Rocky MountainArea Conference

2012

For Finance and Accounting ProfessionalsRegister at: www.accountingconference.org

Thursday, September 24, 2015Friday, September 25, 2015Arvada Center6901 Wadsworth BoulevardArvada, Colorado 80003

Presented By:

For more information and updates, please visitour website at www.accountingconference.org.

2015

CPE credits are based on a 50-minute hour. Participants must remain in a particular session for at least 50 minutes to earn a minimum of 1 CPE credit. Under current Colorado State Board of Accountancy guidelines, all active Colorado licensees must complete four hours of ethics courses which may include two hours of Colorado Rules & Regulations in every two year reporting period, to maintain their license in an active status. All attempts have been made to ensure that these classes qualify for CPE credit under the rules of the Colorado State Board of Accountancy. Attendees have the responsibility to ensure that the classes they attend conform to the CPE credit guidelines and policies of the association managing their certification or the state issuing their license.

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16 Hours of Continuing Professional EducationIncludes Colorado Qualifying Ethics (CQE)

Go to the RMAC website at www.accountingconference.org and click on “Join our mailing list”. Add your email to be the first to hear about future conferences. All sessions are presented in a group-live lecture format.

Keynote SpeakersDoran Oancia – Operations & Accounting: Can They Co-Exist? [Of Course...But How?] Judy Rough – A New Business Trend – Conscious Capitalism Through Professional DevelopmentVance O Knapp, Esq – The Anatomy of an Employment Discrimination Lawsuit and Why Employers Get Sued Hai Yan Zhang – Fifty Shades of Red (Ink)

Corporate Sponsors

Keynote Speakers

Ms. Hai Yan Zhang is the Managing Partner of Gordon Pacific, LLC, a full service international business consulting firm specializing in Asian business. She was born, raised, and educated in Beijing, China, where her family still resides. She worked for the Chinese government as a computer scientist before coming to the United States in 1987 to earn a Masters of Science degree in Satellite Meteorology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Hai Yan ZhangGordon Pacific, LLC

Vance Knapp is a Member in the Labor & Employment Department at Sherman & Howard and is also co-chair of the firm’s Restaurant & Hospitality Industry Group. Vance has extensive experience representing employers in internal investigations, employee terminations, responding to discrimination and harassment claims, ADA accommodation issues, and defending employers in wage and hour matters. He has litigated employment cases throughout the U.S. in federal and state courts and arbitrations. As a former prosecutor for the Denver City Attorney’s Office, he tried over 300 cases. Vance is a past president of the Sam Cary Bar Association, Colorado affiliate of the National Bar Association. Currently, he is a board member of the University of Colorado Law School Alumni Board and The Legal Center for People with Disabilities and The Elderly.

Vance O Knapp, EsqSherman & Howard, LLC

Judy Rough, CSA is the Senior Director of Business Development and Strategy for the Society of Certified Senior Advisors (SCSA). She manages and operates the Relationship Management Group, which is designed to connect with corporations, trades associations, non-profit organizations, colleges, universities, Gerontology programs, subject matter experts and individuals to establish strategic relationships. Judy developed and manages the CSA Leaders Networks, uniting CSAs all over the country in their respective metro areas to get to know one another, participate in educational opportunities, and enlighten the public about CSA.

Judy RoughCSA Leaders Network

Doran Oancia is  VP for NGL Water Solutions, a $4B oil & gas midstream MLP. He  leads the operations including R&D for NGL’s technical water solutions team, which is focused on the treatment of produced water from oil & gas operations. Prior to NGL, Doran spent time across several industries in executive and leadership roles with companies private and public, large and small, including global companies such as Procter & Gamble and Nestle. Doran was President of Strad Energy Services USA, as well as COO of its parent company. Under Doran’s leadership, Strad emerged from fledgling startup of a Canadian parent company, to 250 employees operating in 17 states and generating over half the company’s profit in under 3 years and providing the rationale for the company’s Initial Public Offering. Doran holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Great Distinction) degree in Marketing and Finance, as well as a MBA degree (with Distinction, highest academic award) from the Edinburgh Business School, UK.

