9th Annual Asheville Accounting and Management Conference

9th Annual Asheville Accounting and Management Conference

Friday, April 22, 2022

8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Hilton Asheville Biltmore Park

43 Town Square Blvd

Asheville, NC 28803

828.209.2700

Sponsored by: Catawba Valley Chapter IMA

8 Continuing Professional Education Credits
(**Including 2 Hours of qualifying Behavioral Ethics)

To keep all attendees safe at this in-person event, the attendee MUST complete an additional form attesting to their vaccination status. Link to the form can be found by clicking here.

Conference Location Directions:
From South: Follow I-26 West to Exit 37, Long Shoals Road. Exit right and take a left at first light on Schenck Parkway. At first intersection, turn left onto Thetford Street. Travel ¼ mile and our hotel will be on your right.

From North: Take I-26 East to Exit 37, Long Shoals Road. Exit left and take a left at first light on Schenck Parkway. At first intersection, turn left onto Thetford Street. Travel ¼ mile and our hotel will be on your right.

Group Hotel Information: Group hotel rate is available at Hilton Asheville Biltmore Park through Friday, April 1st. To reserve a room using the group discount, please utilize the following link: https://www.hilton.com/en/attend-my-event/avlbphf-ima-2b9d9368-18e3-4d01-a723-eecf2d610775/

Conference Registration Information:
Registration check-in begins at 8:00 a.m. and the first seminar begins at 8:30 a.m. The last session will end just before 5:00 p.m. Course fees are payable in advance.
All reservations must be received by Friday, April 15, 2022 by registering:
- ONLINE @: Chapter Events - Catawba Valley Chapter
- VIA EMAIL: by emailing Ron Nicholson or Kim Gales at catawbavalleyima@gmail.com.
- VIA MAIL: IMA Catawba Valley
P.O. Box 2132
Hickory, NC 28603

Registration fees include continental breakfast, refreshment breaks, lunch, and course materials.
**Registration will be available at the door provided space is available and lunch may not be included.

Prerequisites/Advance Preparation:
Download Case Study & Note-Taking Guide for Session 2 Only.

Program Level: Basic
Delivery Method: Group-live

CPE Information:
The Catawba Valley IMA is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be addressed to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors via its website: www.nasbaregistry.org.
This program meets the ICMA guidelines for CPE credits for CMAs and CFMs.


***Registration/Coffee/Continental Breakfast***

8:00 am -8:30 am

Morning Session 8:30 am-10:10 am
(CPE Credit: 2 Hours in Personal Development)

Martin Brossman and Dana Gower presents:

“Everyone’s talking-but what are these things doing to us in reality? Insights into Bitcoin/cryptocurrencies, Blockchain, and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), in user-friendly terms.”

The Printing Press, The Electric Light, The Internet, and now Blockchain and Bitcoin! This presentation will explain how Cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin, in particular, NFTs, and Blockchain are changing the world of finance and will give you a look at the mechanics, benefits, and limitations of the latest technological disruptions. What are the risks and what are the optimum potential outcomes to individuals and institutions? How does the new “digital wallet” work? You have heard different things in the news, and from entertainment, family, and friends on these topics, and perhaps you have dabbled in Bitcoin. In this presentation, you will hear the latest developments, issues, and predictions in a comprehensive, but easy-to-follow, informative, engaging, and entertaining way. No pre-knowledge of the field is required for this continuing education training.

• Understanding the basic processes, technologies, and terminologies of Blockchain and the Cryptocurrency world.
• A brief history plus some current-day examples of the practical use of various technologies.
• Understanding the risks and potential upsides of the emerging Blockchain field to both people and institutions.

Morning Session 10:25 am-12:05pm

(CPE Credit: 2 Hours in Behavioral Ethics)

Royallen Wiley Presents:

"Misplaced Trust | Devastating Fraud"

This course will discuss the IMA Educational Case Journal (IECJ) case study, based on a true story that examines the embezzlement of funds by a high-ranking, trusted administrator in the Beaumont Independent School District (BISD) in Beaumont, Texas. Patricia Adams Lambert diverted more than $500,000 for both personal and a family member’s financial gain. This activity occurred from 2007 to 2013 while she was employed by the BISD. The lack of internal controls at the organization directly contributed to devastating fraud. This case study considers one of the accepted models that can be used to assess and manage risk in an organization, the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) 2013 Internal Control-Integrated Framework. We also consider the evaluation of an ethical dilemma and working with internal control systems and the IMA Statement of Ethical Professional Practice.

