Fellow Members,

The holidays are around the corner and it is almost year end. At our next meeting, we will be hosting Kent State University students. Our meeting will be at Tangier this year. I am expecting a large student attendance. Make a point to introduce yourself to a student and welcome them to the meeting.

Next month on December 10th will be the annual Professional Development seminar at Rosemont County Club. It is a great four hour CPE event, perfect for you and your Human Resource representative at work. Catch up on the latest information on corporate risk issues. Please pass this information onto the appropriate HR representative at work. See elsewhere in the newsletter for more information. I want to thank Diane Saulino for coordinating this event.

There will be no regular meeting next month, so our next technical meeting will be in January for our annual networking meeting with light hors d'oeurves and no Pre-Tech speaker.

I hope you enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends.

See you at the upcoming chapter events. Bring a guest and show them how valuable your IMA membership is!

Becky Price
President
Akron Chapter IMA

Tangier Restaurant
November 19, 2008
5:25 P.M. (SHARP)
Pre-Technical Session

Charles M. Grimm, CPA/PFS, CFP
Private Client Services
Bear Stearns, a J.P. Morgan Company

Charles Grimm is a Certified Financial Planner and has been in the financial services industry for over 20 years. At Bear Stearns, his expertise is in financial and estate planning. His focus is on wealth building and capital preservation strategies for high net worth individuals and families. He holds an MBA in Finance as well as a Bachelors degree in Accounting from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Under Financial Planning, Chuck will cover the basics (retirement, savings, credit, and asset protection), current developments, and some ideas for end of year tax planning.

Under Estate Planning, Chuck will discuss the basics, documents everyone should have, tax issues, and passing assets properly and tax efficiently.

Under the Economy, Chuck will go into the implications of the election and tax issues.

Tangier Restaurant
November 19, 2008
Students' Night - Kent State University
Technical Session

Bob Brown, CPA
Assistant Treasurer
Veyance Technologies

Bob Brown is the Assistant Treasurer for Veyance Technologies and is responsible for cash management, capital markets, retirement plans, and real estate for the global business. Veyance Technologies is the former Goodyear Engineered Products Division sold to the Carlyle Group in 2007. Veyance, based in Fairlawn, OH is a global leader in the manufacture and sale of engineered rubber products to the industrial, military, transportation and consumer markets.

Bob is a CPA and a graduate of Miami University. He was formerly Director of Treasury at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and completed his Six Sigma Business Black Belt training as part of an assignment to help startup a finance quality and process improvement initiative at Goodyear.

All Regular Monthly meetings for the 2008/2009 year will be held at Tangiers Restaurant on the following dates:
11/19/08
1/13/09 - Joint Luncheon Meeting with ASWA at Bober Markey office - 3421 Ridgewood Road, Suite 300, Akron, OH
1/21/09
2/18/09
3/18/09
4/22/09
5/20/09

Dinner cost is $25 (or $23 using the Pay Pal option) and $10 per Pre-Tech Session (or $50 prepayment for the entire pre-tech series).

There are still several board positions that need to be filled -- (Director - Librarian, Director - Member Relations, Co-director - Advertising, and Assistant Treasurer). If you are interested in any of these board positions, contact any current board member for information.

December 10, 2008
Earn 4 Hours CPE
Controllers and Human Resource Update
Corporate Risk Issues
Starts at 7:30 a.m.
Prepaid Only - You cannot register at the door!
Registration Deadline - November 28, 2008
Cost is only $45.00
See Chapter Website for Registration Form

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

The IMA Akron Chapter, through the University of Akron Workforce Development & Continuing Education division, will be offering the CMA Review class for Part 3 "Strategic Management" beginning Saturday November 1, 2008, and continuing for three more consecutive Saturdays in November. This course uses the Institute of Management Accountant's (IMA) Certified Management Accountant (CMA) Learning System to prepare the student to sit for and pass Part 3 of the CMA exam. Topics covered include: strategic planning, strategic marketing, corporate finance, decision analysis, and investment decisions. Materials are included. The Tuition is $650 and the deadline for registration and receive the course material in advance is October 24, 2008. To register by phone please call (330) 972-7577. To register online please visit the Universit y Continuing Education website at www.uakron.edu/ce/register.php

The Spring 2009 CMA Review class schedule has just been established. Part 1 Business Analysis (Waiver Exemption for CPAs) will begin Saturday February 7, 2009 and continue on February 14th, February 21st, and February 28th. Topics covered include: business economics, global business, internal controls, quantitative methods, and financial statement analysis. The Tuition remains at $650 and the deadline for registration and receive the course material in advance is January 23, 2009. To register please call (330) 972-7577.

