Author: apatel

Century Group is Stepping Up for NextStep

PJ Canterbury, an Associate Director of Client Services in Century Group’s Glendale Office, is representing Century Group at StepUp for NextStep – Conquer the Rose Bowl, a charity event on Saturday, April 22 that encourages participants to “move for others” and support those fighting for mobility every day.

The first of its kind event at the Rose Bowl benefits NextStep, an internationally-recognized non-profit organization helping those living with paralysis. Everyone is welcome to participate in the charity stair-climb – there are options for all fitness levels, from beginner to advanced athletes, as well as a family-fun circuit, kids’ circuit and wheelchair racing. Participants and spectators are also invited to enjoy the beer garden and food trucks that day.

PJ learned about the event through his involvement with AthletesTouch, an organization that provides networking opportunities to former college and professional athletes.

“I’m proud to take part in this inaugural event supporting such a worthy cause,” he said. “It’s also a great opportunity for anyone who has ever wanted to be on the field at the Rose Bowl!”

NextStep was launched in Los Angeles in 2008 with the belief that all people living with disabilities deserve to live long and healthy lives. The organization’s mission centers around making life-changing rehab accessible and affordable to those living with paralysis and physical disabilities. This includes establishing recovery centers across the country to ensure an improved quality of life and a continuum of care for this underserved population. NextStep is a proud member of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation NeuroRecovery Network® (NRN), a network of rehabilitation centers that develop and provide therapy to promote functional recovery and improve the health of people living with paralysis.

For more information about StepUp for NextStep – Conquer the Rose Bowl or to make a donation, visit racemill.com/stepup4nextstep. For more information about NextStep, visit www.nextstepfitness.org.

StepUp for NextStep 2017 Flyer - Front StepUp for NextStep 2017 Flyer - Back

Hiring and Compensation Heating Up for Financial Professionals

The Fed has achieved one of its two goals – full employment.

So says John Williams, president of the San Francisco Federal Reserve. He reported that the U.S. economy is back on track and we’re basically at full employment, signaling an end to America’s job crisis.

And as the economy improves, signs are pointing to continued good news throughout the rest of the year. Among them, the strength of retail sales; manufacturing, factory and industrial output; home building; and an increase in discretionary spending.

Two home improvement giants – Home Depot and Lowes – both reported strong first quarters in 2016, as the investment value in home ownership rises. “We’re seeing continued improvement in the job market, we’re seeing continual improvement in wages, we’re seeing continued improvement in home values. It’s driving continued improvement in their intentions for discretionary spending,” Lowe’s CEO Robert Niblock said in a recent Quartz article.

The evidence is clear given we’ve had one of the healthiest labor markets in decades over the last few months. The number of workers applying for new unemployment benefits reached its lowest level since late 1973, and jobless claims maintained the longest streak below 300,000 since the early 70’s as well. “The fact that the numbers continue to ratchet down suggests that labor demand is strong and a sign the labor market should continue to improve,” Chief Economist Timothy Hopper of TIAA Global Asset Management shared in a recent Wall Street Journal article.

Although wages are rising more slowly than previous economic recoveries, the steadying of unemployment at 5% has increased wage growth as employers boost salaries to retain talent. ADP’s Workforce Vitality Report for Q1 reported that full-time workers in finance and real estate saw an average 5.3% increase in wages, up 1% from the year prior, while those switching jobs in the same category saw a 6.7% increase in wages.

Bloomberg BNA said the rate of wage growth for most workers in the U.S. will likely continue to increase in the second half of the year. Kathryn Kobe, an economist who works with Bloomberg BNA, said she expects the rate to improve between 2.5 and 3% through the rest of the year. Wages previously increased from 3.3 to 3.6% pre-recession.

“This may be a signal that continued employment growth is leading to a smaller pool of available talent, in turn motivating employers to increase wages to retain experienced workers,” Ahu Yildirmaz, head of the ADP Research Institute, said.