• Apply COSO's Internal Control - Integrated Framework in evaluating an internal control system
• Examine the importance of proper monitoring in an organization
• Recognize the relationship between proper governance and unethical acts.
• Determine appropriate steps in resolving an ethical issue. Download study materials here: Case StudyNote Taking GuideIMA Statement of Ethical Professional PracticeCOSO Internal Controls - Integrated Framework Principles

***Lunch 12:05 pm – 1:00 pm***

Afternoon Session 1:00 pm – 2:40 pm

(CPE Credit: 2 Hours in Production)

Tim Reynolds Presents:

“Inventory Management Best Practices”

Inventory can represent one of the largest assets on a company’s books and as management accountants, it’s important that we not only account for it accurately but seek to understand how the mismanagement of this important asset can lead to some serious organizational issues. Join us to learn more about why inventory management is important and learn some best practices on how organizations can safeguard it and implement some operational efficiencies along the way.
• Understand why inventory management is important to an organization
• Learn how the lack of controls in connection with inventory can lead to financial losses
• Discover some best practices related to safeguarding and efficiency improvements for inventory

Afternoon Session 3:00 pm – 4:40 pm

(CPE Credit: 2 Hours in Business Law)

Jeff Penley, J.D. Presents:

"I Am Not Throwin' Away My Shot (Or Am I?)-The Legality of Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccines in the Workplace"

In addition to the widespread health implications of the COVID-19 pandemic,
the virus has also raised significant legal issues, including whether employers can mandate employee vaccination as a requirement for employment. Major companies like Boeing, Citigroup, Deloitte, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Walmart have required their employees to be vaccinated, and in September 2021, President Joseph Biden announced sweeping new vaccine mandates intended to affect tens of millions of Americans, ordering all businesses with more than 100 employees to require their workers to be inoculated or face weekly testing. Many state governments “pushed back,” with twenty states, all with Republican governors, prohibiting proof-of-vaccination requirements. In eleven of those
states, governors banned proof-of-vaccination requirements through executive orders, while in nine of those states, legislators passed laws banning proof-of-vaccination requirements. This “back-and-forth” between the federal and state governments fomented yet another “red versus blue” political battle, perhaps finally resolved by the United States Supreme Court in its National Federation of Independent Business v. OSHA decision.

• Understand the relationship between the “employment-at-will” doctrine and employer-established COVID-19 vaccine mandates
• Understand various corporate policies regarding COVID-19 vaccine mandates
• Explain the import of President Biden’s executive order regarding COVID-19 vaccine mandates
• Explain the nature and extent of state laws restricting vaccine mandates
• Discuss the import of the United States Supreme Court decision, National Federation of Independent Business v. OSHA.

Guest Speaker Biographies

Martin Brossman

Martin Brossman is a leading authority on social media and online marketing. He is a business coach, consultant and a dynamic trainer known for his insight and humor. A member of the National Speakers Bureau, Martin is a popular speaker on social media topics and web related topics for business professionals. He teaches at North Carolina community college Small Business Centers throughout the state since 2006. Currently, he teaches a Social Media Management Certificate program at NC State University TTS. His published books include Social Media for Business, Linking Into Sales (professional use of LinkedIn) and How to use Hashtags. He has been self-employed since he left IBM in 1995 and has over 10 years of experience in the business use of social media.

Jeff Penley, J.D.

A native of Burke County, North Carolina, Penley earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science and a law degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He practiced insurance defense law for a large law firm in Charlotte before joining the faculty at Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) in Hickory, North Carolina. For 27 years, Penley taught law and ethics classes for the CVCC Business Division. In 2007 and 2013, he received the Catawba Valley Community College Excellence in Teaching (EIT) Award. While a full-time faculty member, he served in numerous leadership roles, including Faculty Senate president, cooperative education faculty coordinator and Southern Association of Colleges re-accreditation team member. CVCC has implemented the faculty titling system Penley developed and proposed while he served on the Faculty Senate. He was on the “front end” of online learning in the Tar Heel state, serving as a course developer for the North Carolina Community College System “Virtual Learning Community.” He has presented for CVCC’s Student Leadership Institute and delivered numerous faculty and staff professional development lectures and Continuing Education presentations. Penley served as faculty fellow for CVCC’s Students in Free Enterprise team from 1996 to 2013. During that time, he coached the team to five regional championships. Since 2012, Penley has served as an extemporaneous speaking and prepared speech coach for the CVCC SkillsUSA team, with his students winning a number of state championships and competing nationally. Since 2019, Penley has served as Special Advisor and Senior Professor for Technical and University Transfer programs at CVCC. He currently coordinates the “Aspire Appalachian” and “49erNEXT” college transfer programs for CVCC students. Penley and his wife Patricia live in Hickory. Their daughter Katherine, a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, is an English teacher in Hillsborough. Their son Ben, also a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, is a pharmacist who lives who lives in Dallas, Texas.

