calumet accountant
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The Official Publication of the Calumet Hammond 081 Chapter of the IMATRANSCRIPT
CALUMET ACCOUNTANT The Official Publication of the Calumet Chapter IMA –081 Hammond Serving Northwest Indiana and the South Chicago Suburbs
VOLUME 67 ISSUE 09 FEBRUARY 2012
this issue
President’s Message 2
Board of Directors 3-4
Webinar: Challenges and Opportunities
facing the Finance Organization 5
Personal Development 6-7
Upcoming Events 8-9
The IMA and the CMA 10-14
"If we don't take care of our customers someone else will." I first read these words when I was at an ADP training seminar. I remember a time when we used to transmit payroll information on an external dial up modem. Fast for-ward to the present we find ADP ranked as one of Forbes 100 Most Innovative Companies and its revenues exceeding 9 billion dollars. Times certainly have changed and ADP has responded accordingly.
When I first read this quote, my thought from an accountant's viewpoint was: there are some customers that I wish were taken care of by a different company. However, as I reflected more on the words, I found them inspirational and I hope that you do as well. If you are not aware, each March the Calumet Hammond Chapter Board recommends a new slate of directors to guide it through the upcoming year. The past year has witnessed some phenomenal growth for our Chapter and I am seeking a successor. This is an excellent opportunity for you, as a member, to step into the role of President and guide the Chapter to even more success. If you have any interest in being President, this is the time to step into the roll. Being President of the Calumet Chapter is not only personally rewarding, but is an excellent professional credential to include on your resume. Of course, the Board and I will be here to assist you along your way and see that you have the proper resources and proper guidance available to help you make your year successful and enjoyable. We have already arranged for a speaker and a place for January 2013 due to the efforts of Past Presi-dent and member Howard Ellison. So please come in March and take advantage of this great opportunity.
I also realized after reading the above quote that you, as members of the IMA, are its customers. As it customers you have access to some great benefits. One benefit is the Certified Managerial Accountancy Certification, or the CMA. In April of this year I will turn 40 years old, and coincidently, the IMA is celebrating 40 years of the CMA credential. The IMA has been taking care of its customers by offering a gold standard certification that can only be attained through a rigorous exam process. Recently the AICPA in conjunction with CIMA created a designation called the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) and interestingly enough, it would seem that this has been done in response for the need to recognize the critical role of management accountants. During 2012 the IMA is taking the opportunity to actively promote and celebrate 40 years of the CMA certification and its relevancy to the future of management accountancy. To date, there are over 35,000 holders of the CMA including prominent CEO's, CFO's and controllers around the world. It has never been the mission of the IMA to be the biggest, but rather the best. The IMA is there to serve you, its customers, and insure that it never loses sight of its main mission: to responsibly serve individuals, the finance and accounting professions, and society by assuring the skills of management account-ants through an active verification process and aligning those skills with the needs and standards of today's busi-nesses.
Finally, I realized that the above quote applies at our Chapter level as well. Our chapter is serving you, our members, by offering quality and relevant meetings that address today's business environmental trends and offers them at rea-sonable prices. February 21, 2012 is our next meeting, and I had the opportunity to speak with one of the presenters, and he is very excited about showcasing apps in the market place that are available to our profession. Additionally there will be a presentation on fraud, and a great dinner to share with great company, all for one low price. We are already planning our activities for the 2012-2013 season and if there is a topic that you would like addressed, please let us know. We want to make sure that you as our customer are heard, and that you are being taken care of.
Regards,
Mark T. Camarena, CMA
President, Calumet Chapter IMA
Visit us online at http://www.imacalumet.com
630.530.6707 (W)
e-mail me anytime [email protected]
Message from Mark T. Camarena, President
Administration and Finance
Special Activities Director
Director in charge of coordinating special events
AV Tech Director
Director in charge of locating, setting up, and running audio and visual components for special events and meetings
Communications and Community Relations
Social Media Director
Director(s) in charge of website maintenance, Facebook and Linkedin maintenance
Community Relations Director
Director in charge of community outreach and coordinating community service for the Chapter
Chapter Historian
Director in charge of maintaining chapter documents, newsletters, roster books, and other relevant me-dia
Education and Professional Development
CPE Director
Director in charge of CPE certificate maintenance and record keeping
CMA Director
Director in charge of coordinating sponsor discounts for CMA candidates and encouraging members to take the CMA exam
Academic Relations Director
Director in charge of communicating with area professors about the IMA and the Chapter, and promoting and coordinating the Chapter as guest speakers for classes and accounting groups
Open Board Positions Be a part of something exceptional. The Board of the Calumet Hammond 081 Chapter is always in search of great talent. Joining the Board is an excellent opportunity for you to showcase your talent and build your professional network. Don't hesitate, join today and help build our Chapter into something brilliant. Please contact Mark Camarena at [email protected] or Richard Mielcarz at [email protected] for further information.
