cbiz expands its unsecured credit facility to $150 million

cbiz_logo_apr_08.gifpositions company for future acquisitions and share repurchases.

cbiz inc. reports it has expanded its unsecured credit facility led by bank of america, na, to $150 million from $100 million.

“cbiz continues to grow revenue at about 10% a year, and earnings per share from continuing operations have increased by over 20% a year for six years now,” stated ware grove, senior vice president and chief financial officer. “our operations continue to generate strong cash flow which has been utilized to fund our acquisition and share repurchase activity. the increase in the credit facility will give us greater flexibility to address these opportunities in the future.”

in related cbiz news, the company said it acquired efl associates inc., a national executive search firm based in overland park, kansas.

founded in 1978, efl associates is a retained executive search firm with offices in kansas, denver, chicago and boston providing services to commercial and industrial companies, development-stage organizations and non-profit organizations. efl has well recognized specialty practices in the fields of higher education and the public pension retirement industry. efl recorded approximately $4.8 million in revenue during 2007 and has approximately 34 associates.

steven gerard, cbiz chairman and chief executive officer stated, “acquiring one of the premier executive search firms in the united states will further expand our human capital services business especially in the area of recruiting. we welcome pete lemke, jay meschke and their talented team to cbiz and look forward to working with them.”

pete lemke, efl chairman and chief executive officer stated, “we have worked with cbiz for years and are excited to join such a high-performance, well regarded business services company. the combination of cbiz and efl will provide our clients with broader resources, capabilities and enhanced service offerings.”

sir david tweedie winning the war for ifrs

once branded ‘the most hated accountant in britain’ by the scotsman newspaper, iasb chairman sir david tweedie (pictured) is now poised to take over the world.

he turned uk accounting standards on their head and got europe to adopt ifrs. now tweedie is ready to bag the big prize: america

the securities and exchange commission has relented on one of its most stringent – yet increasingly pointless – bureaucratic demands: the requirement that overseas companies listed on wall street publish a reconciliation between their ifrs reporting and us standards, revealing all the key differences in their profits and balance sheet between the two sets of rules. continued at financial director…

take a cue from big league coaches

mentoring is every professional’s number 1 job.

0040308.jpgby rick telberg
on careers

forget the strategic stuff, the visionary exercises, the long-term planning. what keeps most finance and accounting executives awake at night lies closer to home in the here and now: the day-to-day management of their jobs and departments.it’s no small task considering the many roles finance managers are expected to play, the layers of new rules and regulations and the competitive demands of just keeping up.

so it’s little wonder that all too many finance managers may overlook the human and personal aspects of the job. but accountants are people, too, and they need as much hand-holding, mentoring, encouragement and coaching as anyone else. read more →

turbotax crowns a comedy winner

for the funniest bit on taxes, 2008.

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the winner is john ramsey, who lives with his wife, anna, in austin, texas where john works as a comic and attorney, according to his myspace page. while in college, john dabbled in stand up and worked as a writer and performer for contents under pressure, the sketch and improvisational comedy troupe he co-founded at his alma mater. with his dual degree in economics and religious studies, john headed to law school where his studies took precedent over comedy until 2005 when john won the nationally recognized funniest person in austin competition. john’s clean and quasi-intellectual comedy has made him a favorite with high school, college, church, corporate, and club audiences.

new weight-loss secret! the tax season diet

accountants are working around the clock at kruggel, lawton & co. in downtown south bend, ind. — and not just on taxes.

this year, employees are working together in their quest to get healthy. the employees have lost 139 pounds and logged 402 hours of physical activity.

kevin-kruggel.jpg“i think it’s just been a greater emphasis on trying to maintain fitness level, trying to get a little more activity this time of year and also just eating a little better than probably we’ve done in the past,” partner kevin kruggel (left) told wsbt tv.

“i’m now 10 pounds down” said tax manager ben silver.

doug_osthimer.jpg read more →

expand your horizons: niche marketing success stories

jean marie caragher, in the april 2008 journal of accountancy, states four irrefutable truths for successful marketing:

  1. by identifying target markets and resources, niche marketing can distinguish a cpa firm from its competitors while generating higher profit margins.
  2. a well-developed marketing plan is the key to successful niche marketing and can include, but is not limited to, the following components: a mission statement; situation analysis; and smart (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely) strategies.
  3. find a niche champion with the industry knowledge (and experience), respect of partners and the ability to lead a team. if you lack champions, consider hiring and/or merging with industry specialists.
  4. focus your marketing program using a variety of marketing tools and activities, and implement your strategy consistently.

read the article, here

lift-out: uhy office joins clifton cpas

clifton gunderson is acquiring the arlington, va., federal government practice of uhy llp, according to webcpa. all of the federal government practice professionals at uhy’s arlington office are going over to clifton and uhy partner roger von elm joins clifton as a lateral.   most will remain at their current offices, and some will move to clifton’s office in calverton, md. it’s the second sign of weakness at uhy in a week.

a few good ideas for thriving in tax season

pittsburgh-area firms have it figured out.

sisterson & co. llp gave its employees “wellness kits” in february — baskets packed with antacids, tissues, aspirin, first aid kits and hand sanitizer — to make sure workers are prepared for the months ahead. “it’s tough this time of year because people have colds, and they’re working harder and not sleeping as well as they should,” says cheryl talerico, sisterson marketing manager. read more →