Tim Reynolds

Tim Reynolds is a Principal at Davidson, Holland, Whitesell & Co., PLLC, and has over twenty-seven years of experience in public accounting and in private industry with large, publicly traded companies. Tim graduated from the University of Toledo with a B.B.A. degree in accounting. Tim provides accounting, tax, and operational consulting services and has several years of experience working with manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, and dealerships across the U.S. on strategies designed to maximize financial and operational performance, identify, and reduce risk, and plan for succession. He is a frequent speaker and writer on various financial and operational topics and conducts educational sessions to help clients succeed and navigate through the various challenges that impact businesses today. Tim is a licensed CPA in the State of North Carolina and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and various trade industry associations. Tim also serves as the Treasurer for the IMA-Catawba Valley Chapter.

Royallen Paul Wiley, MBA, CMA

Royallen Wiley has extensive experience in progressively more responsible positions in Finance and Accounting for Fortune 500 companies. Among others, he has worked for Domtar, Sea-Land Corporation, Clariant Corporation and BASF.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Northern Kentucky University. His MBA is from Queens University in Charlotte where he was named a Blumenthal Fellow. He is a Certified Management Accountant. He served two consecutive terms on the ICMA Board of Regents and currently is a member of the CMA Exam Review Committee. Royallen is a past president of the Charlotte IMA Chapter and has also served on various IMA national committees.

In 2003, Royallen was named “Financial Executive of the Year” by the IMA Carolinas Council. Royallen was named Charlotte Chapter IMA Member of the Year in 2009, 2014 and 2015. He was a Finalist for the 2013 Charlotte Business Journal CFO of the Year Award.

Royallen is active in the Carolina’s international community. He served a five-year term as President of the Carolinas World Trade Association and currently is a board member. While at Domtar, Royallen took an ex-patriate assignment serving as Head of Finance for a startup operation in Guangzhou, PRC for a year and a half and he remains well connected with the Chinese community in the Carolinas. He devotes a lot of time these days in assisting an Afghan refugee family in Charlotte.

Royallen and his wife Cynthia, have a thriving real estate business working for Coldwell Banker in the Charlotte Metro area. Royallen does consulting work for the Pulp and Paper industry and does angel investing holding minor stakes in Hylaine, LLC (Charlotte based) and Dart Innovation LLC (Raleigh based).

Dana Gower MBA CCP® - Business, Talent and Wealth Strategist - Author & Speaker

Dana is co-author along with Martin Brossman on Insights Into Bitcoin/Cryptocurrencies, Blockchain, and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) in user-friendly terms. He is also creator of The BOOMERNOMICS Webinar, an online educational program and new book by the same name: BOOMERNOMICS - The Baby Boom Generation's Guide To An Encore Career, Fulfilling Retirement & Remarkable Legacy as well as the CAREERING book on Amazon, and co-founder of the Career Network Ministry.

He has a demonstrated history of running a hedge-type foreign exchange mutual fund, served as a financial, retirement and career advisor for more than 20 years, and worked as a human resources, compensation and benefits manager for a Fortune 500 company for the prior 15 years. Today Dana loves his work as CEO/Chief Strategist & Author, BOOMERNOMICS including an affiliation with Lincoln Financial as well as VP & Executive Career Coach, CareerPro Inc. in Raleigh. Dana holds undergraduate degrees in economics and finance from the University of Maine plus a graduate degree in finance from Rollins College/Crummer School of Business in Orlando, FL. He resides in Cary, NC.

In addition to working in his family’s small, but global business as a youngster growing up in Maine, plus a major Fortune 500 in Texas, South Carolina, Vermont, and North Carolina, Dana has also worked with 5 start-up companies in the Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina in the not-so-distant past. He is a volunteer Executive Coach for the Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC in Chapel Hill. Altogether, Dana has around 40 years of diversified business and individual client experience.