“Why did the accountant cross the road?” asked Blauch Brothers’ CFO Stacy Shiflet, to a group of financial professionals, all part of The Unified Group’s national organization of commercial HVAC contractors. 

“To claim it as a travel expense!” came the answer, followed by a roomful of laughter.

In late September, more than 20 Unified Group members gathered in Scottsdale, Arizona, to attend the 2022 Financial Forum. Joking aside, participants found themselves eager to continue learning, sharing and gaining knowledge throughout the conference.

“The networking, team building and camaraderie from this group is invaluable,” said Gretchen Riddle of A&G Services.

The first day’s guest speaker, Leslie Shiner, of industry consulting firm The ShinerGroup, led the morning session by discussing several engaging and informative topics including the following:

• Growing Your Business Without Growing Out of Business
• What is Overhead & Where is Profit
• Better Job Costing and Labor Controls to Increase Profits 

After a quick lunch, Shiner led the Benchmark Review, then took time to listen and provide quality feedback during the group’s breakout session on their biggest challenges. After a full day of content, members attended the Old Town Food Tour, where they had the opportunity to create valuable friendships outside the professional setting.

“The breakout sessions enabled me to connect with others that I may not know, and the discussion was helpful to the struggles I am facing,” said Cheri DeForge of VHV Co. “It is nice to know you aren't alone.”

Friday’s session saw more than 10 members sharing presentations surrounding their best ideas/practices. One of the highest-rated segments was on Streamline Accounting and Process Improvement, where members shared their company’s processes and what they found to have worked. Topics within this segment included PO Creation & Accuracy, Timesheet Submission & Accuracy and Job Setup & Contracts. That evening, members attended a group dinner, where they played cornhole, shared laughs and enjoyed their last night together as a group.

Saturday’s half-day of meetings concluded with the topics of Modernizing Our Accounts Payables Process and Changing the Focus During Our WIP Meetings, before giving attendees the rest of the day to travel home.

“The best parts of the conference were meeting such open and welcoming peers, having time to make new friends and learning about all the resources at the same time,” said Dyan Camodeca of Edwards Engineering. “I feel rejuvenated with new ideas going back to work.”

Overall, members of The Unified Group left this year’s Financial Forum with many new ideas and friendships that will carry their businesses further. If your company is interested in learning more about membership with The Unified Group, contact Janet Kelleher at KelleherJ@TheUnifiedGroup.com.