Spring has sprung! Each day the view from my office window is livelier. The trees are budding, the mulch is fresh in the flower beds, and the crews are out patching the parking lot that was ravished by rain and cold over the winter. Spring is a time for renewal and planting seeds. Our seeds are planted as we participate in spring and summer conferences, attend professional meetings, and support our vast non-profit community through attendance and sponsorship of key events. Our Partners will be speaking and/or exhibiting at key Conferences in support of our governments (GFOA and PICPA), our non-profits (DANA, PICPA, and AICPA), and our housing authorities (MAHRA). In order to present effectively, each individual will be spending a considerable amount of time in research and development of their speaker topic. We have proven over time that this level of commitment not only expands our expertise, but also greatly enhances the quality of the work that we perform on a daily basis.
We are also working to sow the seeds of diversity throughout our organization. In late January, we became OSD Certified as a Women Business Enterprise (WBE). We fully recognize the importance of a diverse workplace and we celebrate the unique contributions of our diverse staff and clients. We look forward to participating in proposal requests from entities who recognize the importance of a certification like WBE.
In my last newsletter, I hinted at an exciting announcement. Our spring “renewal” will be celebrated with our launch of a new logo! We look forward to the many opportunities at upcoming trade shows and vendor exhibits to display our new brand. Our search for a new logo began last year when the firm leadership embarked on our annual retreat. We devoted some of our discussion on our mission, vision, and core values. It was important to our team that we both individually and collectively carry our consistent message of integrity, quality, and responsiveness. During the winter, we launched a “logo tournament” in search for something that would serve us well today and into the future. We obtained input from staff, business associates, clients, family and friends. A special thanks to all those who participated. We are excited with our new design and are confident that it will continue to convey our values.
Our second “busy season” will kick off in mid-July as we conduct June 30 year-end audits. In the meantime, we will be planning, scheduling, and enjoying the spring weather. Our offices will be closed every Friday from May 10 through June 14. We will also be closed the week of 4th of July. It is during these closed days that we encourage our staff to embrace the opportunity to integrate their personal and professional lives.
It is my hope that each of you also have the opportunity to “stop and smell the roses”. Happy summer!