January 2000

Southern Tier

By Charles Barrett, CPA, President

Southern Tier is one of the smaller chapters of the NYSSCPA and has less than 400 members. Geographically, we are situated upstate and along the New York­Pennsylvania border. The primary communities in our chapter include the "Triple Cities" (Binghamton, Johnson City, and Endicott), Oneonta, Elmira, and Ithaca. Many chapter activities are focused in the Triple Cities area. We are home to many educational institutions, for example, Binghamton University, Cornell University, Hartwick College, Ithaca College, Elmira College, and SUNY­Oneonta.

This year, we have introduced breakfast meetings and ventured into nontechnical presentation topics. At our first breakfast meeting, which featured the topic "Dealing with Stress," we learned how to cope with and control stress in both work and nonwork environments. Hopefully, the benefits of this presentation will impact our ability to live our lives to the fullest. We also held a joint breakfast meeting with the Broome County Bar Association that featured a CPE session on gift tax and estate planning and promoted the philanthropic benefits of the recently founded Greater Broome County Community Foundation. Other chapter happenings include the annual Society officers visitation dinner, student awards night, accountants and bankers meeting, and a golf outing. We also have conducted visits to local high schools to promote accounting careers.

The communities we work in have experienced many changes in the 1990s. A shrinking defense industry along with corporate downsizing and mergers impacted the Elmira and Triple Cities areas. Presently, the local economy is on a rebound. State Senator Tom Libous recently announced that the Binghamton metro area has expanded for the past three years--swelling the job totals, lowering the jobless rate, and reenergizing the housing market. The caution to this rebound is the affliction of a dwindling labor supply that has similarly plagued New York state. These changing times only accentuate the need for changes in our CPA services, as there are many opportunities for us to grow as the trusted profession. *

Staten Island

By Richard Prinzi, Jr., CPA, President

I am honored to contribute to the first issue of The Trusted Professional of the new millennium. The Staten Island Chapter enjoyed an encouraging end of the last millennium and looks forward to continued success in the coming year. The chapter serves more than 900 CPAs residing in Staten Island and Brooklyn, with most of our members in small firms and industry.

Many extremely important changes face the profession at this time, and the NYSSCPA is leading the discussion as to how we will practice in the near future. This may be the most important time ever to be active with a local chapter, whether you participate in the discussion or simply use the available resources to stay aware of the numerous issues that will dramatically change the way we practice our profession. This turbulent environment and the efforts of our dedicated board members have resulted in resurgence for the Staten Island Chapter. We have experienced an increase in our active membership, driven by the addition of new members and the welcomed return of some old friends.

The 1999­2000 year has been highlighted by a return to the basics for our chapter. In addition to our annual events such as education night, which was attended by more than 100 students, educators, and members, the board members dedicated themselves to increasing the number and quality of our CPE sessions. Thanks to the efforts of our board members we were able to provide 14 CPE sessions led by some of the best available speakers on current topics important to our membership. This effort has been recognized by an increase in attendance and the recruitment of many new members, who are now participating on our committees.

We are also very proud of our newly formed Young CPAs Committee, led by Walter Daszkowski, which has consistently exceeded our expectations since its formation last year. As a result of Walter's unprecedented dedication, the committee has developed a substantial membership of bright, young, ambitious individuals who provide a welcomed excitement to all of our events. It is easy to look forward to the future of our chapter when you spend time with the members of this committee--their energy and enthusiasm will clearly benefit the profession and our chapter.

Finally, I would like to recognize the members of the Staten Island Chapter, who provide inspiration and experience to our chapter in addition to dedication to the NYSSCPA and its committees. Our chapter has a proud history of service on the NYSSCPA board and committees, as evidenced currently by the efforts of Frank Aquilino, Anthony Maltese, Rosemarie Barnickel, and Raynard Zollo. These individuals exemplify what makes our profession worthy of the respect bestowed upon us as trusted professionals, and we are proud to have them represent the Staten Island Chapter.

I am confident that with the exceptional talent and dedication displayed by our current board members, the success of our Young CPAs Committee, and the aggressive agenda they established, our chapter will continue to grow and serve our members in the coming years. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for the vast number of NYSSCPA members who are not currently active in their local chapter to get involved. Your voice will be heard and the profession needs you now more than ever.

The Staten Island Chapter wishes you a happy and prosperous year. *