Doran OanciaNGL Energy Partners, LP

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2015 RMAC Conference ScheduleAccounting/Auditing Course Descriptions

For more information and updates, please visit our website at www.accountingconference.org.

Operations & Accounting: Can They Co-Exist? [Of Course...But How?]Doran OanciaNGL Energy Partners, LP

FASB UpdateSteve Van Meter, CPA CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP

Executive experience from or-ganizations both public and private, large and small, will be utilized to present the ongoing challenge of creating alignment between Operations and Ac-counting to maximize company performance. The session will explore the benefits of enhanced collaboration, and discuss pos-sible limits and pitfalls while challenging participants with concrete suggestions on means to enhance collaboration within their organization. The essence of the presentation is to inspire, challenge and motivate par-ticipants to take a greater role beyond their “job description” in improving the organization’s understanding of the Account-ing function, delivering timely and relevant information, and enhancing effectiveness.

The session will define the dif-ferences between joint ventures and joint operations; the respon-sibilities and obligations of the Operator and Non-Operator; the differences between gross and net accounting for revenue and expenses; and billable vs. non-billable charges. Various types of ownership interests in lease-holds and producing properties and the accounting treatment of revenue, taxes, royalties and expenses based on the inter-est type will also be addressed. Discussion will include the man-ner in which ownership interests change throughout the life of a property and the importance of accurately accounting for own-ership interest changes.

As an overview of Account-ing Standards Updates (ASUs) issued since 2014 and their potential impact on financial re-porting, this session will provide what is in the pipeline regarding proposed standards to iden-tify issues that may impact your business and clients. Activities of the Private Company Council including ASUs that have been issued specifically for private companies will be highlighted as will the factors to consider when evaluating whether or not to adopt private company standards. This is designed for accountants in both public and private practice that are respon-sible for making certain that fi-nancial statements are prepared in conformity with US GAAP, including internal auditors and accountants who are part of the financial reporting process.

Accounting for Joint Operations in the Oil and Gas IndustryCass C Terry, CPA Resolute Energy Corporation

Fifty Shades of Red (Ink)Hai Yan Zhang Gordon Pacific, LLCThis session will chronicle the sometimes humorous and oth-er times tragic adventures of working as an on-the-ground senior corporate consultant to the country manager of a large US Fortune 200 company. Us-ing a story-telling approach, a first-hand glimpse into the world of the challenges and op-portunities that companies face as they venture overseas will be presented. This behind-the-scenes perspective delivers nu-merous insights through the use of both serious and humorous anecdotes as the story winds its way through a brief, but to the point, examination of the issues a company faced as it worked on matters from moving from an exporter to an in-country pro-ducer.

The Seeds and Sprouts of Root Cause AnalysisRaven Catlin, CPA, CIA, CFSA, CRMA Raven Global Training

Accounting Overview and Update for Oil and Gas CompaniesJake Vossen, CPA & Deanna Duell-Smed, CPA, CGMA Hein & Associates, LLP

Colorado Rules & Regulations (CQE)Kevin O’Brien, CPA, JD University of Denver

Root cause analysis (RCA) is a process to identify and resolve the root cause behind problems to prevent recurring failures. As part of the audit process, RCA is an essential element of commu-nicating findings and determin-ing the corrective actions. While management should perform RCA analysis, they often imple-ment a recommendation provid-ed by the auditors. This means that auditors must complete a RCA. However, identifying the root cause is difficult and often overlooked by auditors. More-over, the root cause may be po-litically sensitive when commu-nicated by auditors. Learn the foundation needed for effective RCA and explore different tech-niques for RCA.

This session will first focus on an overview of oil and gas ac-counting where we will learn about full cost compared to successful efforts, joint interest accounting, depletion, impair-ment and reserves. Next we will discuss current issues, including the accounting impact of the lower oil prices on oil and gas companies. Finally, we will fin-ish up with an overview of joint interest auditing and common issues that should be analyzed when performing these audits.

Session objectives include an update on the Colorado State Board of Accountancy’s Stat-utes, Rules and Regulation and how to apply these bodies of law to practical everyday experi-ence for CPAs in public, private, and government practice. Learn about and analyze actual cases as an aid in understanding the complaint, investigative, legal process and ramifications of and from the Board.