The increase in competitive wages, coupled with the highest rate of employee confidence in 7 years, means workers are gaining leverage. And while businesses still plan to hire staff throughout the year, finding the right talent has once again become as the main concern – and the main challenge to company growth – for the first time since the pre-recession economy, especially given the increase in retirements and entry level candidates without the necessary skills.

5 Interview Habits Employers Always Notice

By: Brian Harkavy | Director, Executive Search

Those long hours spent surveying countless job listings and polishing your resume have finally paid off — you’ve landed an interview. Not so fast. Hiring managers and recruiters endure just as tedious a process as job seekers when trying to fill a position, and it’s your responsibility to make their efforts count.

These five interview habits may seem insignificant, but can make all the difference in leaving a lasting, positive impression on your potential future employer — and helping to secure the role.

1.  DRESS FOR SUCCESS

A key aspect of preparing for an interview begins with your closet. Wearing comfortable, yet professional attire not only impacts how a hiring manager perceives you, but is scientifically proven to boost your self-image, too.

2. BE ON TIME

Time is valuable, and it’s important to show employers that you’re respectful of theirs. Being punctual is one of the first things hiring managers take note of, and helps direct the tone of the interview.

3. CONFIDENCE MATTERS

As far as successful interview habits go, this is one you should fake until you become it. Don’t let nerves keep you from putting your best foot — or hand — forward with a firm greeting and self-assured smile.

4. STAY MINDFUL OF YOUR BODY LANGUAGE

It’s challenging to reverse years of developed bad habits and mannerisms, but beware: the moment you walk into a job interview, you’re being judged. The employer is dissecting every fidget, slouch and nonverbal cue during the exchange, so it’s important to stay mindful of exhibiting an upbeat, poised demeanor at all times.

5. ANSWER IN THE AFFIRMATIVE

You may not be able to prepare for every curveball question an interviewer throws your way. You can, however, control how you answer. Pro tip: keep it positive. Frame your responses in a way that convey your assuredness in your ability to handle the position’s various responsibilities in a clear, confident manner. And, most importantly, possibly sway the employer’s final decision in your favor.

Are you an accounting and finance professional in search of a new career opportunity? Century Group is here to help. Our team of placement experts successfully guides candidates through the entire job-hunting process — from identifying each individual’s career objectives to coordinating interviews and assisting with final salary negotiations. Find your next career move now.

5 Los Angeles CFOs Honored at Annual Awards

Members of the Los Angeles finance community gathered on Friday, September 18 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Downtown LA to recognize the top CFOs in the region at the 9th Annual CFO of the Year Awards.

Century Group is a proud founding sponsor of the event, presented by the Los Angeles Business Journal to honor the important work of CFOs as financial stewards in public, private and nonprofit companies and organizations throughout various industries.

This year’s awards went to Elsa Luna of Los Angeles Universal Preschool, Nonprofit CFO of the Year; Martin Louie of Marcus & Millichap, Real Estate CFO of the Year; Jake Himelstein of Bamko, Private Company CFO of the Year (less than $100M annual revenue); Cordell Sweeney of Pabst Brewing Company, Private Company CFO of the Year (more than $100M annual revenue); and Todd Tappin of Rubicon Project, Public Company CFO of the Year.

The winners and the awards committee
The winners and the awards committee

Nearly 500 guests attended this year’s event, celebrating the 42 outstanding CFO finalists. “We are extremely grateful to those who take the time to nominate CFOs for this honor,” said Century Group’s CEO Ron Proul, a member of the awards committee. “Without their participation in the nomination process, we wouldn’t know about many of the great contributions these men and women have made to their companies and communities. It is our honor to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of each and every nominee.”

Given the economic times and ever-changing climate, CFOs serve as essential members of a company’s core leadership team. Together with their CEOs, their decisions affect all aspects of the business. But one additional facet was central among the sentiments of the five CFOs honored this year – they couldn’t do any of it without the help of their teams.

