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Gilmore Jasion Mahler (GJM) Managing Partner Kevin Gilmore recently announced some exciting changes in the firm’s leadership team. Jamie Dixon, CPA and Matt Hoverman, CISA have been promoted to partner and Jessica Nunn, CPA has been promoted to senior manager.

Dixon is a member of GJM’s Healthcare Specialist Team. He also took on the role as GJM’s firm administrator in 2020. He has over thirty years of experience in both private and public accounting, providing consulting services to a broad range of healthcare entities, specializing in home health and long-term care. He has been with GJM since 2013. 

Matt Hoverman’s expertise is in risk advisory. He has over two decades of professional services experience in systems implementation, information security, internal and external audit, risk management, compliance, and management consulting across multiple industries. Matt joined GJM in 2016 and has since built a team offering risk advisory services.

Jessica Nunn is a member of the firm’s Manufacturing Specialist Team. She specializes in for-profit entities and has over a decade of public accounting experience at Gilmore Jasion Mahler. She’s been responsible for tax planning, preparation, and review of tax returns, in addition to general consulting largely related to corporate and multi-state tax issues.

“Congratulations to Jamie, Matt and Jessica on their well-deserved promotions,” says GJM Managing Partner Kevin Gilmore. “I’d also like to thank them, and all of our staff for the incredible work they’ve done over the past year helping our clients through all of the uncertainty brought on by the pandemic. We know our clients need our guidance now, perhaps more than ever.”

The promotions were effective January 1, 2021. 

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.  

Manufacturers already struggling to find workers are dealing with another monumental obstacle to hiring: the COVID-19 pandemic. Pandemic-related unemployment benefits and even concerns about COVID-19 infection in the workplace are taking a toll. Those manufacturing businesses hoping to overcome these obstacles may want to reflect on some good old fashioned childhood advice from mom: clean your room.

It comes as no surprise that Betco, a Bowling Green-based commercial cleaning manufacturer reports a major shift in the priorities and needs of commercial customers related to facility cleanliness. Vice President for Brand Marketing Barrett Betz says they’ve seen an increase in their customers’ commitment to creating awareness among workers when it comes to hand hygiene and disinfection, as well as safety measures like social distancing. Betco has also changed its own protocols. And, if you’re looking for best practices related to keeping a manufacturing facility clean, who better to ask than a manufacturer of cleaning products.

Betco’s Approach

“We have implemented what we call a ‘Collaborative Cleaning’ program, called Clean Core, in which our team members are responsible for cleaning and disinfecting their workspaces, as well as actively disinfecting any facility areas they have been occupying for meetings, eating lunch, etc. after usage to ensure surfaces stay clean and safe,” says Betz. “This is something we have seen our customers, specifically in the education market, adopt as well. We feel this is an easy and useful strategy to get people working together to maintain safety within facilities.”

Health & Safety: A Priority

There’s no question that health and safety are top priorities for manufacturers as they handle their response to the pandemic. Taking strong measures to protect your workers is essential. Communicating your commitment to potential new hires may be equally important. Betz says he thinks safety and cleanliness are very strong messages right now for manufacturers looking to hire new team members, as we all want to stay healthy and not risk exposure to COVID-19.

“Making people feel comfortable by instituting proactive and collaborative cleaning measures such as our Clean Core initiative is one way to not only make them feel safe, but encourage participation towards a common goal,” he says.

James Smith is a VP with Cleveland-based Rust Belt Recruiting. His company focuses strictly on the skilled trades, and helping manufacturers looking to fill positions including welders, technicians, and manufacturing engineers, as well as more professional level roles like purchasing and operations. He says he sees many challenges in the skilled trades shortage: the wage gap, not enough people having an interest, the unemployment surplus during the pandemic, and concerns about the virus. He says you need to be sure you can welcome in new staff with open arms, but to do it as safely as possible. He notes the pandemic has been a bit of an eye opener for some employers.

“I think its general cleanliness as well that probably a lot of these manufacturers didn’t see how they were underperforming in that area, having a clean and safe work environment.”

Jeff Doepker is CEO and President of The Doepker Group, a professional recruiting firm with offices across Northwest Ohio and a specialization in manufacturing. He says the appearance of a manufacturing facility, in terms of cleanliness, can speak volumes, and not just about cleaning practices.

“If a company pays attention to health and safety protocols and is clean and well kept, it’s probably a detail-oriented business,” he says. “It can be a good indicator of how a business is run in general. So as a potential new hire, look around. If you see a clean well-run, organized facility, that’s a good sign.”

COVID-19 Safety

What does safety look like now in a manufacturing facility? The changes due to the pandemic are quite dramatic. Here’s some of what Smith and Betz say they’re seeing:

• Health questionnaires before entrance
• Temperature checks upon entrance
• Hand sanitizer/workspace sanitizing

• Mask mandates
• Social distancing
• Staggered attendance to limit building occupancy
• Staggered daily activities, including lunch times
• Virtual and phone call recruiting interviews with follow up on-site visits

Betz says demand has been high for a number of Betco’s products during the pandemic, including hand sanitizers, skin cleansers and disinfectant products. While its critical to have these products on hand for workers, he says educating your staff is equally important: creating awareness and encouraging participation amongst team members and visitors. He says some of their customers - educational facilities across the country - have gone to the next level, adopting a Betco program called Enhanced Facility Disinfection which includes:

• Properly assessing risk
• Developing protocols
• Creating best practices for maintaining cleanliness and disinfection
• Creating awareness within school buildings

Educate & Communicate

But, don’t think you’re all set if you’ve established these protocols. Now you need to remind your people and remind them again. Communication is key. Educate your staff, develop signage to keep workers informed, and communicate clearly, not only to staff, but to any visitors, and most definitely potential new hires. And, Betz says, don’t expect this to go away. Things aren’t going back to the way they were.