FASB Update

Keynote Speaker – Doran Oancia, NGL Energy Partners, LP

Operations & Accounting: Can They Co-Exist? [Of Course...But How?]

Keynote Speaker – Judy Rough, CSA, CSA Leaders Network

A New Business Trend - Conscious Capitalism Through Professional Development

2015 RMAC Conference ScheduleThursday, September 24, 2015

TimeAccounting/Auditing

Fraud Special Topics Taxation

7:00 - 7:30

7:30 - 7:40

7:40 - 8:30

8:45 - 10:25

10:40 - 12:20

12:20 - 12:50

12:50 - 1:20

1:20 - 2:20

2:50 - 4:30

2:20 - 2:50

Registration and Continental Breakfast, Sponsored by: Robert Half

FOS - Acctg

FOS - Acctg

FOS - Acctg, O&G FOS - Fraud, Acctg

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Accounting for Joint Operations in the Oil and Gas Industry

Vendor Visitation

Vendor Visitation

Colorado Rules & Regulations (CQE)

Driving Advancement in Payables Processing and

Fraud Protection

Advanced Data Analytics, the Fraudsters Worst Enemy:

Introducing Powerful Tools and Techniques to Uncover Fraud

How to say, “You’re in Good Hands,” and Mean It.

A Pragmatic and Professional Approach to Addressing Your Client’s IRS Collections Issues

*NASBA Experience Ranking Code: *B = Basic *I = Intermediate *A = Advanced

Anatomy of a Telemarketing Scam

“I’m an Accountant, Why Am I at Risk? (AKA common legal

exposure faced by accountants)”

Recent Developments in Unclaimed Property and

Tax Incentives

How Honest CPAs Become Pawns of a Fraudster – It Can

Happen to You

Incapacity Planning – Proactively Alleviate Client Fears...Before

Decision-Making and Judgment are Impaired

Understanding Nexus and its Effect on Compliance

Requirements

No Prerequisites Required. www.accountingconference.org

(*B)

FOS - Fraud FOS - Acctg, Law, Risk Mngmt FOS - Tax, Asset Mngmt

FOS - Individual, Spec. Knowledge FOS - Tax

FOS - Personnel Mngmt, Leadership

FOS - Regulatory Ethics FOS - Fraud, Spec. Knowledge FOS - Cash Mngmt FOS - Tax, Spec. Knowledge

(*I)

(*B) (*I)

(*I) (*B) (*B)

(*B)

(*B) (*I)

(*I) (*I) (*I)

(*I)

Steve Van Meter, CPACliftonLarsonAllen, LLP

Mark T Bailey & Kenneth King Office of the Colorado Attorney General Consumer Fraud Unit

David B Seserman, JD Brosseau Bartlett Seserman, LLC

Alice Nolen, JD Experis Finance

Cass C Terry, CPA Resolute Energy Corporation

Ron Klein, JD, CFE CAMICO

Janine A Guillen, JD, RN Davis Schilken, PC

Kathleen P Clark, CPAEide Bailly, LLP

Kevin O’Brien, CPA, JD University of Denver

Victor Padilla, CFE & Al Kohl, CFE McGladrey, LLP

David Nielson, CTP US Bank

Steve Cizik, JDLarson Financial

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Lunch

2015 RMAC Conference ScheduleFriday, September 25, 2015

TimeAccounting/Auditing

Management/Leadership

Special Topics Taxation

7:00 - 7:30

7:30 - 7:40

7:40 - 8:30

8:45 - 10:25

10:40 - 12:20

12:20 - 12:50

12:50 - 1:20

1:20 - 2:20

2:50 - 4:30

2:20 - 2:50

Vendor Visitation

Vendor Visitation

Lunch

*NASBA Experience Ranking Code: *B = Basic *I = Intermediate *A = AdvancedNo Prerequisites Required. www.accountingconference.org

Registration and Continental Breakfast, Sponsored by: Hein & Associates, LLP

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Keynote Speaker - Vance O Knapp, Esq, Sherman & Howard, LLC

