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We hear quite a bit about Millennials these days. But don't forget the Gen Xers, Baby Boomers and other generational groups within your workplace. Gilmore Jasion Mahler (GJM) hosted a special guest speaker this week to guide our people in a fun, interactive exploration of how we handle generational differences within the workplace.Staff from both our Maumee and Findlay offices attended the event at the Pinnacle in Maumee to hear from presenter Joy Koch, a Director with RSM US LLP. We discussed how each generation views issues and challenges in the workplace from a different perspective and how we can leverage those differences and use our strengths to resolve issues and challenges. Some topics discussed: work ethic, communication, having fun at work, feedback on job performance and even dress code. Team building at its best!

Mark your calendar for the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) 2016 Annual Conference & Exhibition on June 25-29 in San Antonio, Texas.  Building it Forward: The Conference to Build Success will feature speakers from across the country, including some presenters from the Northwest Ohio Chapter of CFMA.  Gilmore Jasion Mahler Partner Bob Bobek and Art Iron, Inc. Chief Financial Officer Tom Walsh will team up to offer the Treasury Management Course. Bob Bobek, CPA is a partner in the GJM audit and accounting department with over thirty years of public accounting experience and leads our Construction Specialist Team.

“The Manufacturing Roundtables have turned out to be an event I do not want to miss. There are two very material benefits to attendance. The topics are consistently very beneficial to my organization and specifically have resulted in executable ideas for EBITDA improvements. Further independent of the specific topics, it is a great opportunity to discuss a plethora of issues with your peers in the manufacturing arena. As a GJM client, this is a great example of how GJM provides value to my business.”

-Fred Dannhauser, President, Quaker Manufacturing

“The Manufacturing Roundtable that GJM hosts three times per year is definitely a good use of one’s time. The topics are relevant and timely and the guest speakers/facilitators have been top notch. I have also derived benefits from the networking opportunities available at these events. It’s very beneficial to have 25-30 manufacturing/distribution finance professionals together to use as a sounding board and to generate discussion about the issues affecting all of us and the different ways individual companies may be responding to those issues. Whether it’s commiserating about the latest rules from the IRS, FASB, DOL, State of Ohio, etc. or sharing best practices on a variety of topics that directly affect the world of manufacturing, finance and accounting, I look forward to spending time with colleagues and the folks from GJM at these events.”

-Matt Dixon, Corporate Controller, Spangler Candy Company

“The Manufacturing Roundtable is very well run and is a strong return on your investment of time. Meaningful and relevant speakers are brought in and GJM does an outstanding job of facilitating real world discussions during and after the presentations. In addition to the speakers, we have meaningful roundtable discussions between CEOs, Presidents, CFOs, Controllers, CIOs and the like. Often those discussions are as valuable and sometimes even more valuable than the presentations themselves. No disrespect to the presentations, but the laser in focus of some of those roundtable discussions can be very helpful. One can not only validate their processes with other talented professionals, but in some cases glean insights to potentially take their workings to the next level to add additional value for their company’s stakeholders. GJM does a fine job of grouping us at the tables to maximize our ability to have those meaningful discussions by getting folks together with similar situations and the willingness to share with each other. Also, the quality of the people who attend is very high. They are not just smart folks but just good folks and many have become dear colleagues. I have attended for years and would recommend financial executives come to a few sessions to properly evaluate if it is right for them.”

-JB Blackwelder, Former CFO, Crown Battery

I was introduced to the GJM Manufacturing Roundtable about a year and a half ago. I have found it to be a rewarding investment of my time.  I have been able to meet other financial leaders of both smaller and larger companies in the area. We openly share our challenges, thoughts and experiences with one another in a somewhat informal setting. Also of value have been the speakers we have engaged with.  I will be meeting tomorrow with a consultant/accountability coach that I met at my first roundtable and that spoke to us at a later event (Scott Gray, Business Coach with Six Disciplines consulting Services, Findlay). Without the roundtable, I would not likely have come to know of the process and capabilities that were available in this area. I look forward to participating in many more of these valuable gatherings in the coming years."

-Larry Jones, VP of Finance & CFO, Principle Business Enterprises, Inc.

The Gilmore Jasion Mahler Manufacturing & Distribution Financial Executive Roundtables were established in response to feedback from our many clients in the industry who value the opportunity to sit down with other manufacturing financial executives to discuss best practices. The events are hosted by the Gilmore Jasion Mahler's Manufacturing & Distribution Specialist Team and are held three times a year, with presentations in both Maumee and Findlay. If you are a financial leader with a manufacturing company and would like to receive e-mail invitations for future roundtable events, connect with us and let us know. 

While manufacturers cover a wide range of industries, they share many of the same challenges, including everything from workforce issues to data security to safety issues. Manufacturing associations serve a critical role in keeping up on trends and major legislative issues and making connections, but sometimes you just need to bounce something off someone else face to face. 

In response to feedback from clients, Gilmore Jasion Mahler, LTD (GJM), which has offices in Maumee and Findlay, established the Manufacturing & Distribution Financial Executive Roundtable. Offered 3 times a year, the event includes a guest speaker on a timely issue and a roundtable format for attendee discussion on a variety of topics. The roundtable events are typically offered in both Maumee and Findlay. They are open to all financial executives within manufacturing firms. You do not need to be a GJM client to attend.

The next Gilmore Jasion Mahler Manufacturing & Distribution Financial Executive Roundtable event is scheduled for February 18. Special guest presenter Rob Brundrett, Director, Public Policy Services, The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association, will address the “State of Ohio Manufacturing 2016.”

