2009 Best Accounting Firms to Work for

The 2009 Best Accounting Firms to Work for survey and award program was created by Accounting Today and Best Companies Group. It was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in the accounting industry, benefiting the nation's economy, its workforce and businesses. The Best Accounting Firms to Work for list is made up of a total of 100 firms, split into three groups: 20 small-sized companies (15-24 employees), 65 medium-sized companies (25-249 employees) 15 large-sized companies (more than 250 employees).

The 2009 Best Accounting Firms to Work for are (alphabetical order, no ranking):
· Albright, Fortenberry & Ninas, LLP
· Anchin, Block & Anchin LLP
· Anglin Reichmann Snellgrove & Armstrong P.C.
· Argy, Wiltse & Robinson P.C.
· Armanino McKenna LLP
· Armao, Costa & Ricciardi, CPAs, P.C.
· Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP
· Baldwin & Associates, PLLC
· Barfield, Murphy, Shank & Smith
· Bartolomei Pucciarelli, LLC
· BCG & Company
· BDO Seidman, LLP
· BeachFleischman PC
· Berlin, Ramos & Company, P.A.
· Bernard Robinson & Company, L.L.P.
· Berntson Porter & Company, PLLC
· Biscotti, Toback & Company, CPA's P.C.
· BKD, LLP
· Bland & Associates, P.C.
· BlumShapiro
· Bond Beebe Accountants & Advisors
· Boyer & Ritter, CPAs and Consultants
· Braver Schimler Pierce Jenkins, LLP
· Brown Schultz Sheridan & Fritz
· Burr, Pilger & Mayer, Inc.
· Citrin Cooperman & Company LLP
· Cohen & Company
· Coulter & Justus, P.C.
· Cowan Bolduc Doherty, LLC
· Daszkal Bolton LLP
· Davidson, Holland, Whitesell & Co., PLLC
· DiCicco, Gulman & Company LLP
· Dixon Hughes PLLC
· Dunton & Associates, LLC
· E. Cohen and Company, CPAs
· Eisner LLP
· Friedman LLP
· GBH CPAs, PC
· Glenn M. Gelman & Associates, Certified Public Accountants and Business Consultants
· Grassi & Co., CPAs, P.C.
· Greenstein, Rogoff, Olsen & Co. LLP
· Greer & Walker, LLP
· Hancock Askew & Co., LLP
· Henderson, Hutcherson & McCullough, PLLC
· Hertzbach & Company, P.A.
· Homes, Lowry, Horn & Johnson, Ltd
· Isdaner & Company, LLC
· J.H. Cohn LLP
· Johanson & Yau Accountancy Corporation
· Johnson Jacobson Wilcox
· Johnson Lambert & Co. LLP
· KatzAbosch
· Kaufman, Rossin & Co.
· Kearney & Company
· Kolb+Co. SC
· KraftCPAs PLLC
· Kreinces Rollins & Shanker, LLC
· Lanigan, Ryan, Malcolm & Doyle, P.C.
· LaPorte Sehrt Romig Hand
· Layton Layton & Tobler LLP
· Lewis, Hooper & Dick, LLC
· LMGW Certified Public Accountants LLP
· Maloney + Novotny LLC
· Mann. Weitz & Associates L.L.C.
· Mark Bailey & Company
· Martin Starnes & Associates, CPAs, P.A.
· McKonly & Asbury, LLP
· Mikunda, Cottrell & Co., Inc.
· Montgomery Coscia Greilich LLP
· Onisko & Scholz, LLP Certified Public Accountants
· Payne, Nickles & Company
· Pender Newkirk & Company LLP
· Petrinovich Pugh & Co, LLP
· Pittman & Brooks, P.C.
· PKF Texas
· Porter Keadle Moore, LLP
· Potter & Company, LLP
· Price, Kong & Co., CPA's
· Rehmann
· RINA accountancy corporation
· Rosenberg, Smith, Cooney & Migliore, P.C.
· Rothstein Kass
· Rushton & Company, LLC
· Sanford, Baumeister & Frazier, PLLC
· Sharrard, McGee & Co., P.A.
· Sisterson & Co. LLP
· Soukup, Bush & Associates, CPAs, P.C.
· Squire & Company, PC
· Swindoll, Janzen, Hawk & Loyd, LLC
· Tate & Tryon
· Testone, Marshall & Discenza, LLP CPAs
· The Whitlock Company, LLP
· ThomasYork, LLP
· Wall, Einhorn & Chernitzer, P.C.
· Wessel & Company
· WhippleWood CPAs, PC
· Whitley Penn LLP
· Wilkin & Guttenplan
· Windes & McClaughry Accountancy Corporation
· Windham Brannon

Marketing & Business Development Webinar: Your Personal Invitation

Marketing & Business Development Webinar

September 16, 1:00-2:00 p.m. Eastern

Attend this webinar and learn:

• The economy's impact on marketing programs and budgets
• How marketing matters in client retention
• When is social media right for your firm?
• Conduct a reality check on your marketing program
• Firing clients: More important than ever?