The Anatomy of an Employment Discrimination Lawsuit and Why Employers Get Sued

Accounting Overview and Update for Oil and Gas Companies

The Seeds and Sprouts of Root Cause Analysis

Keynote Speaker – Hai Yan Zhang, Gordon Pacific, LLC

Fifty Shades of Red (Ink)

The Virtue of Virtue Ethics in Understanding Professionalism and Behavioral Ethics (CQE)

Leadership, Influence and Collaboration Skills – for

Audit, Accounting and Finance Professionals

Please Don’t Interrupt Me! 10 Simple Steps – Increasing Your

Business Preparedness

Individual Tax Update

The Impact of Social Media On Leadership

Executive Cyberspeak: Understanding Cybersecurity

Risk at an Executive Level

Portability Planning and Implementation

FOS - Economics, General

FOS - Acctg, Business

FOS - Ethics

FOS - Acctg, O&G

FOS - Auditing

FOS - Leadership, Personnel FOS - Spec. Knowledge, Business FOS - Tax

FOS - Leadership FOS - Spec. Knowledge, Business FOS - Tax, Asset Mngmt

(*B)

(*B)

(*B)

(*B)

(*B)

(*I) (*B) (*B)

(*I) (*I)

(*I)

Jake Vossen, CPA & Deanna Duell-Smed, CPA, CGMA

Hein & Associates, LLP

John J Hall, CPA Hall Consulting, Inc

Trevor Mickelson Agility Recovery

Victoria Marschner, CPA

Raven Catlin, CPA, CIA, CFSA, CRMA Raven Global Training

David J Elrod, CPA, CMA IMA Leadership Academy

Chad Stowe, CISSP, CISA Hein & Associates, LLP

Carl G Stevens, JD, AEP Davis Schilken, PC

Kevin O’Brien, CPA, JD University of Denver

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2015 RMAC Conference ScheduleFraud and Management/Leadership Course Descriptions

16 Hours of Continuing Professional Education as low as $400. Early bird registration discount if submitted by 7/31/15.

Advanced Data Analytics, the Fraudsters Worst Enemy: Introducing Powerful Tools and Techniques to Uncover FraudVictor Padilla, CFE & Al Kohl, CFE McGladrey, LLP

Leadership, Influence and Collaboration Skills – for Audit, Accounting and Finance ProfessionalsJohn J Hall, CPA Hall Consulting, Inc

This session will provide an overview of data analytics in the anti-fraud and fraud inves-tigation context. Coverage will include the capability limitations you should be aware of with tra-ditional analytics methods and how to overcome the limitations of traditional approaches. The power of combining publicly available information and data visualization technology to cre-ate a more comprehensive ap-proach to uncovering fraud will also be presented. Real-world examples of indications of fraud using these techniques will be shared.

To sell their ideas and influence positive action, every profes-sional must master the business skills of leadership, influence and collaboration. And what we need to do that is: proven ideas and action steps we can take back and use on the job imme-diately. This ‘how to’ session will present how to build legitimate business rapport and trust, the power of pre-framing and idea seeding, what internal leader-ship skills look like, why every business discussion is a presen-tation, and much more.

The Impact of Social Media on LeadershipDavid J Elrod, CPA, CMA IMA Leadership Academy

A New Business Trend – Conscious Capitalism Through Professional DevelopmentJudy Rough, CSA CSA Leaders Network

Anatomy of a Telemarketing ScamMark T Bailey & Kenneth KingOffice of the Colorado Attorney General Consumer Fraud Unit

How Honest CPAs Become Pawns of a Fraudster – It Can Happen to YouRon Klein, JD, CFECAMICOWhether you are a social media

novice who is wondering how best to use social media to be a better leader or you have been informally using social media for years and want to formu-late a social media strategy, this course can help you. We will explore social media tools to support leadership goals and initiatives, how to use social media to foster transparency and collaboration in the work-place, considerations and steps in implementing a social media plan, and the benefits of social media strategies to leaders and their organization. Join us to discover your own approach to using social media to your and your organization’s advantage.