Calumet Chapter IMA
http://www.imacalumet.com
IMA Calumet
Institute of Management
Accountants-Calumet
Chapter
Officers and Directors 2011—2012
Mark T. Camarena - President 630-530-6707 (w) [email protected] Jim Spice - Secretary 815-933-0491 (w) [email protected] Deb Heim - Treasurer 630-378-6308(w) debra.heim@patterson_medical.com Adolph Ferber - Vice President of Administration 219-322-5848 (h) [email protected] Richard Mielcarz Vice President of Communications and New Member Chair 708-799-6234 (h) [email protected] Bill Biller - Vice President of Professional Education 219-765-3587 (h) [email protected] Anthony Fontana Vice President of Membership Retention 708-534-5000 ext 5494 (w) [email protected] Wes Christensen - Corporate and Academic Development 708-687-9087 [email protected]
Yolanda Peoples - Director of Member Participation
Al Zurawski Director of Employment and Chapter Photogra-
pher 219-477-4488 ext 222 (w) [email protected]
Warren Cebulko - Director of Program Rosters 312-808-3890 (w) [email protected] Dr. Heikki Heino - Director of Manuscripts 708-367-0034 (w) [email protected] Brian Guse - Director At Large 219-362-1531(w) [email protected] Kyle Jones - Director Of Public Relations 219-616-6606 [email protected] John Kitzmiller - Newsletter Director 708-923-0558 [email protected] Adam O’Hare - Associate Director, Membership Growth and Retention, [email protected] Alan Arendt - Assistant Treasurer
Interested in joining the board?
The Calumet Hammond Chapter is always looking for new talent, consider joining and showcasing yours! Please consult page two and find
something that will make you stand out and be heard.
Essential Team Skills
Date: Wednesday, February
15, 2012 1:00 PM Eastern
Daylight Time
CPE Credit: 1.5 hr
Price: Free Field of Study: Technology Enablers Research Area of Practice: Management Advisory Ser-vices Program Level: Basic Program Prerequisites: None Instructional Method: Group- Internet Advance Preparation: None Offered by the IMA - www.imanet.org
Institute of Management Ac-countants (IMA) is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing profes-sional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be addressed to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 700, Nashville, TN, 37219-2417. Web site:www.nasba.org
Webinar: Challenges and Opportunities Facing the Finance
Organization in 2012
In this webinar, you will learn the major findings from new IMA research that uncov-ers finance leaders’ greatest challenges and opportunities for organizational im-provement. A customer panel of finance executives will join IMA to share real-life insights into their top challenges and plans to overcome their obstacles in 2012. Learning Objectives: After this webinar, attendees will be able to: Identify the most frequent challenges faced by accounting and finance organiza-
tions
Discuss the extent to which companies have been able to achieve improved pro-ductivity in their finance and accounting (F&A) organizations
Identify the means by which F&A organizations are attempting to achieve im-proved productivity
Identify the business processes organizations feel are most in need of improve-ment
Discuss the impact of outsourcing on productivity Offered by the IMA, go to: http://tinyurl.com/7o9tsya after logging into the IMA website.
How To Avoid Test Anxiety by Melissa Leonard, Gleim Chapter Coordinator
Do you have feedback on what you have read or suggestions on future topics? Maybe you
are studying for the exam or have recently passed and want to share tactics you used. Email
Gleim at [email protected] with your comments..
Melissa Leonard Gleim Publications, Inc.
