Another busy season almost over. Here’s hoping that yours was smooth and uneventful. More anxious, stressed, and working hard to avoid digging into their records, my clients kept me on my toes this year. I credit some of this to the “encouraging” news in the media and ongoing economic malaise. While you were “buried,” the FBI announced that Internet crime is up; the new buzzword in both corporate America and not for profit organizations is “sustainability,” and the government is warning of a second wave of mortgage foreclosures being imminent. What a great time to be in this business and with a skill set that can make a contribution to any of these challenges. I am looking forward to sunny Miami Beach and the Fontainebleau Hotel for the NACVA/IBA Annual Consultants’ Conference. For those who have not made their plans, visit www.nacva.com and check out the agenda! An added plus, the hotel will be FABULOUS. They just completed a $1 billion renovation and expansion that must be experienced. For some interesting history, visit www.Fountainbleu.com and then make plans to see it for yourself. This is a time to restore and prepare for the coming months.

Your chapter leaders are putting meeting dates on the calendar and getting the word out about this year’s agendas. To access the 2010 agendas, a current list of chapter presidents, and a list of chapters that have notified HQ they plan to hold a meeting, go to NACVA’s home page at www.nacva.com and select “About Us” from the menu, then “NACVA in-depth,” then select “NACVA State Chapters.” Here you will find the Tri-annual Agendas, a list of the State Chapter presidents, and a list of Chapters that have scheduled to Hold Meetings. All chapter presidents are asked to submit their meeting agreements or a schedule of meetings they have planned to Pam Bailey at pamb1@nacva.com so your meetings will be publicized on the website. This year there is an unprecedented opportunity to invite interested parties to meet your chapter, and the more hands that help will certainly be useful; so if you’ve been thinking “What does my chapter do?” reach out to make it happen.

We hope that providing meeting content makes it a bit easier to lead a state chapter and, of course, the meetings would not happen but for those who have stepped forward to author presentations and submit reports for Case Analysis. So a special “thank you” to Jeff Harwell, Ben Johnson, Howard Lewis, John Cento, Toby Tatum, Robin Shaw, Esq., and Rebecca Smith who agreed to do so. We still need REPORTS and, by the way, I just received another royalty check for a report I submitted several years ago.

Likewise, the State Chapter Committee and State officers are looking for ways we can support our membership. Currently, we need assistance planning and developing the chapter websites and social media implementation, deciding what to do at the annual conference, marketing, and more. We always welcome more ideas and hope that you will consider giving us the benefit of your expertise if you have some ideas to share. This year we have invited Gary Fodor, regional governor of the IBA to join our discussions as we invite IBA members to collaborate with us and our state chapters around the U.S. As a member of both organizations, some of the best meetings I recall attending were bringing the best from both organizations forward, and I look forward to doing so not only in Florida but around the country. Please extend your usual NACVA welcome to new faces at your meetings, and let’s grow this in a big way in 2010.

Lastly, I recently asked chapter presidents to tell me their stories of how chapters “advance our society” in some respect. Knowing they don’t all read my e-mail, I am making this request here as well. If you know of a chapter that sponsors an innovative project, please send me a quick story at simoneh1@nacva.com. Examples include professional development or public education—areas where we are engaged and I suspect there are more.

Local state chapter events provide members valuable opportunities to: (1) promote CVAs, AVAs, CFFAs, CMAPs, and NACVA within the community, (2) create a platform to network and develop mentoring relationships with other members, (3) deliver relevant industry-related information and educate members on the range of support available as benefits of membership and, (4) receive economical CPE on timely and relevant topics pertinent to valuation and litigation forensic services.

I encourage NACVA members to take advantage of these opportunities, sharing ideas, and educating one another on current issues facing the business valuation, litigation, financial forensics/fraud consulting, and mergers and acquisitions communities. To help facilitate and address such issues, NACVA provides presentation materials for three half-day state chapter meetings each year on topics of current interest.

Contact your local state chapter president to let him/her know of your interest in attending a meeting, being a presenter, or assisting in preparing the materials for a future meeting—or contact me at simoneh1@nacva.com or NACVA’s Executive Director Pam Bailey at pamb1@nacva.com.

 

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