CBIZ & MHM Memphis is pleased to announce that Philip Pontius has joined the firm as an Audit Senior Manager. Pontius will assume responsibility for managing client engagements, supervising and mentoring staff, and contributing to business development efforts.

Pontius has 8 years of experience with both Big 4 and a national firm in providing audit, review, compilations, and business advisory services. He has worked with a wide range of industries including large publicly traded companies as well as private companies in retail, healthcare, technology, and financial services sectors.

Pontius received both his Bachelors and Masters of Accountancy at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. He is a CPA and a member of AICPA. Pontius is also IFRS certified.

"Philip adds depth to an already incredible team of managers in our attest practice. He has solid experience with other national firms that will benefit our people and clients," said Eustis Corrigan, Senior Managing Director, CBIZ MHM Memphis. "We are also proud to have a hand in bringing talent back home to Memphis."

The Memphis office has been providing audit and attest services to the Memphis area since 1997. Our audit and attest practice provides financial statement audits, employee benefit plan audits, agreed upon procedures, reviews, compilations, and due diligence services. Our clients cover a broad base of industries including manufacturing, real estate, not-for-profit, professional services and retail.

For questions regarding CBIZ & MHM audit and attest services, please contact Linda Lauer at llauer@cbiz.com or 901.685.5575.

Learn more about exact ways CBIZ MHM can help companies in the manufacturing industry from Brian Barsi on Today's Business Radio. 

Listen to the full interview.

The IRS recently issued proposed regulations eliminating important valuation discounts commonly used in gift and estate tax planning. If finalized as currently proposed, these changes could increase an individual’s gift and estate tax liabilities by more than 60 percent.  Click here to read the full article.

CBIZ MHM Tampa Bay participated in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5k walk at Amalie Arena earlier this month.

The Beta Alpha Psi Delta Gamma Chapter at The University of South Florida and the Beta Alpha Psi Lambda Beta Chapter at the University of Tampa joined Team CBIZ Tampa Bay to support the cause by participating in the 5k walk and by donating online.

Hosted throughout the nation, these walks help the American Cancer Society to continue to accelerate progress in breast cancer research and keep people with breast cancer healthy while we work towards a cure. Over 500 teams participated in this event, raising $464,377 for Making Strides of Hillsborough. This year the Tampa Bay office raised $2,715!

To see pictures from the event, follow @TampaStrides on Twitter and search the hashtags #TampaStrides and #TeamCBIZ.

More than 50 CFOs, CEOs, Business Owners, and Financial Executives are gearing up for CBIZ & MHM’s Post-Election Tax & Business Update Roundtable to be held later this month at the Tampa Club. 

Four Tampa Bay executives are slated to wrap up the seminar with a Q&A session and give insight on key races and the expected impact on businesses post-election day.

Oscar Horton of Sun State International Trucks LLC

Oscar is the President & CEO of Sun State International Trucks LLC since 2000. With more than 25 years of experience at International Truck & Engine Corporation, Oscar has a proven record of managing organizational change and improving business efficiencies.

Steve Knopik of Beall’s, Inc.

Steve joined Beall’s, Inc. in 1984 as the Director of Finance and grew with the Company over the ensuing 22 years and advanced through a number of leadership roles before being promoted to Chief Executive Officer in 2006.

Steve Raymund of Tech Data Corporation

Steve has served Tech Data as a Director since 1986, Chairman of the Board since 1991, and CEO from 1986 through 2006. Steve is also a director of Jabil, Inc., where he is Chair of the Audit Committee, and a director of WESCO International, Inc., where he serves on the Audit and Executive Committees. Steve has substantial experience, knowledge, and relationships within the IT distribution channel that allow him to provide value related to finance, management, supplier and customer relationships, operations, and risk.

Kris Wiebeck of Baldwin Risk Partners

Kris joined Baldwin Risk Partners (BRP) in 2015 as Chief Financial Officer. He oversees finance, mergers and acquisitions, accounting and legal for all four BRP brands. Kris works with BRP leadership to continue delivering best-in-class insurance and risk management services, optimizing operating results and leading external growth opportunities.

 For more information and to register:
http://www.cbiz.com/postelectiontampa

The seventh annual Memphis Business Journal CFO of the Year Awards ceremony was held at the Holiday Inn at the University of Memphis on October 21st. The awards recognize outstanding financial professionals in the Mid-South for exceptional performance in their roles as corporate financial stewards.

The event began with coffee and breakfast for the more than 400 attendees. Breakfast was followed by a video introducing each of the nominees and the presentation to all winners. Winners were selected by a panel of judges that have all previously been named a CFO of the Year. The winners are as follows:

• Private Company Less than $50 Million Annual Revenue
  • Michael Johnson, ALCO Management, Inc.
• ​Private Company More than $50 Million Annual Revenue
  • Carolyn Stafford, NovaCopy, Inc.
• ​Non-Profit Less than $20 Million Annual Revenue
  • Bob Wenner, The Wolf River Conservancy
• ​Non-Profit More than $20 Million Annual Revenue
  • Paul Makris, Christ Community Health Services

HJ Weathersby, Former CFO for Dunavant Enterprises Inc., was given the honor of receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award for his service within the financial sector.

CBIZ MHM has been proud to sponsor these awards since their inception in 2010.

To see a full list of the finalists, click here.

In step five, it is important that a clear definition of the ideal buyer and the type of offer wanted exists. The final step of the Five Steps to Selling Your Business, co-authored by Dave Enick, is about being nimble to act efficiently to move the transaction from the initial offer to close. This step requires conducting sell-side due diligence, keeping the lines of communication open between the buyer and the seller, and being prepared to respond to the questions that arise during the deal process.

Consider the Market and Revisit Your Objectives

It is important to understand current market conditions as the close approaches and adjust for it proactively rather than in drawn out final negotiations.

Conduct Sell-Side Due Diligence

Sell-side diligence by a reputable firm will help speed up the buying process, especially with buyers who are used to seeing diligence reports.

Execute with Precision

Once the ideal buyer has been identified, meet with the team to discuss what they want to see in the letter of intent and what items are critical to the success of the transaction.

Complete the Sale

Planning for the entire sales process, from maximizing the value of the business through the post-deal transition can help execute a business deal that meets objectives.

CBIZ & MHM Memphis partnered with Evans Petree PC on October 19th to host a roundtable discussing the new overtime regulations. The goal was to inform employers on how these changes will affect their business and the way that they choose to operate with their employees.

Co-presenters Ed Rataj of CBIZ Human Capital Services in St. Louis and Chip Cavagnaro of Evans Petree PC led a powerful discussion followed by a question and answer segment to the more than 50 attendees.

Cavagnaro began the presentation by giving a legislative overview of the revisions to the Fair Labor Standards Act. He continued to explain the things that would change based on the new rule and also discussed the exemptions. The legislative overview was followed by a discussion of how the rule would affect a number of specific industries.

Rataj stepped in for the second half of the presentation to help attendees understand the smartest way to implement the new legislation within the workplace. Through statistics and graphs, Rataj was able to show how to analyze alternatives.

For more information on how to best implement the new regulation in your office, please visit here or contact Ed Rataj at erataj@cbiz.com