Part 2 Management Accounting and Reporting will begin Saturday April 18, 2009 and continue on April 25th, May 2nd, and May 9th. Topics covered include: budget preparation, cost management, information management, performance measurement, and external financial reporting. The Tuition remains at $650 and the deadline for registration and receive the course material in advance is April 3, 2009. To register please call (330) 972-7577.

Did you know that Effective January 1, 2009, the exam will be offered according to the following schedule:
January and February: Parts 1, 2, and 3
March: No exam parts offered
April: Part 4 only
May and June: Parts 1, 2, and 3
July: No exam parts offered
August: Part 4 only
September and October: Parts 1, 2, and 3
November: No exam parts offered
December: Part 4 only

However, the University of Akron Continuing Education division is considering offering the exam on site at the University under a program offered by IMA National. Under this program we can offer you the opportunity to take the exam parts outside of the above schedule. Look for more on this in future newsletters, and hear about it at upcoming chapter meetings.

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

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
CONTROLLER FOR BUSY MANUFACTURING COMPANY

The sister company of the company that I work for has an IMMEDIATE opening for a Controller. That company, our company, and our parent company are all very busy, profitable, and have a superior cash- flow. The business slow-down has not affected our companies. Position is in Seville OH (about ½ hour from Akron 's Central interchange.) Manufacturing experience with a broad background in business experience is preferred. This is a fairly small but mostly autonomous company owned by a larger out-of-state company. This is a hands-on position supervising one person. Good pay, excellent benefits, and a stable economic situation. For consideration e-mail resume to Roy@BlairRubb er.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

Please join us in welcoming Erin Laughlin a student at Youngstown State University who transfered in from the Pittsburgh chapter and John Pience a student at the University of Akron who was sponsored by Il-Woon Kim.

This month ---
Simply come to the monthly technical session and sign in-
Random numbers will be chosen and compared to the sign in sheet ----
If the number called matches the number your name appears next to on the sign in sheet ---
YOU WIN!!
The prize will be a $5 gas card.

We are currently seeking talent for the following roles:

Hyperion Systems Administrator, large publicly held corporation south of Cleveland, will serve as liaison between IT and Financial Reporting Group, performs administrative functions related to Hyperion Enterprise or HFM software, salary and bonus depend on experience. (Aaron)

Manager of Financial Reporting & Analysis for publicly held service organization in Fairlawn, desire degreed CPA with either large public accounting or corporate experience, solid SEC, exposure with acquisitions a plus, company is looking to upgrade systems and go paperless, salary based on experience. (Tamra)

Auditor for a regional firm in Akron, desire degreed CPA or working towards, good mix of industry with some focus on non profit, good reputation in the area, salary will be based on experience level. (Aaron)

Financial Reporting Manager, Akron client seeks degreed CPA coming directly from large public firm, must have solid technical abilities, will assist in all aspects of SEC reporting, experience with SAP a plus, salary to $90K. (Tamra)

Senior Accountant, will support an Accounting Manager at a $200 million service organization in Akron, newly created role due to growth, successful candidate will be degreed with at least 5 years experience, solid GAAP, salary up to $65K. (Tamra)

Manager of Accounting, community hospital in Cleveland suburb, must have CPA, experience with reimbursement cycles a plus, public accounting experience with audit will be given preference, salary will depend on experience. (Aaron)

Tamra Emmett, Executive Recruiter
tamra.e mmett@brunercox.com
(330) 237-0101

Aaron Bernstein, Executive Recruiter
aaron. bernstein@brunercox.com
(330) 237-0104

Creative Financial Staffing - CFS, is proud to announce the transfer of Aaron Bernstein from our Cleveland office to our Akron office. Aaron has 12 years staffing and training experience, including five years experience in recruiting and human resources management. Aaron is a graduate of Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor's degree in Economics and a Masters of Science degree in Education from the University of Akron.
CFS of Northeastern Ohio, Ltd., an affiliate of Bruner Cox, LLP, is the largest privately held accounting and financial specialty placement firm.

