Finding The Right Fit For An Accountant, Bookkeeper, CFO, Controller or Other Financial Professional For Your Company

Today's Guest Blogger is Shelia Thompson. Shelia is the Director of Recruiting Services with vrecruiting (a vcfo company), which is a full service search firm offering strategic solutions including Professional / Executive Search and Contract Staffing Services in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Denver and Seattle (www.vcfo.com). She has over 15 years experience in executive search, professional placement and providing effective client focused recruiting solutions. She can be reached at sthompson [at] vcfo.com , 512.450.6578.


You need to hire an Accountant…you think?

Accounting and Finance can be an uncertain territory for many start ups. Do you need a Bookkeeper, Staff Accountant, Controller, VP of Finance? What about a CFO? Full time? What level? An accountant is an accountant right? If these are questions that have running through your head – you probably are on the right path to considering how to most effectively leverage the right talent for your stage company.

As an Executive Recruiter who has placed several hundred accounting and finance professionals with all size companies over the years, I can tell you – one size does not fit all. All accountants are not created equal. There are some that have unique industry specific skills that can add immediate value. Do you need someone SOP 97-2, Cap Table Management, Cost Accounting, Intercompany Consolidations, Foreign Currency Conversion…? What about fund raising experience, banking relationships? Are there M&A projects in your future? Accounting software –what is best choice? Policy and Procedure development—anybody can do that right? Well, you get the point. As with any specialized field, hiring the right type and level of accounting and finance professional is key to getting the most bang for your buck. Yes- even for the ones who record and project the “bucks”.

Chances are Accounting classes may have been your least favorite class in college and now you see it as a necessary evil for business. Stop thinking that way and begin thinking strategy and efficiency. There are many options depending on the stage of your company’s development and the growth strategy. While this is not a black and white answer you might consider the following guidelines to manage your green:

• Prefunding Stage – Getting your ducks in a row from a strategic finance perspective is key. Consider a fractional professional services firm that can give you high level CFO experience for a few hours a week or month seeking the advise of someone who has done this a few times will go along way. Depending on your structure you might also need a fractional bookkeeper-again only a few hours of time will go help when your hire someone who has worked in start up environments before. A bookkeeper from Mom and Pop’s Donut Shop will not have the same skills as someone that has seen a few start ups in their time.

• Product Development/Pre Revenue Stage – You may need to increase Bookkeeper time or consider Staff Accountant level (to track expenses and manage cost, manage vendor and set up accounting system). A part-time strategic and tactical CFO that will be able to continue financial planning and ideally be the type to roll up their sleeves and be hands on in setting up the correct accounting and finance policies and procedures relevant to your business model to prepare you for the next level.

• Growth Stage - Now is when you need to hire your full time person, usually a Controller that is more technically savvy that your Bookkeeper or Staff Accountant and potentially has some of the specialized experience relevant to your industry. Software company’s will want to look for hands on SOP -2 experience. If you have multiple locations consolidations experience will be important. Manufacturing environments will need some cost accounting exposure, etc. An ideal Controller will be willing to be hands on, have ability to manage staff that will continue to grow (much of the staff may be at the clerical level first-AP/AR) and have strong business acumen to provide sound financial advice through financial analysis, budgeting and forecasting etc. Companies often will look to a Controller that will grow to VP of Finance that continues to provide internal strategy and offer guidance. Depending on your funding needs and growth plans the right level CFO will come into play here at some point full time. Using a solid part –time CFO can be cost effect for many early stage companies but when you are ready to go get that next round, consider an IPO, acquire competitors you will need to look for an experienced CFO that is savvy in the financial strategies you intend to deploy and add them to your team.

In addition, don’t let titles fool you. The only way to really understand a person’s skill set and where they fit in is by looking at their job duties and accomplishments. Seek that advice of someone who has hired at the level you are seeking in Accounting and Finance before. If you have a great internal IT recruiter that knows Developers like the back of their hand – that is great, but that may not be the best person to tap and understand the financial accounting network. A good finance recruiter can help you narrow down the candidate pool to the top candidates in the market the fit the needs of your organization. I would advise you find a recruiter that not only understands accounting and finance but also the importance of hiring for the future without over-hiring. Screening for soft skills as much as technical accounting skills is imperative. There are some very sharp accounting professionals that thrive on being apart of a team that is targeting growth, do well in non-structured environments and have the communications skills that will allow them to work well with all departments. Then there are those folks that prefer to sit in the corner and crunch numbers all day and don’t like change.

Which do you want on your team?

Have A Great Day.

thom

vcfo / vrecruiting Expand Recruiting Services In Colorado

vcfo (my former employer) is expanding their business services in Colorado to include vrecruiting-recruiting solutions from vcfo --- providing full service and customizable recruiting and staffing services including Professional Search, Contract Recruiting /Sourcing, and Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) services.

Heading up the new practice as Practice Manager is Jennifer Kendall. Kendall brings over a decade of experience in recruitment strategy and development, executive search and placement, and candidate sourcing. "We are excited to have Jennifer leading up our vrecruiting practice," says Dan Hudspeth, vcfo's regional managing director in Colorado and Washington. "Her breadth of experience and knowledge makes her an ideal match for our expanding practice."

In her new role, Kendall is responsible for the growth and development of Denver search practices.

"I am pleased to be joining vcfo," says Kendall, "because of its nationally recognized reputation and a strong market presence in Colorado. Our recruiting services will utilize a professional services approach to delivering high quality talent to our clients in a very efficient manner."

About vrecruiting - Recruiting Solutions from vcfo
vrecruiting is part of a full suite of financial and accounting solutions from vcfo, a professional services firm, that offers a customized team model to assist companies with finance, accounting, recruiting and human resources needs. vcfo uses a custom approach with each solution to create an optimal, flexible team of highly trained vcfo employees to address our clients particular requirements..

As trusted advisors to the CEO and management team, vcfo team members across the country use our original platform, industry best practices and proven methodologies to help solve the most complex operational business issues. vcfo is based in Austin, Texas with regional offices in Dallas, Denver, Houston and Seattle. For more information, please visit www.vcfo.com.

Leveraging The Right Vendor Can Be The Path To Success

My former employer, vcfo, has many great examples of why outsourcing key functions can help a company in good times and in bad. The below was a recent success story from vcfo - Dallas. I decided to post it here as it is a great reminder that when you find the right partners, success is possible in any economy!

Keste Leverages Outsourcing Model and Grows from Partnership with vcfo

Certified Oracle provider attributes success to partnering with vcfo for financial modeling, long-term strategic planning and operational accounting

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) September 21, 2009 -- Keste, a certified Oracle provider, grew from a dozen employees to more than seventy in four years and attributes a large part of their success story to vcfo, a professional services firm.

Keste was formed in 2005 to provide Oracle solutions and custom application development, specializing in high technology, telecommunications and heavy industry sectors. From the moment it was founded, Keste engaged vcfo to provide services such as financial modeling, long-term strategic planning and operational accounting.

Keste founder and CEO Howard Moore selected vcfo to benefit from an outsourcing model of bringing in expertise and leveraging established resources. "The vcfo team allowed us to print financials from day one, giving us credibility in the market and favorable terms with our bank. Knowing that our financials were in good hands really allowed me to focus on my core business and maximize our revenues."

The vcfo team implemented processes and procedures to improve Keste's workflow, which allowed for increased efficiency in the management of the business. vcfo participated in weekly executive management meetings to contribute to the strategic planning, allowing for financial reporting to evolve as a management tool. The team also established parameters to prevent cash flow constraints and to reduce payment problems from customers.

Moore summed up his experience as a vcfo client by saying,"vcfo is a great model to plug into, top quality talent with a fresh view of the company and suggestions for improvement. Anytime we need to extend our in-house department, it's good to know we can leverage vcfo."

About vcfo:

vcfo is a professional services firm that offers a customized team model to assist companies with finance, accounting, recruiting and human resources needs. vcfo uses a custom approach to create an optimal, flexible team of highly trained vcfo employees to address your particular requirements. Not only do you get the right level of resource, but you pay only for the time you need it.

As trusted advisors to the CEO and management team, vcfo team members across the country use an original platform, industry best practices and proven methodologies to help solve the most complex operational business issues. vcfo is based in Austin, Texas with regional offices in Dallas, Denver and Seattle. For more information, please visit www.vcfo.com.

About Keste:

Keste is a Certified Oracle Partner that solves real business problems by developing and delivering solutions that improve the way you do business in the service economy. With the strong relationship with Oracle Architecture and Development Teams, Keste has the skills, experience, and organization to surpass client expectations.