Chapter Coordinator 4201 NW 95th Blvd. , Gainesville, FL 32606
[email protected] 800.847.5346 ext. 131 (ph) / 352.375.6940 (fx)
Becoming a CMA has many benefits and is a necessary goal for accountants world-wide. However, many candidates report they delay taking the CMA exam because they become overwhelmed by its size and scope. Each of the two 4-hour parts of the CMA exam contains 100 multiple-choice questions and two essay scenarios testing the knowledge and skills that management accountants and financial professionals use every day. Passing the CMA exam can be a daunting task, espe-cially for those who have not built up their stamina or worked on their test-taking tactics during the review process. This is why it is imperative that you prac-tice in exam-like conditions during the review process. We have found that can-didates who take 20-question quizzes our CMA Test Prep software and CMA Gleim Online have a much higher pass rate if they simulate exam conditions as op-posed to taking quizzes at a coffee shop or in front of the TV, where they are eas-ily distracted. The higher pass rates occur because, when exam time comes, candi-dates are used to answering a large chunk of questions without some sort of external stimulation (i.e., distraction). It is also important to take quizzes straight through without stopping to “check― your answers while you are reviewing for the CMA exam. Making yourself continue to answer questions, even when you're still wondering if you got that last one right, gives you valuable
practice for the mindset you'll need while taking the CMA exam. When you begin your exam, remember you have done everything you could by completing a thorough review and emu-lating an exam environment for the weeks leading up to your exam. Once at the testing center, remember to rest, not to race. Take at least one brief break dur-ing the exam. Shut your eyes, massage your temples, and take several deep breaths. These relaxation methods will help you maintain your cool and concen-tration throughout the exam. The ICMA does not award points to candidates who finish their exams the soonest, so do not rush through the entire exam. A single, 30-second break to clear your thoughts can ensure that your final score will re-main clear of a failing grade. Keep in mind that if this exam were easy, there wouldn't be so much to gain by passing and becoming CMA certified. As you approach your exam, a positive atti-tude will play a major role in helping you stay focused and in successfully complet-ing the CMA exam. Share your success! I would like to hear how you passed the CMA exam.
Email Melissa Leonard, your Chapter C o o r d i na t o r a t i ma c h a p [email protected] with your questions and feedback. Gleim is committed to helping you
accomplish your goal of passing the
exam and becoming a CMA. Your
Calumet IMA Chapter has partnered
with Gleim to ensure your success on
the CMA exam! Working together,
we will provide you the necessary
tools to prepare for this difficult
exam.
As a Calumet Chapter member, you
receive significant discounts on the
Gleim CMA Review materials and
Gleim CPE. Contact Melissa Leonard
at 800.874.5346 ext. 131 or
[email protected] to take
advantage of the offer or if you have
any questions.
Gleim Publications has been helping candidates pass the CMA exam since
1980, with the most cost-effective system combining books, Test Prep CD-
Rom, audios, Gleim Online, and a Personal Counselor to GUARANTEE
your success on the CMA exam.
Gleim is a proud sponsor of the Calumet Hammond Chapter of the IMA
and not only donated the above certificate, but also offers chapter mem-
bers a 20% to 32% discount on all CMA study materials, as well as Gleim
CPE, including the new ethics course. Contact Melissa Leonard
at [email protected] or call 1-800-874-5346 x 131 for further in-
formation.
www.imacalumet.com
The Calumet Hammond 081 Chapter of the IMA is a Not for Profit Association for accountants and finance professionals in business. The Calumet Chapter
serves Northwest Indiana and the Southern Suburbs of Chicago. Anyone with an interest in the subject matter is welcome as a member. Look for us on Face-
book at IMA Calumet and on LinkedIn at Institute of Management Accountants—Calumet Chapter.
TAX UPDATE
6:30 PM, TUESDAY FEBRUARY 21, 2012
$15 Students, $30 Members and Guests
Please consider joining us as we host Louis Stratton of Porte Brown for a timely presentation on apps relevant to the finance and accounting industry and Jo-lanta Flowers who will deliver a presentation on fraud. This event will be held at Livio’s Restaurant, 8267 Wicker Avenue in the Lake Central Plaza, St. John Indiana. Networking and registration begins at 6 pm, dinner and presentation at 6:30, and we finish at 9 pm. RSVP to [email protected] or use the QR code to the left on your smart phone and fill out your contact information with RSVP 0221 in the comment area. A map to the event can be found on our web-site under Event Calendar. All are welcome, if you are a student, member, pro-spective member, or have an interest, please join us.
THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT Enterprise management resource tools, time and billing tracking, invoices, expense reports, web
based meetings, and trip itinerary software apps are on the leading edge of business applications
being used in today’s business environment. Please join us as Louis Stratton, CPA, CITP, MBA, of
Porte Brown delivers a unique presentation on today’s business apps available and being used in to-
day’s business environment. Following this presentation, Jolanta Flowers of Porte Brown, CPA, CFE,
MBA, will deliver a presentation on fraud affecting the business industry, and its impact on our pro-
fession.
Louis Stratton, Director at Porte Brown LLC has over 18 years professional experience and provides
leadership and advice in the areas of technology, tax, and management consulting, and has per-
formed engagements for local, national, and international clients. He holds a CPA and an MBA, and
is a recipient of the 2006 CPA Technology Advisor’s Top 40 Under 40 award, among others.
