February 2000

Suffolk

By Robert S. Peare, CPA, President

The NYSSCPA Suffolk Chapter was established in 1972 as a spin-off of the Nassau Chapter. Today our membership is 2,300 strong, claiming 25 committees, 12 of which are technical in nature.

We kicked off the holiday season with our Young CPAs Committee's annual holiday party. I am particularly excited about the Emerging Technology Committee's sponsorship of an Excel seminar that was previously sponsored by the Westchester Chapter and was very successful. Our chapter recently sponsored its annual All-Day Tax Update, All-Day Accounting and Auditing Update, and Half-Day Estate Planning Conference.

Our Small Business Committee has been actively reaching out to the local business community. The committee hosted a case study with the Museums at Stony Brook, European American Bank, and a local newspaper. With 65 people in attendance, the discussion was lively, focusing on solutions to the problems of the small-business owner. Committee members on the panel of experts and facilitators sparked audience participation on a wide array of topics: business planning, e-commerce, succession planning, and tax planning. Judging from audience response, the topics were on point with the concerns of today's small-business owner.

We have expanded our outreach program to include high school visitations, during which chapter members make presentations on the pursuit of a professional accounting career to business and accounting students. Teachers like to add "real life" experiences to their classroom lessons and look forward to the lectures. We have received numerous positive teacher responses, indicating that students discuss our visits in subsequent classes and that some may be swayed toward accounting as a career path. Participating members find assisting students in their career selection process rewarding.

Our new Estate Planning Committee, which is responsible for three successful technical sessions, including a half-day conference on a Saturday in November, has enjoyed a successful season.

I am concerned by a lack of interest in chapter and committee meetings. We solicit volunteers for committee participation in our monthly newsletter, and I have appointed a committee to evaluate the future of our chapter. We recognize the changes occurring in the Society and have concluded that it is no longer "business as usual" for either Society or chapter.

I applaud the efforts of the dedicated professionals who volunteer their time and effort to our chapter. If you are interested in taking advantage of the benefits participation in the Suffolk Chapter offers, please contact Seth Bank at (631) 360-1700, or cpa@peareheller.com. *