Keste maintains a worldwide presence with offices in Dallas, Texas and Hyderabad, India with customers in North America, Europe, and Asia. For more information, please visit www.keste.com.

Equity In Your Company - Protect It !!!!

This blog post originally appeared on the Austin Startup Blog.

Today’s guest blogger is Ellen Wood who is the co-founder and CEO of Austin based vcfo, inc. The firm specializes in operational finance and accounting, HR Solutions and recruiting services for companies of all sizes. She can be reached at 512-345-9441.

For most entrepreneurs equity is just a word the lawyers and finance people use when talking about funding. It’s not something that is front and center on a daily basis - but it should be. Equity is everything. You need to take the time to understand it and protect it.

Specifically, equity is ownership. When you start a company, it’s common for someone or a small group of people to initially own 100% of the company. Usually ownership is represented in the form of shares. You commonly hear lawyers talk about incorporating your company with 1,000 or 10,000 or 10,000,000 shares. It doesn’t matter whether you start your company with 1 share or 10,000,000 shares, the value of the company is the same. You do not own more just because you have more shares. The value of your company is based on what the market says you are worth. Your ownership of the company is directly related to how many shares you own as a percent of the total shares.

You will never have more ownership than you do when you start your company. You may have more shares but you will never own a bigger percentage than the 100% you start with. The percent you own over time is the key. Every decision you make going forward that uses equity is going to reduce your ownership. You will use it to recruit key members of your team. You will use it to entice funding sources to invest. You may use it in exchange for services or materials that you would otherwise pay cash for. Make sure you project what the impact is of using equity. You only want to use it as currency if you believe you are getting something that will make the equity you have left worth more than it was before.

I can tell you story after story about founders that have given away large pieces of equity early in the life of their company, not understanding what that meant to their own ownership position. Decisions made in the early days of your company about the uses of your equity are the most important decisions you will make. You can’t undo them and nobody is going to give you more equity to make up for decisions you wish you hadn’t made. To minimize regrets, go beyond the revenue projections all entrepreneurs love to do. Make sure your projections cover at least the first few years of your company. If within that plan you will be seeking funding, plan for using equity there. If you are hiring a top flight team, plan to use equity there. Market data is available to you on what you will have to give in equity for these types of uses. You are making these grants to grow the value of your company. Presumably your projected smaller piece of a bigger value pie will be worth more. That is always the bet. Look at what your ownership is after these equity transactions and make sure you understand it and are satisfied with it. Remember – equity is your most valuable asset so use it judiciously. Make sure your bets are informed ones.

Can Reviewing Your Company's Benefits Plan Save Big Bucks?

I enjoy hearing about two local companies working together.

The following is a case study from my former employer, vcfo (and their vhr group), and Penco (an Austin based general contractor)..

Austin, TX (From PRWEB) July 28, 2009 -- Penco, a rapidly growing nationwide general contractor, partnered with vcfo, a professional services firm, to get top-notch human resources expertise and services without building an internal HR department.

Penco CEO and President Bob Renneker decided to seek outside HR assistance when the company began to grow quickly. "We were experiencing significant growth, but weren't ready to commit to a full-time HR department. vhr solutions from vcfo provided the perfect solution -- we continue to benefit from their deep human resources experience working with multiple clients, while paying for only what we need."

We were experiencing significant growth, but weren't ready to commit to a full-time HR department. vhr solutions from vcfo provided the perfect solution -- we continue to benefit from their deep human resources experience working with multiple clients, while paying for only what we need.

After conducting a comprehensive HR audit, the vhr team immediately went to work to analyze whether Penco would be better served by using a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) instead of their current benefits and payroll solution. Based on vcfo's recommendation, Penco set up their own PEO, allowing them to control costs, consolidate payroll, provide a more competitive set of employee benefits, and meet other business objectives. The result was an immediate cost savings of $125,000 in benefits alone.

Over the course of the partnership, vhr has revamped the employee benefits program, performed a 401K review and update, implemented manager training and a performance management program, selected and implemented a Human Resources Information System (HRIS), and provided significant guidance on corporate restructuring. Working with the vhr team, Penco plans to continue improving the work environment for employees by rolling out an enhanced safety program this year.

