Gearing Up for the Fall

By Joseph A. Forlenza, CPA

I hope everyone is enjoying the last few weeks of summer. I have been making a point of enjoying the evening light by getting out to exercise and spending time with friends and family. One of those recent occasions with friends was our End of the Summer Networking Bash last month. It was a great opportunity to slow down and enjoy time with friends and colleagues.

I would like to take a moment to remind you how to use our website to find out about chapter events, programs and activities. Just go to our website and on the left-hand side, you will see all the current chapter events. You can get a description of the event, including the topic, the speaker and where and when the event is being held. If you decide to sign up, click on the event. Note that you will need your CalCPA member ID and password. If you do not know your ID and password, you can call customer service at (800) 922-5272 and give the course ID number and your credit card.

Last month’s young and emerging professionals event was going to a Padres game, and it was a real blast! The Padres beat Milwaukee 11-7. I enjoyed meeting new friends and reconnecting with some old ones in a relaxed outdoor environment. I would like to thank Joan Neely and Louie Wong for doing a great job co-chairing the YEP Committee. And if you haven’t checked out a YEP event yet, please do. Everyone is welcome.

Another great event that I attended last month was the Business and Industry Interest Group meeting. Colleen Harvey, CFO of Karl Strauss Brewery, discussed how the company grew out of a passion for beer into a burgeoning local business. She explained the way the company is structured and how it manages its divisions and restaurant sites, as well as a little bit about the metrics she uses to track its progress (but no secrets were revealed). I would like to thank Jill Elsner, our Business and Industry Interest Group chair, for arranging this fun and informative presentation. I particularly enjoyed the Tower 10 IPA beer sample that was given out at the end. You can try it too! There is a Young and Emerging Professionals event being held at Karl Strauss Brewery Gardens Thursday, Oct. 1. Check out our website for all the details and to sign up.

So, as we come into autumn, be sure to take some time to enjoy life, be with friends and family, and, when you can, sign up for some of the great events that our board members are working hard to arrange for us all. You’ll be glad you did!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 1st, 2009 at 10:17 am and is filed under President's Message. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.