Martin Louie, who had won CFO of the Year for the San Fernando Valley earlier this year, was once again honored for his role as financial chief of Marcus & Millichap. In a pre-written acceptance speech delivered by his First Vice President and Controller, Mondana Hamzavi, he dedicated the award to his team, noting that “taking a company public is a huge accomplishment for the entire finance and accounting team.”

Cordell Sweeney, CFO of Pabst Brewery, reiterated the sentiments and took it one further. “We would not be up here without our teams and our partners. Part of being a great CFO is having great partners in place.”

In accepting the award for Todd Tappin, Rubicon Project’s CEO Frank Addante spoke about Tappin’s dedication to his team, noting that if he had been there to accept the award, he would’ve credited his team’s great work and accomplishments. He also quoted something Tappin once said to him, “Focus on what’s fun. When your job is fun, it no longer feels like work.”

The awards committee looked at a number of criteria in selecting this year’s honorees, including the length of time they had been with their organization, the overall body of work in their career, the impact they made within their organization; the impact they made compared to their peer group, the financial success and stability of their company, and their involvement in both industry groups and the community.

More details and photos from the event, as well as a profile on each honoree, can be found in the September 28 issue of the Los Angeles Business Journal.

cfoawards2015_4
Guests mingling before the event

Barnaby Wong with honorees and guests
Barnaby Wang with honorees and guests

Peter Nelson with event guests
Peter Nelson with event guests

Members of the Century Group team with event guests
Members of the Century Group team and guests

Barnaby Wang with event guests
Barnaby Wang with event guests

Century Group CEO Ron Proul with Matt Toledo, Publisher and CEO of the LA Business Journal
Century Group CEO Ron Proul with Matt Toledo, Publisher and CEO of the LA Business Journal

Ron Proul, CEO of Century Group and member of the awards committee
Ron Proul, CEO of Century Group and member of the awards committee

cfoawards2015_9
Recognizing the finalists

Odeh Haddad, Phil Bruno and Brian Harkavy
Odeh Haddad, Phil Bruno and Brian Harkavy

Barnaby Wang and Elsa Luna, Nonprofit CFO of the Year
Barnaby Wang and Elsa Luna, Nonprofit CFO of the Year

Members of the Century Group team
Members of the Century Group team

Drew Bouvet, Ron Proul, Phil Bruno
Drew Bouvet, Ron Proul, Phil Bruno
cfoawards2015_14

8 CFOs Honored at the Annual San Fernando Valley Awards

Members of the San Fernando Valley finance community gathered to celebrate the annual CFO of the Year Awards on Wednesday, June 15. Century Group was proud to partner with the San Fernando Valley Business Journal as a presenting sponsor at this year’s event, honoring the important work of CFOs as financial stewards in public, private, nonprofit, government and public sector companies and organizations throughout the San Fernando Valley.

The 2016 awards went to Lawrence Balingit, CFO of Aware Products, LLC; Lori Cardle, CFO of Valley Presbyterian Hospital; Karen Davis, Vice President of Administration and Finance at California Lutheran University; Tom Emery, CFO of DineEquity, Inc.; Gary Johnson, CFO of BNK Petroleum Inc.; Mitula Patel, CFO of Momentous Insurance Brokerage Inc.; Gerry Schauer, CFO of Hydra Electric Company; and Jerome Taieb, CFO of MS Aerospace.

 San Fernando Valley CFO Awards 2016

The awards committee chose to honor eight finance executives this year, rather than selecting one from each of the six categories. “The CFO Awards once again highlighted the amazing talent in finance and accounting throughout the San Fernando Valley,” said Phil Bruno, Managing Director of Century Group’s San Fernando Valley offices and a member of the awards committee.

