Contest for a Cause

Monday, May 16th, 2011

Community involvement plays an integral part in contributing to our Firm culture here at Kaufman, Rossin & Co. Many of our employees dedicate their time to do good in our community, and we were curious. What were others doing to get involved? We decided to find out through a little healthy competition via our Facebook Fan Page.

Over the past few months, we asked our Facebook Fans to upload a photo of themselves getting involved in their community (e.g. volunteering, participating in a community event, fundraising, etc). We chose seven finalists out of the twenty photo submissions to be voted on by the public to decide the winner of the competition and of a $500 charity donation on behalf of Kaufman, Rossin. 

We are excited to announce that Lesley Lyons, South Florida community advocate and K-9 lover, rallied the most votes for her Basset Hound Rescue photo from her family and friends! She chose to contribute the $500 donation prize to The Humane Society of Greater Miami to help support the rescue and care of Miami-Dade animals.

And although we could have only one winner, the contest helped many people share information about important nonprofits that they hold near and dear to their hearts.

Check out the photos from the seven Facebook Community Photo Contest finalists on our Facebook Fan Page.

Learn more about The Humane Society of Greater Miami.

Aubrey Swanson is the social media coordinator at Kaufman, Rossin’s Miami office.  Kaufman, Rossin & Co. is one of the top CPA firms in the country.  She can be reached at aswanson@kaufmanrossin.com. Connect with Aubrey on Linkedin. Follow Aubrey on Twitter.

Why in the world is an accounting firm attending SXSW?

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

As you’re reading this, I’m hopping on a plane to Austin, Texas. Why? I’m attending the biggest, most innovative, tech-savvy, social media and interactive conference in the nation – South by Southwest (SXSW)!

You may have heard of SXSW, as it refers to one of the most popular music festivals in the country. I will be participating in the 5-day interactive and film portion. Each day of the interactive and film section is filled with media-rich content relating to technology, social media, metrics, mobile apps, web development, forecasting and much, much more! This information is presented via panelists, speakers, workshops, book readings, organized meet-ups and social gatherings. It’s actually an incredibly overwhelming process just to prepare for this social highlight of the year! Each day  has programs that run from 8am to well past midnight including the film premieres. Sessions for each day are organized by topics, time and location (Austin Convention Center and participating downtown hotels). But within each allotted time frame, attendees must choose from one of the 30 – 40 different presentations to attend – all very useful and interesting! See for yourself by clicking here to visit the SXSW schedule. The conference ends with the Interactive Awards which has been phrased as the “Grammy’s” of social media. After all, Twitter and Foursquare were launched at SXSW!

So you may be wondering… why in the world is an accounting firm attending SXSW? Shouldn’t Kaufman, Rossin & Co., one of the top CPA firms in the country, be participating in conferences relating to accounting, tax, audit, International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), etc?  While these conferences reap tremendous value for our accountants at Kaufman, Rossin, we also want to see beyond the numbers.  Our firm is dedicated to innovation and providing valuable resources for our clients, prospects and community.

One major way Kaufman, Rossin has embraced innovation is by hiring a full-time social media coordinator – me! The Firm recognizes the importance and value that an online reputation brings to our brand and its ability to strengthen relationships. Therefore, SXSW is the perfect opportunity to learn how to think outside the box and be fueled by the latest tech and social media trends.

I will be absorbing heaps of information within the next week, and I look forward to sharing it with all of you. Be sure to check back for a recap of my experience and some creative ways I’ll be documenting my trip!

Aubrey Swanson is the social media coordinator at Kaufman, Rossin’s Miami office.  Kaufman, Rossin & Co. is one of the top CPA firms in the country.  She can be reached at aswanson@kaufmanrossin.com. Connect with Aubrey on Linkedin. Follow Aubrey on Twitter.

Social Networks – A friend or foe of the workplace?

Friday, January 21st, 2011

Most companies have jumped onboard, or at least recognized the need to include social media in their marketing efforts. The ability to build and cultivate relationships without face-to-face interaction is just too attractive to ignore; and if you do, you can bet your competitors aren’t.

Now, the big debate in the workforce is whether employees should have access to social networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter during company hours.

Some argue that if these networking sites are made available, much of the time spent would not be on professional development. And how could you argue against that? Yes, I can log on Facebook to update my status that my firm is looking to hire, but how can I ignore that my father sent me pictures from his recent ski trip? So they’re right, blocking out all personal use might just be impossible.

Others argue that banning it doesn’t do any good since most of us can go online via our mobile phones – and then employers would not be able to monitor our usage. In the same example, I’d probably be less likely to make that same status update if I had to do it through my phone or if I had to wait till I got home. And what’s to stop me from looking at my dad’s pictures via my phone?

I believe it’s safe to say that we all see the pros and cons of each side and that this is not a black or white topic, but a nice mesh of grays.

The Miami Herald posted a good article this week that develops this idea further: Social networks test companies’ boundaries. I have to agree that social networks are a “powerful trend,” and that strategic companies will adapt and evolve. The key is to develop company goals and a roadmap to get there. And equally important, companies must educate employees and teach them what is acceptable usage and how they can help!

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Wolfgang H. Pinther is the marketing supervisor at Kaufman, Rossin’s Miami office.  Kaufman, Rossin & Co. is one of the top CPA firms in the country. Wolf can be reached at wpinther@kaufmanrossin.com.  Connect to Wolf on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter.