Ron Yates Eide Bailly

by Ron Yates, former AICPA Council Representative

Greetings MSCPA Members.  I hope that each of you find time to enjoy the wonder and blessings of Christmas without succumbing to the madness of the holiday season or the angst associated with year-end planning and the fast-approaching “busy season” 2016.  In no time at all Christmas and New Year’s Day will be past, tax and audit deadlines will be complicating our recreation and weekend plans, and once-again we’ll be anxiously awaiting the arrival of spring.

First of all, I want to sincerely thank each of you for the opportunity to serve as your elected AICPA Council Representative over the past three years.  Serving as your representative at the national AICPA level has been a great honor, a tremendous learning experience, and truly one of the highlights of my professional career – challenging, exciting, professionally rewarding, and great fun!  I have actively attempted to represent the diverse interests of Montana CPAs at the national level and move our profession forward against the ever-present challenges of staffing, student recruitment, examination & certification, professional education, legal liability, client expectations, specialization, and expanding professional, geographic, and technological boundaries.  Thank you all for this opportunity, as well as your friendship, advice, and support.

Gordy Thompson, Anderson ZurMuehlen

Please enthusiastically congratulate Gordy Thompson of Havre on his election as your AICPA Council Representative for the 2015-2018 term. Gordy is a strong leader that will represent Montana CPAs extraordinarily-well at the national level.  Gordy is a friend to all and a stranger to no one!  He has already established tremendous professional contacts within the AICPA that will serve to benefit all MSCPA members going forward.

Please offer your outstanding support to President Brenda Byrnes, President-Elect Annette Hill, and all MSCPA board members and office personnel.  The MSCPA’s mission is to inspire, empower and impact members to achieve professional excellence and this is exactly what our MSCPA board and staff do each day!

Jane Egan MSCPA Executive Director

Please keep Jane Egan, MSPCA’s fearless leader and our great friend, in your thoughts and prayers as she continues to successfully battle cancer.  As politicians, regulators, and certain other disagreeable individuals know, Jane is not to be messed with!  Cancer doesn’t have a chance to prevail in this fight!

Please continue to be actively involved in our profession at the local chapter, MSCPA, and AICPA levels.  I am fortunate to have gotten involved at each of these levels during my public accounting career and plan to continue doing so.  I have truly personally received much more back than the effort and time I have invested.  We have a wonderful, dynamic, evolving profession that actively seeks your input, involvement, and leadership.  Please take advantage of these fantastic personal and professional growth opportunities by personally getting involved.  E-mail me at ryates@eidebailly.com or call me at 406-896-2423 if you have any questions or if I can be of any assistance regarding your professional involvement.

Finally, please consider financially supporting the MSCPA Legacy Foundation, our very own 501(c)(3) charitable organization, with your year-end gifting.  The Legacy Tree project currently happening in the MSCPA office is a touching visual tribute to the many people—past, present and future—who support the greatness of the accounting profession in Montana.  Let’s each do our part to support the foundation for the betterment of the Montana accounting profession for generations to come!

The Legacy Tree