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The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work and created even more dire staffing shortages for businesses around the country. It’s possible there’s a new way to approach staffing when it comes to your internal accounting needs. Enter Outsourced Accounting at GJM.

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 advisory, tax, risk advisory, healthcare management and outsourced accounting. The firm’s professionals specialize in industries including construction & real estate, healthcare, manufacturing & distribution and utilities.

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)

If your business is one of the many that took advantage of the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) during the Covid-19 pandemic, we have an important update. Some businesses that applied for first round PPP loans are running out of time to apply for loan forgiveness. It depends on the dates of your covered period as part of the PPP loan. Borrowers must apply for forgiveness within 10 months of the last day of their covered period. That could be later this month for some. Be sure to speak with your GJM team if your business has yet to file for forgiveness or reach out to your lender for clarification. If you fail to apply for forgiveness, the PPP loan will be treated as a non-forgivable loan that your business must pay back.

Employee Retention Credit (ERC)

The IRS has come out with some clarification on guidelines for businesses taking advantage of the Employee Retention Credit.  As the extended tax deadline approaches for businesses to file their 2020 federal tax returns, now is the time to iron out how your business plans to utilize the ERC. Something else to keep in mind: new infrastructure legislation introduced in early August may impact how your business utilizes ERC. As the bill stands now, it is possible that ERC may no longer apply in the fourth quarter of 2021. The IRS has provided a brief summary of some key changes, as well as the entire notice (IRS Notice 2021-49), which you can access at this link.

Should you have any questions about your PPP forgiveness process, ERC, or other updates to pandemic relief programs for your business or organization, don’t hesitate to reach out to your GJM client service team to discuss.

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 advisory, tax, risk advisory, healthcare management and outsourced accounting. The firm’s professionals specialize in industries including construction & real estate, healthcare, manufacturing & distribution and utilities.   

Gilmore Jasion Mahler, LTD (GJM) is pleased to announce a number of staff promotions in both the Maumee and Findlay offices, effective July 1, 2021.

Caitlin Bainter, CPA and Amanda Lewis, CPA have been promoted to Senior Manager. Ryan Avery, CPA, Ryan Emerson, CPA and Mackenzie Gross, CPA have been promoted to Manager. Adam Larkins, CPA, Alyssa Lecurgo, Dana Lumbrezer, CPA and Chris Scherley are promoted to Supervisor and Cassi Cronin, CPA, Emily Eckroth, CPA, Thomas Keyser, Hayden Neese and Grace Reddick, CPA are promoted to Senior Associate. 

“These promotions reflect hard work, dedication and commitment. The past year has been anything but normal. Our staff, including all those promoted this month, have done a remarkable job of staying focused, getting the work done and staying connected as a team,” says Managing Partner Kevin Gilmore. “It is gratifying to see our staff advance in their careers and professional development.”  

There are currently several opportunities at GJM for those just beginning their careers, and for more experienced professionals in tax, assurance, and risk advisory. Learn more at GJMLTD.com/careers.

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 services and provides comprehensive services including assurance, business advisory, tax, risk advisory, healthcare management and outsourced accounting. The Firm’s professionals specialize in industries including construction & real estate, healthcare, manufacturing & distribution and utilities.

In these unprecedented times, manufacturers and their supply chains are facing many challenges. We were reminded in recent weeks that supply chain disruptions can come out of the blue, when the giant freighter “Ever Given” got wedged in the Suez Canal for almost a week, blocking a critical trade route and halting the movement of goods. Its impact on global supply chain is still evolving. The “Ever Given” incident only compounds the massive supply chain disruption over the past year brought on by the global COVID 19 pandemic. What can manufacturers learn from these disruptions? Can your business gain a clearer understanding of your supply chain challenges so you’re better prepared for the inevitable disruptions of the future?

Gilmore Jasion Mahler, LTD (GJM) brought together a virtual panel discussion to help manufacturing businesses identify opportunities for supply chain improvement. The March 11 webinar, moderated by GJM’s Wes Beham, featured guest panelists David Cohn and Bart Huthwaite from RSM Supply Chain Services. GJM is a member of the RSM US Alliance. Also featured on the panel, with the private industry perspective: Andrew Risner, Director of Procurement and Global Supply Chain Management for Findlay-based manufacturer Rowmark.  

A Bright Note to Start

In spite of all the challenges facing manufacturers, there is reason for optimism. A survey done of attendees prior to the GJM roundtable webinar found that 74% of those surveyed were somewhat or very optimistic about the future. Survey respondents said their greatest concern over the next year is building their workforce. Their second greatest concern: uncertainty in demand and supply shortages.