“I believe the increased emphasis on hand hygiene, facility cleanliness, and disinfection are absolutely here to stay, although strategies to successfully implement and reach facility cleaning and safety goals will evolve as the industry continues to innovate.”

Smith says while the pandemic has put many people out of work and compounded the labor shortage in manufacturing, there is a bright note for anyone in search of a career opportunity in manufacturing.

“If you have a skill, learned a trade, your services are certainly needed and in high demand right now.”

Resources

If you’d like to learn more about COVID-19 health and safety measures or the Betco products and services Barrett Betz discussed, you can get in touch online or call 888-GO-BETCO.

Learn more about The Doepker Group and search open positions.

Learn more about Rust Belt Recruiting and see their list of current openings.

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.

If your business hasn’t yet applied through the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program, you’ll likely be doing so soon. Here are 6 recommendations on the application process from GJM Partner Bob Bobek. Bob has helped many businesses apply for the program in recent days and recommends you keep these tips in mind:

1. Sit down with a trusted advisor and make sure that the Paycheck Protection Program is right for you. There are other programs that may be a better fit for your business.
2. Use a loan calculator. GJM has created a simple calculator for our clients to plug in their numbers and know for sure which program is best for them. Check with your advisor to see if they have a similar tool or reach out to GJM for assistance.
3. Prepare. Make sure you have support for all items included in your loan application (Last year’s tax return, payroll data, etc.).
4. Maximize your loan draw. Make sure you’re getting the most benefit possible for your business.
5. Talk to your banker to make sure you understand exactly what they need and how they would like to see it. Keep in mind the banks are all trying to figure this out, too. Some banks may ask for items that other banks aren’t asking for. Each has its own application process. Most banks are processing more applications for these PPP loans than the total number of loans they process in a given year. 
6. Follow through. Now that you have your application submitted, start a dialogue. Find out how the loan will be processed, what loan documents will you need to sign and when you can expect to receive funds. Remember, once you receive your funds, the 8-week forgiveness period will begin. Its critical to keep communication open with your bank and your advisors. 

You can access information on the Paycheck Protection Program and many other resources designed to help your business navigate the pandemic in the GJM COVID-19 Resource Center.

Bob Bobek is an assurance partner with over 35 years of public accounting experience who works with privately-owned companies across multiple industries, with a concentration in construction and manufacturing.

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.

As our country faces the COVID-19 crisis we want to take a moment to bring you up to date on some of the steps Gilmore Jasion Mahler is taking as a result. We would also like to share some information on some resources for businesses, should you need them.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has announced a loan program to provide economic assistance to companies due to the slowing down of business in Ohio. It may be available to help your business provide funding for payroll, past due accounts payable and other working capital needs. Typically, such a loan program will have a very low interest rate and up to 30 years repayment schedule. Also, in the unfortunate event that furloughs or layoffs are necessary during these challenging times, impacted employees should qualify for immediate unemployment compensation relief.

Here are some helpful links for businesses seeking information in both Ohio and Michigan.

http://jfs.ohio.gov/ouio/CoronavirusAndUI.stm

https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/0,9753,7-406-98178_98179---,00.html

While there has been talk of the IRS possibly moving back the April 15 tax deadline, as of now there is no official word on if that may happen so GJM is currently working under the assumption there is no delay in the tax deadline. We expect to receive further guidance from the US Department of the Treasury this week and will promptly let everyone know.

As we are writing this, our offices remain open, though we have encouraged our staff to work from home if possible for the next three weeks. Should you need to drop off tax documents, GJM offices will be open during our normal business hours for you to do so.

We will continue to monitor COVID-19 developments here in Northwest Ohio and around the nation and share further information with our clients and partners as needed. Please feel free to reach out to your GJM team with any questions or concerns.

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 and healthcare management. The firm's professionals specialize in industries including construction & real estate, healthcare, manufacturing & distribution and utilities.

Congress reached a deal on a new $900 billion stimulus package just days before Christmas. The president has now signed it and stimulus checks are on their way to many Americans.

The deal comes as the pandemic surges from coast to coast, and after several months of no additional financial help from the government for struggling Americans and their businesses.

A key component of the law, and very welcome news for businesses, is the word that taxpayers will be allowed to deduct costs covered by their Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. The resolution on PPP loan expenses & tax deductibility will ease some frustrations for businesses in the middle of year-end tax planning.

The stimulus package also provides more funding for a new round of PPP loans, stimulus checks for most Americans, and an extension of federal unemployment benefits, among other provisions.

GJM’s Bob Bobek, CPA co-presented a webinar in partnership with the Employers’ Association’s Bob Bethel, SPHR, SHRM-SCP on December 28. They took a closer look at what’s in the stimulus package and what it means for your family and your business. Bob Bobek also covered the latest guidance from the Small Business Administration (SBA) regarding the forgiveness questionnaire for existing Paycheck Protection loans at or over $2 million.

If you were unable to attend the webinar, you now have access to the recording. You can also access other resources in the GJM COVID-19 Resource Center. 

As always, you're encouraged to reach out to your GJM team with any concerns or questions.

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.