About vhr and vcfo
vhr is a suite of human resource solutions from vcfo, a professional services firm that offers a customized team model to assist companies with finance, accounting, recruiting and human resources needs. vcfo uses a custom approach to create an optimal, flexible team of highly trained vcfo employees to address your particular requirements. Not only do you get the right level of resource, but you pay only for the time you need it.

As trusted advisors to the CEO and management team, vcfo team members across the country use our original platform, industry best practices and proven methodologies to help solve the most complex operational business issues. vcfo is based in Austin, Texas with regional offices in Dallas, Denver and Seattle. For more information, please visit www.vcfo.com.

About Penco
Penco is a nationwide general contractor and has served the renovation and catastrophe restoration needs of multifamily owners and management companies since 1970. Penco has successfully produced over 15,000 projects and simultaneously works on more than 100 projects in dozens of cities across the nation every day. To learn more about Penco, please visit www.pencoinc.com.

Advice for Outsourcing Key Roles - Guest Blog Post by Ellen Wood, CEO of vcfo

The below originally ran on the Austin Startup Blog on Friday, February 20, 2009. Ellen Wood is the CEO of vcfo (the company I work for as director of business development)

Today’s guest blogger is Ellen Wood who is the co-founder and CEO of Austin based vcfo. The firm specializes in operational finance and accounting, HR Solutions and recruiting services for companies of all sizes. She can be reached at 512-345-9441.

The outsourcing of key roles inside companies of all sizes is becoming more common. Historically companies have looked to outside experts for highly specialized assistance in areas such as audit, tax, and legal assistance. In more recent years functions such as marketing, HR, operational finance and accounting, IT and recruiting have become outsourced resources as well.

For startups, tapping an outsourced resource can be an ideal solution. The company can obtain the desired level of experienced professional advice at a fraction of the cost of making a long-term hiring commitment that comes with adding headcount before the business has grown to the right size.

There are several things to consider when deciding to outsource any key business function for your company:

• Reputation Of The Resource. Check references both formally and informally. When you can, go beyond the references they provide and inquire within the community and your network to see what kind of feedback you get.
• Validate expertise and specific experience. Make sure that the consultant has the experience you are seeking. There is a significant difference between an individual who is between jobs and a firm with experienced resources across multiple areas of expertise. Individuals are great resources and may become a long term hire – just be sure if that is the option you are considering that they individually have the experience that you need in your situation. Avoid the “brother-n-law” or “best-friend” option to fill key roles on part time or outsourced basis unless they really do have the expertise that you need.
• Be wary of overly discounted rates. You are looking for expertise for the right amount of time to get the job done, not to become ongoing billable hours indefinitely or inefficiently.
• The Network Matters. As an early stage company it is particularly important to think about the value of the network other resources you engage with can introduce you to. You are building your team right now both internally and externally.
• Transparency. You should be able to learn from your consultants. Look to them to educate you as to their particular areas of expertise. You need consultants who see themselves as your partner and put your interests in first place in the relationship.

Utilizing experienced recourses at key growth points can prevent your startup from making common mistakes along the path to success. An optimal outsourced provider will see themselves as your partner in achieving your goals.

2009 Austin Under 40 Awards Finalists Announced

The Austin Under Forty committee has announced the 2009 Finalists for the 11th Annual Austin Under Forty Awards! Five finalists were chosen in each of the ten categories and are listed in alphabetical order below. The finalists will be formally recognized at the awards presentation scheduled for February 27, 2009 at the Austin Music Hall. Finalists were selected on the basis of excellence in their professional field and commitment to the Austin community.

I am proud that several of my friends, including four of my classmates from the 2008 Leadership Austin Essential Class , are finalists: Jay Ellwanger, Trey Halbert, Adrienne Longenecker, and Rebecca Bray.

Additionally, my co-worker, Corey Blahuta (Managing Director of vcfo's Austin Office) is also a finalist!!

Additionally, Additionally - Chad Goldwasser, the co-author for my next book: "Some Assembly Required: A Networking Guide for Real Estate Professionals" (New Year Publishing, Spring 2009) is also a finalist!!

I was a finalist years ago when I was young enough to be part of this very cool program. Now I sit in the back with the over 40 crowd and drink cocktails and cheer for my friends!!!

Good luck to everyone!!