ESPN2: Martina and Jimmy Need Help!

I am an avid tennis fan. At this time of year I love to watch the US Open. I enjoy the competition, the surprises (have you heard about Melanie Oudin?), and the stories behind each player.

John McEnroe is the best tennis commentator ever. He's smart, funny, insightful and self-deprecating. So, I suppose it's unfair to compare other commentators with his experience. However, ESPN2: Martina Navratilova and Jimmy Connors need help! Don't get me wrong. They are two of the best tennis players of all time. Both are members of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Yet, as commentators they are monotone and boring. There isn't any camaraderie between them.

What I've learned so far is to focus on your strengths. Conduct a personal SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats). Determine those skills that need further training and nurturing. Create a personal marketing plan to track the status of your goals. Find a mentor. This will be the difference between scoring an ace or a double fault!

Marketing & Business Development Webinar

The Seven Keys to Successful CPA Firm Management webinar series continues on September 16, 1:00-2:00 p.m. Eastern with Marketing & Business Development. Attend this webinar and learn:

• The economy's impact on marketing programs and budgets
• How marketing matters in client retention
• When is social media right for your firm?
• Conduct a reality check on your marketing program
• Firing clients: More important than ever

Special Offer! Attend both the Marketing & Business Development and Client Satisfaction (October 7) webinars for one low price of $125! Each separate webinar is $79.

The Client Satisfaction webinar features:

• The hidden landmine of your marketing program
• How to reduce fee resistance
• How to empower your team to satisfy clients
• Why CPA firms lose clients
• How client satisfaction can differentiate your firm

The Seven Keys to Successful CPA Firm Management is based on research conducted by Capstone Marketing and Bay Street Group LLC over the past year including thousands of survey responses and interviews with leading authorities.

If you'd like to learn more about our findings, you can click here to download the 12-page PDF, "The Seven Keys to Success in CPA Firm Management." (No charge, no obligation.)

CPAs and Social Media

Are CPAs looking at technology to strengthen their marketing efforts? As revealed in yesterday's Webinar, Technology: Investment and Implementation, part of The Seven Keys to Successful CPA Firm Management series, 35% of survey respondents are doing so. Leading firms are 35% more likely to identify using technology to strengthen their marketing efforts as a tech initiative.

CPA Trendlines research indicates that CPAs:

• 54% on LinkedIn
• 48% on Facebook
• 21% on Twitter
• 12% on Plaxo
• 6% on MySpace

Social media marketing is causing us to another look at how we create and execute marketing programs. The MarketingSherpa Social Media Marketing and PR Benchmark Survey 2008 reveals:

• Social media is changing the way your company communicates: 31% strongly agree, 45% agree
• 48% of respondents will increase their social media budgets
• Social media marketing and PR is very effective at influencing brand perception (39%), increasing brand awareness (37%), improving search engine rankings (38%), and increasing website traffic (33%).

What I've learned so far is that we need to embrace change. This can be uncomfortable. Yet, change enables us to enhance our skills and try new things, two characteristics of motivated achievers.

Best Ideas from AAM Summit 2009

Here is the final installment (3 of 3) of the best ideas learned at the AAM Summit 2009. What I've learned so far is to listen to the wisdom of my colleagues. Enjoy!

Technology: Seven Keys Webinars Continue

“Technology: Investment and Implementation”, the second key of the series, will be held on Tuesday, August 11, 1:00-2:00 p.m. Eastern.

In "Technology: Investment and Implementation," Jean Caragher, Capstone Marketing and Rick Telberg, Bay Street Group LLC will reveal:

- Top Five Tips to Economize Your Technology Spending
- How Leading Firms Differ from Laggard Firms in Technology Use
- Developing a Strategic Technology Plan
- Tips for Going Paperless
- How to Embrace the Mobile Environment
- The Impact of Social Media

Registration for the one-hour webinar on Technology, August 11, at 1 pm Eastern is now open. Price: $79; or, $379 for the remaining six-part series, a 20% discount.