Traditionally, the customer al-ways comes first…but should they? The new thinking in busi-ness puts the employee as the priority stakeholder benefiting customers, vendors and the business. Professional develop-ment is vital to employee sat-isfaction, retention and results. How can you be a Conscious Capitalist? Objectives include an understanding of Conscious Capitalism, its importance in today’s business world, iden-tification of stakeholders and recognition of where and how to invest resources. Real-world examples will be shared as well as applying knowledge to improve business processes and customer service including working with seniors.

In 2011 and 2012, the Colorado Attorney General shut down a Denver-area magazine telemar-keting scam in a litigation pro-cess resulting in over $7 million in judgments. Discussion will include the scam, the whistle-blower testimony, the tech-niques used by the defendants to conceal their identities, and the investigation and litigation that put the defendants out of business. The State’s judgment collection efforts and the Colora-do Uniform Fraudulent Transfers Act will also be presented.

Hear how CPAs are used and abused by fraudsters. Stories from real cases will be pre-sented. Learn about ‘incremen-talization’ and other fraudster techniques. And most impor-tantly – learn what you can do, for yourself and your clients/firm/company – to spot fraud-sters early on and avoid becom-ing their pawn.

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2015 RMAC Conference ScheduleSpecial Topics Course Descriptions

For more information and updates, please visit our website at www.accountingconference.org.

Please Don’t Interrupt Me! 10 Simple Steps – Increasing Your Business PreparednessTrevor MickelsonAgility Recovery

This session will analyze a “fic-tional” wrongful termination/disability discrimination/retalia-tion lawsuit from the employer’s perspective. Factual and legal issues that the employer must confront will be discussed and why certain choices can in-crease exposure to a negative judgment. The program will also review the main reasons employers get sued and how to minimize the risk of employ-ment-related litigation.

What would you do if a fire, flood, equipment malfunction or pandemic occurred at your of-fice, facility, client’s or partner’s location? If you had 15 minutes to evacuate, were confronted with an infestation, or your of-fice was uninhabitable for one of a thousand different reasons -- what would you take and where would you work? How would you continue? Could you bounce back or would your organization lose the fight? This session cov-ers the top 10 ways to prepare any organization for interrup-tions with straightforward and implementable steps.

Executive Cyberspeak: Understanding Cybersecurity Risk at an Executive LevelChad Stowe, CISSP, CISA Hein & Associates, LLP

Driving Advancement in Payables Processing and Fraud Protection David Nielson, CTP US Bank

For accountants, auditors and finance professionals, under-standing virtue ethics is the key to practicing a professional life marked by excellence and “hap-piness.” Virtue ethics answers this central question: “What kind of person do we want a pro-fessional to be?” Is it one who learns the ethical rules of pro-fessional conduct “to game” for one’s end? -or- one who truly embraces professional princi-ples that express ideals of excel-lence central to the profession? This presentation will discuss Virtue Ethics and analyze why good people do bad things given stressors employed by unethical leadership.

Crossing the boundaries on cy-bersecurity conversations in the executive boardroom down to the information security tech-nologist can be a daunting task. Like parents trying to talk to teenagers, they just don’t com-municate well. Using real-world stories and lessons, this session will present cybersecurity risk assessment processes, meth-ods, and terms that can be lev-eraged in the boardroom, how to bridge the conversation and terminology gap between ex-ecutives and information secu-rity technologists and surprising insights into the underground cybersecurity world and attacker motivations.

As markets stabilize, the A/P landscape is changing, and so are the strategies and op-tions for driving enhancements in payables processes. Learn about current challenges and trends in A/P processes and what this means for your organi-zation, innovative payment pro-cessing strategies and solutions to consider implementing, and the need to protect those pay-ments. Discussion will include the current payment fraud en-vironment and options to secure your assets.Incapacity Planning –

Proactively Alleviate Client Fears...Before Decision-Making and Judgment are ImpairedJanine A Guillen, JD, RN Davis Schilken, PCWhen someone becomes inca-pacitated, someone else must take control of medical, financial and property matters. A com-mon mistaken belief among cli-ents is that a power of attorney takes care of everything and too few thoughtfully plan for inca-pacity. Why is this a problem? Incapacity strikes in different ways and court proceedings, emotional upset, financial bur-dens and asset dissipation are often end results absent inca-pacity planning. Understand the general framework and tools for incapacity planning, how/why planning ahead for incapac-ity facilitates decision-making without unnecessary disruption, and what options are available when incapacity strikes absent planning.