Arts & Entertainment

Amy Davis Coplen, KXAN-TV NBC Austin
Rochelle Rae, Rae Cosmetics
Carolyn Schwarz, Health Alliance for Austin Musicians
Joseph A. Stallone, Bracewell & Giuliani LLP
Roxanne Wilson, KPEZ-FM 102.3 The River

Business & Entrepreneurship

Zach Anderson, TicketCity
Joshua Dana Baer, OtherInbox
Natalie Kennedy, Kennedy Creative
Kyle Parks, Maxwell Locke & Ritter LLP
Scott Thomas, Intelechy Group

Community Service

Brandi Marie Clark, Austin EcoNetwork
Ellen Patricia Jefferson, EmanciPET/Austin Pets Alive
Adrienne Longenecker, Capital Area Food Bank of Texas
Heather Summers Parsons, Texas CASA
Jennifer Ransom Rice, Texas Senate, Senator Florence Shapiro

Financial Services

Corey Blahuta, vcfo
Trey Halbert, McQueary Henry Bowles Troy
Dawn Ambuehl-Sadek, A+ Federal Credit Union
Stuart Vick Smith, Maxwell Locke & Ritter LLP
Tom Wiley Wilkinson, PMB Helin Donovan

Government & Public Affairs

Matthew Durkin Curtis, Capital Metro
Amy Nicole Holloway, Avalanche Consulting
Mike William Martinez, City of Austin Council Member
Shannon Phillips Meroney, AETNA
Jeff Lee Rose, Deputy First Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Attorney General of Texas

Legal

Jay Ellwanger, DiNovo Price Ellwanger & Hardy LLP
David Michael Gonzalez, Sumpter & Gonzalez, LLP
Michael J. Nasi, Jackson Walker L.L.P.
Brooks Schuelke, Perlmutter & Schuelke, LLP
Tai Cu Tran, Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell LLP

Medical & Healthcare

Chad Paul Dieterichs, MD, Capitol Anesthesiology
Kenneth Lambrecht, Planned Parenthood, Texas Capital Region
Dustin L. Reid, Restora Austin Plastic Surgery
Matthew Thompson, Medical Management Solutions
Marc Jason Zimmermann, American Physicians Service Group, Inc.

Real Estate

Tausha René Carlson, Marathon Real Estate
Scott Flack, Live Oak Gottesman
Chad Goldwasser, Goldwasser Real Estate
Holly Mace Massingill, Keller Williams
Mark Adrian Villanueva, Marcus & Millichap

Technology & Sciences
Rebecca Anne Bray, Klotz Associates, Inc.
Gregory Lee Harrington, Dell
Brett Hurt, Bazaarvoice, Inc.
Kathy Kempff, Charity Dynamics
Jeff McAdams, HigherOut

Youth & Education

Heath Hignight, Cockrell School of Engineering, UT
Michelle Krejci, Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders
Karen LaShelle, Theatre Action Project
Rene O. Sanchez, Austin ISD, High School Principal
Julie Shannan, Girlstart

Clearly this will be a wonderful event. Austin is fortunate to have so many great young leaders who will help shape our city for decades to come.

Have A Great Day.

thom

Startup Staffing is now vrecruiting

As you may know, Startup Staffing was acquired last December by vcfo. Over this past year this highly respected recruiting firm has refined and broadened their recruiting services and would now like to announce the launch of their new name, vrecruiting - recruiting solutions from vcfo.

In addition to the same high quality services they have provided since 1999, they now provide an expanded suite of recruiting services including:

Managed Recruiting Solutions

• Customized Recruiting Projects and Programs
• RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing)
• Consulting – Recruiting Optimization

Professional Search (Contingent and Retained)

• Accounting and Finance
• HR/Recruiting
• Technology
• Oil and Gas

Contract Staffing (Contractors/Temp/Temp-to-Perm)

• Accounting and Finance
• HR/Recruiting
• Technology

The acquisition by vcfo also provided a national platform enabling vrecruiting to expand geographically. They now have recruiting operations in Austin, Dallas, Denver and Seattle. If vrecruiting can be of assistance to you, or to anyone in your network, please don’t hesitate to contact Greg Garrison (President, vrecruiting) at 512-345-9441.

Additional vcfo solutions:

vcfo - Finance and Accounting Solutions vcfo provides strategic expertise, technical accounting experience, and flawless execution. Working closely with the CEO, the board, and senior management, vcfo provides insight and strategic direction appropriate for the stage and growth plans of your company.

vhr – HR Solutions Working with our highly skilled team of human resources experts, you will quickly have visibility into any human resource risk issues facing the company. You will have a road map to assist the company with implementing the right set of policies and procedures to guide employees on a daily basis.

