building and communication skills. Helpful questions might include: "Tell me about a time when you successfully sold a bold new idea to management," or "Describe a project involving multiple departments and how you coordinated everyone's efforts to achieve the same goal."

Closely examine their excitement level. Which person displays more enthusiasm about the job opportunity and passion for the accounting field? Upbeat applicants who demonstrate eagerness to learn, grow and tackle new challenges will likely bring the same initiative and positive attitude to their jobs. Ask questions such as, "How do you keep your skills current?" to gauge the candidate's career ambitions and commitment to professional development.

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