In our litigious society, accoun-tants, like other professionals, face lawsuits and legal claims. The presentation will focus on everyday exposure that is faced by accountants. Particular em-phasis will be given to lawsuits from employees and indepen-dent contractors. Participants will review significant federal and state employment laws that impact accounting firm manag-ers with the objective of obtain-ing a functional and practical understanding of the employ-ment law landscape.

“I’m an Accountant, Why Am I at Risk?” (AKA common legal exposure faced by accountants)David B Seserman, JD Brosseau Bartlett Seserman, LLC

The Anatomy of an Employment Discrimination Lawsuit and Why Employers Get SuedVance O Knapp, EsqSherman & Howard, LLC

The Virtue of Virtue Ethics in Understanding Professionalism and Behavioral Ethics (CQE)Kevin O’Brien, CPA, JDUniversity of Denver

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2015 RMAC Conference ScheduleTaxation Course Descriptions

16 Hours of Continuing Professional Education as low as $400. Early bird registration discount if submitted by 7/31/15.

Understanding Nexus and its Effect on Compliance RequirementsKathleen P Clark, CPA Eide Bailly, LLP

How to say, “You’re in Good Hands,” and Mean It. A Pragmatic and Professional Approach to Addressing Your Client’s IRS Collections Issues Steve Cizik, JD Larson Financial

Nexus is a very important state concept and is the starting point for determining if there are state filing requirements. This applies both to income tax and sales/use tax. Nexus is a connection with a state that is sufficient enough to allow the state to require an entity to file income tax returns, collect sales tax,  accrue use tax, and  file sales/use tax returns remitting tax due.   Objectives include an understanding of the differences between how nexus is used for income tax and sales tax pur-posesand  the concept of nexus at the state level.

“No one calls their tax attorney with good news.” For the most part, that is true.  Addressing cli-ent fears by providing confident answers to what seem to the taxpayer to be extremely press-ing and confusing questions, you have gained a client’s busi-ness and more importantly, their trust moving forward with the business relationship.  This ses-sion will discuss how IRS collec-tions issues can be addressed in a straight forward and pragmatic fashion that will put your clients at ease and create value for you and/or your firm.

Individual Tax UpdateVictoria Marschner, CPAThis session will review signifi-cant new tax laws, revenue rul-ings, notices, and tax cases as well as identify top tax planning ideas for individuals and small businesses involving tax year 2015. Learn what will be phas-ing in, what will be phasing out and everything else that still is in limbo.

Recent Developments in Unclaimed Property and Tax IncentivesAlice Nolen, JDExperis FinanceVirtually every company will have an unclaimed property obligation at some point, and many have an annual obligation to multiple jurisdictions. Every state, plus some Canadian prov-inces, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, has some form of unclaimed property legisla-tion, and states have become increasingly aggressive in en-forcing these laws. Determining what is reportable, and where and when, is often complex.

Portability Planning and ImplementationCarl G Stevens, JD, AEP Davis Schilken, PCThe 2010 Tax Relief Act first in-troduced the concept of portabil-ity and it was made permanent by the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. Now it is possible for the surviving spouse to ben-efit from the deceased spouse’s estate tax exclusion without Tax By-Pass Planning. Unfortunately portability is a deceptively sim-ple concept that has troubling details and traps.  Making the decision about when to elect portability involves many fac-tors. This session will lay out the “road map” of portability and discuss various potential strate-gies as well as “dead ends” to avoid.

16 Hours of Continuing Professional EducationConcurrent SessionsAccounting/AuditingFraudManagement/LeadershipSpecial TopicsTaxation

Thursday, September 24, 2015 & Friday, September 25, 2015 at the Arvada Center

2015 RMACPO Box 746474Arvada, CO 80006-6474www.accountingconference.org

Postage

Rocky MountainArea Conference

2012

For Finance and Accounting ProfessionalsRegister at: www.accountingconference.org

Corporate Sponsors

2015