Firm Operations Forum (E2309240)

8:30-9:30 a.m.
Registration, Continental Breakfast & NJCPA Department/Sponsor Showcase

9:30-9:45 a.m.
Welcome & Opening Remarks

9:45-11 a.m.
Professional Issues Update
AJ Johnson, CEO - NJCPA
Ed O'Connell, Partner - WithumSmith+Brown

11 a.m.-12 p.m.
The Professionalization of Professional Services Firms
Daniel Hood - Accounting Today
As competition gets fiercer and the number of changes and challenges that the average CPA firm faces mount, practices are finding they have to spend more time working "on" their business rather than "in" it -- a big part of which is "professionalizing" their back office functions around marketing, business development, HR, IT and more. This session will cover the challenges that come along with that, and how the professionals who are being called on to fill those functions are being called on to help firms face a host of new issues.

12-1 p.m.
Lunch & NJCPA Department/Sponsor Showcase

1-2 p.m.
Breakout Sessions (Choose One)

1A. How HR is Helping the Accounting Industry Change
Rachel Anevski - Matters of Management, LLC
Human Resources has been asked to recreate, retool, collaborate, and learn at rapid speeds to accommodate the changing workplace environment. We are at the frontline of our firms and work to remain competitive in what seems to be an ever-evolving environment. Recently, HR has been tasked with accommodating the work standards our firms find compatible with respective cultures and business models. We also have new tools to enhance and reduce our workload. Finally, we are recruiting and learning about the new talent that is coming into our firms, often before anyone else meets them, giving us the rare opportunity to highlight strengths and weaknesses. While we were once administrative and then strategic, we have now become essential.

1B. Marketing Trends for Accounting & Advisory firms – AI, Automation, MarTech, and Messaging in a landscape where the only constant is change
Leon Grassi - SAX LLP

2-2:45 p.m.
NJCPA Resources