Rowmark’s Andy Risner says 2020 was a challenging year as they responded to the pandemic. He says the company was already reexamining its footprint before COVID-19 to better align with customer locations. As a global distributor, he says efficient movement of goods is certainly one of Rowmark’s top priorities.

“Shipping costs increase each year and service levels are important,” he says. “So, you take that coupled with the Amazon affect; you know, people want it, and they want it in two days, and they don’t want it to come in three different shipments… We don’t want to pay for split ship, so, shipping costs are a very big part of our business and we really spent the last two years trying to get our arms around it.”  

Understand the Nature of Supply Chain Disruptions

RSM’s David Cohn says disruptions in supply chains happen on an average of 3.7 years, resulting in an average of 42% profit of its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) over the course of ten years. Unfortunately, these disruptions are expected to become more frequent as globalized chains become more tightly linked, as well as other reasons, such as climate change.

Know the Five Enterprise Risk Categories

• Operational Risks. This risk category includes the ability to forecast supply disruptions, labor competition and availability, and the uncertainty of demand by the consumer.
• Financial Risks. This risk factor includes supplier costs, currency fluctuations, and even dealing with fraud. 
• Strategic Risks. This category of risk involves the impact of competitors and the perception of vulnerabilities, and the adaptability of business models.
• Regulatory Risks. Mitigating these risks means planning around taxation and other similar factors.
• Unforeseeable Risks. These risks include natural disasters such as earthquakes or tornadoes, socioeconomic risks, and even war. You can add stuck barges to that list now, too.

Prioritize Value Chain Preparedness

RSM’s Bart Huthwaite says you need to be as efficient and effective as you can, while ready to react and adapt to outside forces. He says prioritizing preparedness includes these steps:

• Analyze. Be sure to analyze the flow and efficiency of the supply chain.

• Anticipate. Preparedness means being able to anticipate what parts of the chain are most vulnerable. It is highly recommended you use predictive analytics.
• Plan. Be prepared to restructure the company. It is also important to note the balance needed between efficiency and risk. A costly mistake many companies make is not considering risk in the name of efficiency.
• Execute. The final step is to execute well thought out plans. Know how much the changes will cost and the way it improves productivity.

Learn from Industry Leaders

Industry leader David Cohn of Supply Chain Services says that improving supply chain stability includes organizational alignment, or “Trying to get the right hand of the company to talk more effectively with the left hand of the company… This means all links of the chain must work together, cross functionally to align supply with demand.” This can look like anything from major company restructuring to monthly meetings.

What else should you examine to prepare for the future? Here’s what the RSM Supply Chain Services team says supply chain experts are doing to help protect businesses:

• Network rationalization: evaluate/optimize your distribution centers
• Demand Planning/Forecasting
• Supply planning
• Sourcing strategy: should you look more regional, with less reliance on Asia, for example?
• Operational visibility: a clearer view of your inventory, capacity. Possible technology adoption to streamline these efforts
• Inventory management: focus on the critical SKUs so you have capacity to meet demand
• Supplier relationship management
• Supplier/third party risk management
• Advanced analytics
• Simulation-scenario planning
• “Control tower” (get a high-level view/insight into your entire supply chain)  

Our experts say that building a strategy for your business around supply chain management, with these principles as a framework, will better prepare your company for the disruptions of tomorrow.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your GJM team or contact us via our website for assistance.  

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 advisory, tax, risk advisory, healthcare management and outsourced accounting. The firm’s professionals specialize in industries including construction & real estate, healthcare, manufacturing & distribution and utilities.

RSM US Alliance (www.rsmus.com/alliance) is a premier affiliation of independent accounting and consulting firms in the United States, with more than 75 members in over 38 states, the Cayman Islands and Puerto Rico. RSM US Alliance provides its members with access to resources of RSM US LLP, the leading provider of audit, tax and consulting services focused on the middle market, with more than 9,000 people in 86 offices nationwide. RSM US Alliance member firms are separate and independent businesses and legal entities that are responsible for their own acts and omissions, and each are separate and independent from RSM US LLP. Members of RSM US Alliance have access to RSM International resources through RSM US LLP but are not member firms of RSM International. For more information, call toll free 800.537.7178 or visit rsmus.com/alliance.

“It’s never been a better time to be an owner of a business.”

That strong statement was made by Rob Quandt, Managing Director at Windjammer Capital during a GJM webinar examining the current increased activity in mergers and acquisitions, and the importance of having a succession plan. The webinar, Succession Planning High-Level View: 2021 on March 23 brought together a panel of experts to dive into the very active M&A market. The panel, moderated by GJM Transaction Advisory Partner Greg Taylor, also shared some thoughts on what it takes to have a successful succession plan for your business.