“The selection process was an indication of the high number of deserving finance leaders who have led their organizations through a variety of challenges presented by the economic environment in the Valley over the past year. As a result, we wanted to present awards to the most deserving professionals, regardless of category. We were thrilled to honor the eight winners this year, as well as all the nominees.”

Each winner said they were honored to be recognized for their work, and they shared the awards with those who supported them, as well as their fellow nominees. Karen Davis of California Lutheran University said, “It’s easy to do a great job when you have a great team behind you,” while Tom Emery of Dine Equity said, “I am grateful to my team – they’re the ones who deserve this.”

The awards committee selected this year’s winners from 33 finalists, all nominated by colleagues in the profession. The committee looked at a number of criteria for each person who was nominated, including the length of time they had been with their organization, the overall body of work in their career, the impact they made within their organization; the impact they made compared to their peer group, the financial success and stability of their company, and their involvement in both industry groups and the community. More details and photos from the event, as well as a profile on each honoree, can be found in the June 27 issue of the San Fernando Valley Business Journal.

San Fernando Valley CFO Awards 2016
Members of the Century Group team

San Fernando Valley CFO Awards 2016
Steven Raby and Brad Horton with honoree Gary Johnson

San Fernando Valley CFO Awards 2016
Phil Bruno with honoree Karen Davis and the Business Journal’s Eric Brunelli

San Fernando Valley CFO Awards 2016
Phil Bruno presented the award to Karen Davis

San Fernando Valley CFO Awards 2016
Anna Coumans, Jake Barbee and Kwasi Dwomoh with an event guest

San Fernando Valley CFO Awards 2016
Phil Bruno with event guests
San Fernando Valley CFO Awards 2016

Orange County CFO of the Year Awards

Century Group is proud to once again sponsor the Orange County CFO of the Year Awards. The awards are presented each year by the Orange County Business Journal and sponsoring organizations to area financial professionals for outstanding performance as corporate stewards for the preceding fiscal year. Awards are presented in five categories: Outstanding CFO of a Public Company, Outstanding CFO of a Private Company, Outstanding CFO of a Not-for-Profit Organization, Rising Star and Lifetime Achievement.

EVENT DETAILS

CFO of the Year Awards

DINNER & AWARDS PROGRAM

Thursday, January 21, 2016
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Hotel Irvine
17900 Jamboree Road
Irvine, CA 92614

Click here for more information.

Click here to register for the event.

Century Group Networks with Up-and-Coming Business Professionals at the RPAA’s Diversity Mixer

For the fourth consecutive year, Century Group was proud to support the Riordan Programs Alumni Association‘s (RPAA) Los Angeles Diversity Mixer as an Executive Sponsor. The annual program, held recently at the Los Angeles Athletic Club in Downtown Los Angeles, is a premier networking opportunity for up-and-coming professionals in the Southern California business community.

Proceeds from the event benefit the RPAA’s Saturday Business Academy, a program that prepares traditionally disadvantaged and underserved students at Los Angeles area high schools with the skills and academic guidance necessary to become future business leaders through mentorship, college preparatory workshops and a curriculum that instills a basic competence in financial literacy.

“I always look forward to meeting the next generation of professionals, in addition to seeing familiar faces,” said Dave Dutt, an Executive Recruiter with Century Group who has spearheaded the firm’s efforts each year. “This year, I especially appreciated speaking with those individuals who were making a direct impact to local high school students through the Saturday Business Academy.”

 Century Group Representatives and RPAA Board Members at the RPAA Diversity Mixer April 2016

Members of Century Group’s Executive Search and Project & Interim teams with RPAA Board Members

The Diversity Mixer is geared toward high-caliber, ambitious professionals from a wide variety of backgrounds at different points in their burgeoning careers, working to expand their professional networks and career prospects. At the event, they have the chance to speak with representatives from organizations in a variety of fields, including accounting, finance, marketing and information technology.