Alternative Finance for Companies in the Tough Economy

This guest blog post originally appeared on The Austin Startup Blog on November 11th. Corey Blahuta works with me at vcfo.

Today’s guest blogger is Corey Blahuta, the Austin Managing Director for vcfo, Inc. He can be reached at cblahuta@vcfo.com or (512)345-9441. For more information see: www.vcfo.com.

My company, vcfo, hosted a great event last Thursday where a panel of experts discussed a variety of alternative financing strategies. It struck me as funny to call these “alternative strategies” as they are neither risqué nor new, they are just a bit different than the traditional path of an entrepreneur or CFO working exclusively with a commercial bank and setting up a line of credit. The panel represented a good cross section of the alternative or “transitional capital” landscape. The panel consisted of Meg Roberson from Gulf Coast Business Credit, Bryan Ballowe of King Trade Capital, Jim Rebello of Growth Capital Partners, LP, and Lou Manitzas of One Source Financial Corp, and the event was moderated by David Orlandella of Enhanced Capital Partners.

The alternative financing strategies represented by the panel included factoring; asset backed lending (leasing, etc); mezzanine financing; and purchase order financing. Each has its own merits and challenges. Some can be quite expensive relative to a traditional commercial bank line but they all represent themselves to be cheaper than equity and certainly more favorable than missing a key revenue opportunity. In a very simplistic model; you look to purchase order financing when you have a firm contract or order but need working capital to deliver on it; factoring can be key when you have delivered the goods and have quality receivables but the cash conversion cycle is long; asset backed lending is essential if your business requires heavy capital equipment investment; and mezzanine financing can be useful if you have a business that is cash flow positive but needs additional capital to fund your business plan or complete a buy-out.

In addition to discussing their respective businesses each panelist was asked to provide some perspectives on what they are seeing in the market. What follows is some of the highlights of that discussion.

Meg Roberson noted that she has seen companies with banking relationships that go back ten or more years not getting facilities renewed in the current environment.

Jim Rebello, advised that business owners and CFO’s should “mange to the covenants” present in existing lines as they don’t want to give their banks a reason to possibly rethink a facility.

Bryan Ballowe believes we are moving from a “crisis of confidence to a crisis of realization” as Wall Street pain has moved into the broader economy and he expects that trend to continue in 2009.

Lou Manitzas cautioned that even though the alternatives discussed were certainly more reasonable in the current environment than lending from traditional commercial banks, underwriting for all forms of capital are tightening, including those being discussed by the panelists.

Finally, all panelists noted that the demand for their products and services has increased dramatically in recent months and they expect that trend to continue into at least the early part of 2009.

If your company is concerned about your financing options, I suggest you begin now to research your alternatives. The experts mentioned here, as well as others, will gladly help educate your business on the different vehicles available to you in any economic climate.

Employee Team Building is a ZIP!!

On Saturday vcfo took employees and their families out for a little fun in place of our November staff meeting. We all spent the day at Cypress Valley Canopy Tours in Spicewood, Texas. It sounded like it would be a fun event, but it turned out to be an AMAZING afternoon for my co-workers and our kids.

My eleven-year-old joined me for the day of zipping though the trees. I thought she might be scared, but instead with each leg of the two hour tree-top tour she would scream "That was AWESOME!" The other kids (and the grown ups) all had the same response.

I am a big fan of unique events. Human beings are experiential creatures who are forever influenced by the activities they share with others. Find an occasional way to shake up the routine with something different (and fun) and you will reap the rewards. The replacement of a staff meeting with a happy hour, bowling, movie day, go cart racing or a zip line tour through the trees in the Texas Hill Country is something that has more impact on your team than you can imagine. Even in a tight economy, you still need to think of your people!

We were broken up into groups of seven and two guides made it fun and kept a keen eye that we were safe as we zipped along from tree to tree.

Our group was great for me because my daughter and I were in a group some co-workers whom work in the field (thus I do not see them around the office on a regular basis), so it was fun to hang out with those whom I did not know as well. One of them had a ten year old daughter, so the kids had a great time together, too!

Have A Great Day.

thom

See the 30 second video of our team zipping along: