McGladrey Increases Support to Junior Achievement During Challenging Times

According to an article in this Sunday's Palm Beach Post, McGladrey, along with a number of other companies have increased their support to the Palm Beaches chapter of Junior Achievement. Apparently the Madoff scandal affected a foundation that provided funding to BizTown, a Junior Achievement program that "...gives fifth-graders the chance to be CEOs for a day in a fictitious town that exposes students to business, entrepreneurship, and financial planning."

In light of this reduction in funding, local business leaders have increased their support (funding and volunteers) to Junior Achievement. In fact, of the 17 volunteer instructors, 7 were from or affiliated with McGladrey. McGladrey Managing Director (and local Junior Achievement chapter Treasurer) Pete Bozetarnik said:

"The timing couldn't have been better. Tax accountants and auditors were coming out of our business tax season and looking for something different to do....We jumped on this Pleasant City (program) and got all wrapped up."

According to the Post, "Among the topics taught were job and financial skills, banking and the concept of goods and services." More than 300 children benefit from this program, a program local officials are very happy with.

In light of the challenges that we continue to face in this economy, particularly those challenges brought upon us by various scandals, it's great to see companies like ours step it up to make a difference.

McGladrey Named a Best Adoption-Friendly Workplace

McGladrey’s WorkLife benefits continue to receive national recognition. The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption recently included McGladrey in its annual America’s 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplace list.

Each year, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption spotlights the top 100 companies nationwide for their outstanding adoption benefits and services. To be considered for this recognition, companies must demonstrate a strong commitment to employees and their families through generous adoption benefits—our full range of support for adoptive families helped secure McGladrey on the list.

Adopting a child can require a significant commitment of time and resources. Last year, McGladrey enhanced its financial support for adoptive families by increasing its adoption reimbursement from $3,000 to $5,000. Executive Assistant and adoptive mother Lois H. says, “The $5,000 reimbursement was both a huge financial and emotional help to us.”

In 2008, McGladrey also lengthened its paid time off for both adoptive mothers and fathers from three weeks to six weeks. Director of Tax Services and adoptive father Greg D. says, “The adoptive parent leave improved my family life by allowing me to be with my wife and new baby during this important time. McGladrey didn’t hesitate in giving me time away – the support I received was tremendous.

Extra resources for families include a new parent coach program, our coach-on-call program and our Employee Assistance Program (EAP). These programs offer resources that help new and existing parents cope with family changes and being a working parent.

Zach Johnson Wins Again!

Team McGladrey member Zach Johnson once again has made everyone here at McGladrey glow with pride today as he defended his Valero Texas Open title yesterday, winning on the first hole in a sudden death playoff. This is Zach's 2nd win this year (3rd in the last 12 months), which has also vaulted him to 1st place in the FedEx Cup standings.

Zach continues to define success for himself as he proves again that he's one of the best in the game.

VIDEO - Developing at McGladrey

Check out a video just recently produced for us by CareerTV that spotlights our focus on employee development and work-force flexibility, and features our Director of Talent Management, Teresa Hopke.

The First Lady Listens to Corporate Voices

I had the distinct honor yesterday of being invited to the Corporate Voices for Working Families Annual Meeting at the historic Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. McGladrey has been affiliated with this great organization for the past few years now, along with other companies including Accenture, Sodexo, PNC Financial and many more. Corporate Voices is a recognized leader in their support for Work-Life initiatives by providing research and data to support how those initiatives not only help workers, but also the bottom-lines of organizations. In addition to the annual meeting, this organization also offers it's corporate sponsors consulting assistance, benchmarking, and additional collaborative opportunities.


There were alot of great people at yesterday's meeting, but the guest-of-honor was none other than the First Lady herself, Michelle Obama. Mrs. Obama has been a working mother herself, describing herself as a "120 percenter", so she understands firsthand the challenges that come along with working and raising a family. Mrs. Obama spoke to the group for about 10 minutes, expressing her knowledge of this issues, specifically her interest in discussing child care, child pick-ups, and paid leave for adoption. She also expressed a specific interest in using Corporate Voices research to advance the cause. More on her speech can be found at the Corporate Voices Blog. After Mrs. Obama's comments, she listened to leaders from Bright Horizons, H-E-B and Ethicon as they provided examples of how Work-Life initiatives in their organizations were having a profoundly positive effect. At the end of the session, I had the honor of shaking the First Lady's hand, a truly amazing moment for me personally.


The afternoon session continued the energy of the morning with a presentation by Jared Bernstein, Chief Economist and Economic Policy Advisor to the Vice President. Mr. Bernstein leads the White House Middle Class Task Force, and indicated that Work-Life issues are very much on the task force's agenda. Following Mr. Bernstein's comments, he took questions from the audience, and it was clear that he and the Corporate Voices members were very much on the same page on a number of issues. After Mr. Bernstein left, the attendees were broken up into smaller working groups to brainstorm recommendations that the task force should focus on.

What a great event and what a great organization to be affiliated with! McGladrey is involved because our Work-Life initiatives are very much aligned with the ultimate goals of Corporate Voices, and as I learned in some cases, we are truly leading edge in some areas (Declaration for Work-Life Flexibility, Coach-on-Call). Our resident Work-Life expert, Teresa Hopke, is very much responsible for our great success in our Work-Life initiatives, and with our affiliation with Corporate Voices. I thank her again for the opportunity to attend and participate.

What I took away most from yesterday was an appreciation that the time has come for Corporate America to recognize the value of Work-Life initiatives. The First Lady gets it. The Middle Class Task Force gets it. Many great companies get it. McGladrey certainly gets it. Work-Life isn't just about making life easier for workers. The data proves that these initiatives can have a huge impact on reducing turnover, increasing productivity, reducing healthcare expenses, etc., and ultimately improving organizations bottom-lines. Yesterday was a great start to furthering this cause for the benefit of us all.

End-of-Busy Season Celebrations

In the accounting world, busy season can often mean long hours and lots of stress. It's no wonder then that come April 15, our offices like to let their hair down and blow off some steam. Each office across the country does things a bit differently, here's a sample of just a few of the celebrations that happened recently:

The Denver, CO office gathered at Moe’s Original Barbeque and enjoyed bowling, foosball and great food.

The Des Moines, IA office hosted its party at the Raccoon River Brewery. Employees enjoyed drinks and appetizers along with some performances by members of the office. Location Leader Rod Foster made good on an agreement to sing karaoke in honor of the office achieving its participation goal for the United Way Campaign (the video should be making its way to YouTube any time) and the interns performed their annual farewell skit.

The Cedar Rapids, IA office that had the most unique party. Their annual tax party was held the evening of April 15 at the Riverwalk Pub & Eatery located just a block away from the office. Appetizers and beverages were served, but the best part of the evening was enjoying musical performances by their very own McGladrey colleagues!

Tad S., (IT Coordinator) played guitar, sang, and was also the lead recruiter for the other talent!
Others included:
· Danny S. (Audit Associate) – Bass Guitar
· Colin P. (Audit Associate) – Guitar
· Matt S. (Tax Associate) – Drums
· Sarah H. (IC Administration) – Vocals
· Amanda A. (Audit Associate) – Vocals
· Scott A. (Audit Manager) – Vocals

They played 12 songs consisting of country, oldies, and rock n’ roll – a few favorites from the evening were “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Everyday America,” and “Johnny B Goode.” There have already been requests for this group to make this an annual performance!