“This was a fantastic opportunity to meet a group of intelligent and motivated candidates,” said Chantel LeBoff Greene, Director of Recruiting for Century Group’s Project and Interim Services team. “While we normally focus on speaking with those individuals with accounting and finance backgrounds, it was a pleasure connecting with young professionals in various areas of business.”

“This mixer gave me the opportunity to reconnect with colleagues from college and meet other professionals with a variety of educational backgrounds,” said Lauren Lugo, Associate Director of Recruiting for Century Group’s Project and Interim Services team. “Building relationships through face-to-face contact and explaining how we can help them find new opportunities fuels my passion for recruiting.”

The Riordan Programs, co-founded by former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and UCLA Anderson School of Management Professor William Ouchi, consists of a set of pioneering, career-based outreach programs geared toward high school and college students, and recent graduates from diverse backgrounds and under-served communities. The programs focus on education, mentorship and professional development in order to prepare the participants for careers in business management. The RPAA was established to provide continued support of its members as they pursue educational and professional endeavors, and leadership roles in the community.

Nominations Open for the 2017 OC CFO of the Year Awards

CFO of the Year Awards Nominations are now open for the Orange County Business Journal’s 2017 CFO of the Year Awards. Century Group is proud to once again sponsor the event, which honors area financial professionals who have shown the highest level of talent and commitment as corporate stewards for their respective companies in the preceding fiscal year.

 

Click here for the Nomination Form

Nomination Deadline: October 13, 2016 

AWARD CATEGORIES

  • Outstanding CFO of a Public Company
  • Outstanding CFO of a Private Company
  • Outstanding CFO of a Not-for-Profit Organization
  • Rising Star
  • Lifetime Achievement 

The Dinner and Awards Program will be held on Wednesday, January 25, 2017 at the Hotel Irvine. Click here for details.

For more information or to nominate a CFO, contact Tim Calley at [email protected] or (714) 708-5100.

Orange County CFO of the Year Awards

Century Group is proud to once again sponsor the Orange County CFO of the Year Awards. The awards are presented each year by the Orange County Business Journal and sponsoring organizations to area financial professionals for outstanding performance as corporate stewards for the preceding fiscal year. Awards are presented in five categories: Outstanding CFO of a Public Company, Outstanding CFO of a Private Company, Outstanding CFO of a Not-for-Profit Organization, Rising Star and Lifetime Achievement.

EVENT DETAILS

DINNER & AWARDS PROGRAM

Wednesday, January 25, 2017
5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Hotel Irvine
17900 Jamboree Road
Irvine, CA 92614

Click here for more information.

Click here to register for the event.

Giving Back by Partying for a Cure

Century Group’s COO, Ron Blair, is currently serving on the committee for the National Pancreas Foundation’s Party for a Cure Los Angeles, which will be held on Friday, October 21 at the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel in Brentwood. “For a Cure” events take place across the country, each one honoring individuals for their contributions to the cause and benefiting the foundation’s efforts. A similar event was held in New York earlier this month, and another event will be held in Washington, D.C. in early November.

Ron joined the committee at the invitation of two long-time friends and colleagues – Eric W. Golden, Managing Director of Armory Securities, who serves as the chair of the event committee and a member of the National Pancreas Foundation’s Board of Directors, and Barry Gribbon, Founder and President of Homerun Entertainment. He has a personal connection to pancreatic cancer through his best friend from childhood, who lost his mother to the disease.

 LA Party for a Cure 2016

Founded in 1997, the National Pancreatic Foundation is the only foundation dedicated to patients who suffer from all forms of pancreatic disease. The funds raised to date have been awarded to groundbreaking research projects geared toward scientific advancements in the field of pancreatic disease, as well as continued advocacy efforts, support for patients and caregivers, and education for health care professionals.

For more information on Party for a Cure Los Angeles or to make a donation, visit http://partyforacure.kintera.org/la2016. For more information on the National Pancreas Foundation, visit www.pancreasfoundation.org.