Strong M&A Market

Quandt’s statement speaks to the current climate coming out of the economic shutdown during the pandemic. The panelists agree that many businesses looking at potential sales, mergers and acquisitions before the pandemic put those plans on hold and now they’re feeling more confident moving forward. As a result, they say, there’s an explosion of M&A activity, particularly in the middle market.

Taylor notes that these aren’t distressed businesses either. In fact, he says, some are healthier than they’ve been in many years.

“The companies are very strong financially,” he says. “They have very strong balance sheets. That’s also the same situation for potential buyers.”

Panelist Tom Zucker, President & Founder of EdgePoint Capital agrees, describing the M&A marketplace as “incredibly hot”. He says not only are many owners interested in selling their businesses, but they’re getting premium valuations.

Why? Here are Zucker’s thoughts:

• There’s an abundance of capital chasing too few of potential deals
• Tax and regulatory has some scared
• The so-called “9/11 effect”

“Similar to the time period post 9/11, today business owners are choosing to reprioritize non-business activities ahead of corporate growth and profits. We have monikered these emotionally based decisions the “9/11 effect”. This re-examination of priorities has prompted many business owners to consider selling their business,” he says.

The “911 effect” reference Zucker makes is to the COVID-19 pandemic that, like the September 11^th attacks, has some people reexamining their priorities and making major life decisions, emotional decisions, like retiring or selling their businesses.

Regarding tax impact, GJM Tax Partner Charlie Heid says there’s no question that concerns about federal tax policy are driving decisions as well. Many are concerned about potential increases in capital gains tax that could hurt them on a sale further down the road.

“Tax rates that we see today are the lowest they’ve ever been, and they’re going to go up. The question is when, how, and by how much,” says Heid.

Are You Ready to Sell?

If someone walked in the door tomorrow and wanted to talk to you about buying your business, would you be ready? And what can you do so you will be ready?

Zucker says ask yourself these questions: What would you want out of a sale: to carry on your legacy? Get the highest price? Or maybe preserve and protect the corporate structure within your family? He says you need to know what you want from a sale, be very clear about that, and communicate it well.

“The hard work is really sitting down with your advisors and your family and being very clear what you want to get accomplished… and finding a good investment banker, a good attorney, a good accountant is absolutely critical in the journey.”

Quandt echoes that, saying you need to assemble the right team of experts, and be very clear about your goals.

“There’s not really a right or wrong answer for any business,” he says. “If you’re looking to stay involved in the business, great. If you want to retire, great. But if you’re upfront about it, you and your advisors can figure out which firm is going to be the right fit for what you’re trying to accomplish.”

Panelist Ian Bund, a Senior Advisor with Plymouth Growth, says their team looks for businesses at are in the growth stage and are looking for future needs and resources.

“We’re really in the business of partnering with entrepreneurs who have a growth thesis for their business and helping execute that growth thesis towards an exit, so if you’re interested in an exit in the next 6 to 12 months, it would be unlikely that we would be of much use to you, but if you had a longer horizon, and wanted to explore the possibility of your business being self-standing for a period of time, there may be a fit with what we do,” says Bund.

Timeframe for a Sale?  

Tom Zucker says the amount of time you think you need to prepare for sale, versus the length of time you actually need may be two different things. During the panel discussion he referenced an EdgePoint white paper surveying 200 privately-held busines owners who had sold. Early on, he says, those business owners thought less than a year would be enough time. Further into the process, Zucker noted, more and more business owners said a 1-3 year timeframe seemed a more reasonable expectation.

Words of Wisdom

Tom Zucker, EdgePoint:

“Never sell a business by yourself because there are very skilled buyers out there who will see the opportunity that might not be present to you as a business owner.”

Rob Quandt, Windjammer:

“It’s hard to underestimate the amount of data and questions you’re going to go through… you’re going to have two jobs for six months. You’re going to have your day job running the company to achieve the premium valuation, and you’re also going to be talking to multiple buyers who are going to have a lot of questions about your business.”

Ian Bund, Plymouth Growth:

“It’s the relationships that we make, where we’re supporting the growth cycle of a business and getting that business prepared so that ultimately it can optimize the exit value.”

Charlie Heid, GJM:

“Make sure you are in regular discussions with your advisors, your trusted inner circle.”

If you do decide now’s the right time to sell or to buy your business, and you’re clear on exactly what you want, turn to your trusted advisors for an open and honest conversation. To learn more about GJM's transaction advisory expertise or to connect with one of our experts, simply contact GJM to begin the conversation.

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 advisory, tax, risk advisory, healthcare management and outsourced accounting. The firm’s professionals specialize in industries including construction & real estate, healthcare, manufacturing & distribution and utilities.