Mr. Brundrett will comment on the pulse of the state’s manufacturing industry headed into 2016. From the presidential election to statewide issues, he’ll track industry trends, concerns and opportunities for Ohio manufacturers in the year ahead.

The event will be held at the Pinnacle in Maumee from 2 to 5 pm.  Due to a scheduling conflict, Mr. Brundrett will only offer the one presentation in Maumee.

Many regular attendees agree the roundtable events are a valuable use of their time, including Matt Dixon, Corporate Controller at Spangler Candy Company, who describes the guest speakers as top notch. He says the roundtable setting is also very beneficial.

“Whether it’s commiserating about the latest rules from the IRS, FASB, DOL, State of Ohio, etc. or sharing best practices on a variety of topics that directly affect the world of manufacturing finance and accounting, I look forward to spending time with colleagues and the folks from GJM at these events,” says Dixon.

Gilmore Jasion Mahler Audit Partner Wes Beham is part of the Firm’s Manufacturing & Distribution Specialist Team and works with a committee to oversee the roundtable series.

“The steering committee for this group is made up of CFOs from the northwest Ohio area and they provide the think tank for event topics and speakers,” says Beham. ”For me, the roundtables are a success when I see two executives from different companies exchange contact information – that is when I know we are doing the right things for the manufacturing community.”

Manufacturing executives are welcome to invite their banker to join them for the February 18^th roundtable event. Please RSVP via email to info@gjmltd.com, where you can also request to be added to the mailing list for future roundtable events.

Established in 1996, Gilmore Jasion Mahler, LTD is the largest public accounting firm in the region, with offices in Maumee and Findlay. Locally owned, GJM offers comprehensive financial services including assurance, business advisory, tax, risk advisory and healthcare management. GJM’s professionals specialize in industries including construction, real estate, healthcare, manufacturing/distribution and utilities. 

Gilmore Jasion Mahler’s Wanderlust, a signature benefit event for Flag City Honor Flight (FCHF), returns this Fall! Wanderlust: A Stroll Through Paris is Friday, October 28, 2022, at the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Findlay. Wanderlust tickets are on sale now!

The event will raise money for Flag City Honor Flight which, after halting flights for two years, resumed its flight schedule with an unprecedented three flights in 2022. All proceeds from Wanderlust: A Stroll Through Paris will go directly to FCHF. Part of the National Honor Flight Network, FCHF is funded solely by donations. The organization brings veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorials built in their honor. Veterans don’t pay a penny to make the trip.

FCHF paused flights in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. This year’s flights were June 7 and September 13, with a final flight scheduled for November 1.

“We are so thrilled to be able to take to the skies and bring these American heroes on this special journey once again. We’re very grateful to GJM for hosting Wanderlust. Thanks to this event, we’ve been able to bring hundreds more Veterans to Washington, D.C.,” says FCHF President Bob Weinberg. “Our November 1, 2022 flight, which will be an all-Vietnam Veteran flight, has a very generous corporate sponsor, Ohio Logistics, covering the cost of the trip. But GJM’s Wanderlust event is critical to our core mission to bring Veterans from all eras to Washington, DC. Wanderlust 2022 proceeds will help fund our 2023 flights.”

Since its founding over 26 years ago, GJM has had a strong commitment to community. The firm has supported countless philanthropic efforts through the years and many staff members serve on the boards of local nonprofits. In 2015, GJM aligned with Flag City Honor Flight and established the major fundraiser. The GJM events in 2016, 2017 and 2019 have together raised over $260,000 for Flag City Honor Flight.

“I cannot imagine anything more meaningful than helping these men and women get to our nation’s capital with Flag City Honor Flight. While we can’t ever repay them for the sacrifices they’ve made for our country, this is one way we can show them how grateful we are as a nation and help give them an experience they’ll never forget,” says GJM Managing Partner Kevin Gilmore.

A big part of Wanderlust’s success is corporate, individual, and in-kind sponsorships. Special thanks to all 2022 sponsors, including major Wanderlust sponsors Ohio Logistics and American Interiors. 

Event Details:

An inspiring and entertaining evening, as attendees are transported to the romantic streets, flower markets, gardens, and cafes of Paris, “The City of Lights”. Guests will enjoy an evening embracing all things French, sipping on champagne & other drinks, enjoying French-inspired cuisine, live performers, a live auction, raffle and more.

WTOL news anchor Dan Cummins, who himself is very active in supporting FCHF through his news coverage, will emcee the 2022 event with GJM’s Susan Ross Wells. Findlay auctioneer Trent Farthing has graciously agreed once again to donate his talents for the evening’s live auction.

Live auction packages will include something for the men and ladies in the room, as well as two signature trips: one for a private villa in St. Lucia, the other: a getaway for two to Paris.

Tickets to Wanderlust 2022: A Stroll Through Paris are $70 each. To buy your tickets now, or secure a sponsorship, visit the Wanderlust 2022 webpage. Questions about the event? Simply reach out to GJM’s Tracy Kennedy at tkennedy@gjmltd.com, Deanna Herr at dherr@gjmltd.com or Susan Ross Wells at srosswells@gjmltd.com.

Established in 1996, Gilmore Jasion Mahler, LTD (GJM) is the largest public accounting firm in Northwest Ohio, with offices in Maumee and Findlay. Locally owned, GJM offers cloud-based accounting and provides comprehensive services including assurance, business & transaction advisory, healthcare management advisory, outsourced accounting, and risk advisory. The firm’s professionals specialize in industries including construction & real estate, healthcare, manufacturing & distribution, nonprofit, private equity and utilities.