Jolanta Flowers, MBA, CPA, CFE is currently working on a Doctorate of Business Administration at Ar-
gosy University in Schaumberg Illinois and has over a decade of experience in accountancy. Pub-
lished works and seminars include “Crooks who Cook Your Books” and “Impact of Corporate Social
Responsibility on Net Profits.”
Porte Brown LLC is a full service accounting firm with offices in Elk Grove Village, McHenry, Chicago
and Highland Indiana. It has been delivering services across business industries for over 60 years.
2011-2012 Schedule
About Our Meetings
Registration: Registration for all events starts at 6:00pm and the meetings begin promptly at 6:30pm. Cost to Attend: Unless other-
wise noted, the cost for IMA Members and guests to attend meetings is $30/per event and $15/per event for college students. There
are two value-priced events.
Tuesday February 21, 2012
Louis Stratton of Porte Brown will give a presentation on “There’s an App for That!” and Jolant Flowers will give a presentation on fraud. This will be held at Livio’s Restaurant, 8267 Wicker Avenue in the Lake Central Plaza, St. John Indiana.
Tuesday March 20, 2012
Student Night and Member Appreciation Night II
To be held at the Charley Horse Restaurant at 8940 Calumet Avenue Munster Indiana; Doug Tillet, VP of Public Relations of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago will be our distinguished guest speaker for the eve-ning.
Wednesday April 25, 2012
(Probable Date)
The Purdue University Calumet Hospitability Tourism Management Gourmet Dinner. Spouses/guests are welcome.
Friday April 27, 2012
A tour of the CME Group in Downtown Chicago with a “Go Dutch lunch”. If you have a suggestion on which part of the trading floor you would like to tour, please email Tony Fontana at [email protected]
Tuesday May 15, 2012
Stock Market Outlook
Chuck Carlson will look into his crystal ball and lend us his expertise on the outlook for the market. This will be at Theo’s Restaurant, 9144 Indianapolis Boulevard Highland Indiana. Spouses/guests are welcome. This evening’s finale will be “The Passing of the Gavel” by President Mark Camarena.
The Institute of Managerial Accountants (IMA) represents more than 60,000 accountants and financial professionals worldwide. The majority of these professionals work inside businesses and organiza-tions. They comprise the essential elements of financial management, organizational development, integrity, ethics and governance, and short and long term business goal management.
The Certified Management Accountant Credential (CMA) offered by the IMA is an advanced profes-sional certification that reflects the necessary accounting and financial management skills demanded in today’s business environment.
The CMA exam was first offered in 1972. Today over 30,000 accountants and financial professionals have earned this highly recognized and global title.
Professionals who have earned the CMA hold key management roles at top multinational firms and offer their companies the real world relevance, critical knowledge, and leadership abilities to compete in today’s dynamic global business environment.
For further information please contact Richard Mielcarz Vice President of Communications and New Member Chair 708-799-6234 (h), epost: [email protected] or Wes Christensen - Corporate and Aca-demic Development, 708-687-9087, epost: [email protected].
CMA:
The Essential
Member Profile
How Do I Update My Member Profile at the IMA?
It's as easy as 1,2,3 to update your member profile at the IMA Website.
1. Go to the IMA website at www.imanet.org and log into your account .
2. Login with your member number and passcode. If you lost your member number or don't know it, email Dick Mielcarz
at [email protected] and he will forward it to you. If you have never registered on the site, then the initial password is your last
name. You will be prompted to create a new password.
3. Click on the "My Profile" link next to your name at the top of the page and edit your pro-file. Be sure to keep your information including any email changes current so we are better
able to keep you apprised of any Chapter happenings.
Source: Institute of Management Accountants, Inc. Montvale New Jersey www.imanet.org/ima_home.aspx
Source: The Institute of Managerial Accountants Inc, 10 Paragon Drive, Montvale, New Jersey
http://instituteofmanagementaccountants.hqcampaign.com/ps/7-21-2011-cmaconnection-cmanotes? hq_e=el&hq_m=1053863&hq_l=10&hq_v=f7c6811596
http://www.youtube.com/user/LinkUpIMA
The Institute Of Management Accountants YouTube Page
The IMA maintains a YouTube channel filled with videos addressing the CMA exam
process, CMA study guides and resources, coverage of the IMA Annual Conference, and
insights from IMA leaders. Be sure to visit the IMA YouTube channel for further insight
on the IMA and the CMA.