I'm not sure where this story originated.
I assume it began in the Depression of the 1930s.
I was told it by my father (a product of that Depression) and have seen it periodically since then.
Roy Howarter

THE MAN WHO SOLD HOT DOGS
There was a man who lived by the side of a highway and sold hot dogs. His hearing wasn't good so he never listened to the radio, and his eyes were not good so he didn't read the newspaper. He worked hard from morning until dark selling hot dogs. He bought the best hot dogs, buns, and condiments, put up signs saying "Best Hot dogs in the world", and stood by the road and cried "BEST HOT DOGS IN THE WORLD, BUY THEM HERE." He would hand them to people in their cars when they stopped at his stand.

He built up a good business selling hot dogs. Both his product and service were the best!
He eventually was able to send his oldest son to college

When his son came home from college at Thanksgiving, the old man told him that business was so good that he was going to hire an assistant and expand. His son said "Father, don't you know what is going on?? There is a Depression going on, things in this Country are bad, and it is worse in Europe . You need to cut back, buy cheaper hot dogs and buns. You have to cut back or you will go broke."

Thereupon the father thought, "Well, my son's been to college, he reads the newspapers and listens to the radio. He ought to know. I'd better do what he said. He bought cheaper hot dogs and buns, when his signs were lost or destroyed he saved money by not replacing them. Since there was a Depression, he cut back on the time he had his stand open.

When the son came home at Christmas his father thanked him greatly for his advice and told him he had warned him just in time. "The depression you warned me about started right after you left. Sales have dropped off to almost nothing. If I had waited and not switched to cheaper products and less service I would probably be totally destroyed now. We are truly in a very bad Depression."

Even in today's uncertain economic environment, employers report that there is ongoing demand - and tough competition - for skilled accounting and finance professionals, according to the 2009 Salary Guide from Robert Half International. In fact, 72 percent of U.S. finance and human resources managers surveyed by Robert Half International are having difficulty locating highly qualified candidates. Talent shortages are particularly acute for staff and senior accountants, public accountants, and credit and collections specialists. Following are additional findings highlighted in the recently released guide:

Salaries Projected to Rise Modestly
Starting salaries in accounting and finance are expected to go up slightly in 2009. Tax accountant managers at large companies (organizations with more than $250 million in sales), for instance, are expected to see some of the biggest gains with a 4.9 percent increase, to between $76,500 and $100,750. General accountant managers at midsize companies ($25 million to $250 million in sales) are forecast to receive a 4.1 percent boost, to a range of $60,500 to $79,500. Salaries of senior financial analysts at small companies (up to $25 million in sales) also are projected to rise 4.1 percent, to a range of $50,250 to $64,000. (These are just three of the more than 250 accounting and finance positions listed in the Salary Guide that can be adjusted for more than 75 markets across the United States.)

Organizations Keeping their Eyes on Future Talent Pipeline
The anticipated retirement of millions of baby boomers is likely to have a significant impact on hiring needs in the years ahead. In a Robert Half survey featured in the Salary Guide, senior executives ranked baby boomer retirements as the trend that will most significantly alter the workforce in the next decade. Although many boomers are opting to remain longer in the workforce for quality of life and financial reasons, companies recognize the need to think ahead. To prepare for the eventual loss of top professionals, businesses of all sizes are keying in on the need to hire and groom the next generation of leaders. Public accounting firms are recruiting college students as early as their sophomore year, while retention efforts have focused on giving young professionals more career development opportunities and better work/life balance.

Strategic Staffing Embraced
More and more organizations are staffing strategically by thinking in terms of needs, not just jobs. Businesses are increasingly turning to project professionals to cost-effectively handle workload peaks and provide specialized expertise that doesn't exist internally. Concerned about making hiring mistakes, many companies use these temporary assignments as a cost-effective way to evaluate project professionals firsthand before extending full- time offers.

To request a complementary copy of the Salary Guide, please visit www.accountemps.com/FreeResources or call (800) 803-8367.

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