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There's No Place Like Home --
Texas, That Is. |
Spring has sprung in Texas!
The wildflowers framing the highways remind us of the blessing of rain we experienced during the first part of this year. The beginning of the second business quarter also reminds us of how lucky we are to live and work in the vibrant economy of Texas. At Bridgepoint, we've witnessed the recovery, the improvements, and now the growth in many area companies that further drive the demand for our financial, IT and management consulting services.
The re-emergence of the IPO market--with five Texas companies raising $890 million dollars in the first quarter, and an increase in demand for finance and IT professionals--continues to provide positive signs for the Texas market. According to a recent Forbes study, Texas has four of the top ten fastest growing cities in the United States: Austin #1, Dallas #2, Houston #4 and San Antonio #9. Compared to the nation, we continue to enjoy competitive salaries, relatively low unemployment, affordable housing and business-friendly tax policies.
Additionally, the Austin American Statesman recently reported that $274.4 million of venture capital has been raised in this quarter alone--the most since '07. Our very own Bob Smith is quoted in this article about the positive ripple effect this will have across Austin.
But take heed: While investors and business executives have a positive outlook about the future, they continue to proceed cautiously in a period of uncertainty in this election year.
In this issue of our newsletter, we continue our discussion of Bridgepoint Consulting's core values with Client-focus. We hope that everyone is enjoying the revitalization that spring in Texas brings.
Thanks for reading! |
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Best regards,
Michael Johnson
Principal |
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Core Values Spotlight: Client-Focus
by Michael Johnson
"A customer is the most important visitor on our premises, he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so." -Gandhi
To reference the theme of the Gandhi quote above, at Bridgepoint we are humbled to provide services to our wonderful roster of clients. We believe it's our job to provide the commitment and focus to each client to make them feel as if they are our only client. One of the most important attributes of a good consultant is having a passion for your client's success. An experienced consultant knows that if your client does not succeed, your engagement is not a success. At Bridgepoint, we constantly ask ourselves "How can I add more value to my client's customer experience?"
Our client-focus approach goes hand-in-glove with the integrity we promote at Bridgepoint. Listening to needs, communicating effectively, and forthright honesty -- these are all attributes of our client approach. Whether receiving or delivering good news or bad, we have found through our experience that fostering a client relationship that promotes open communication and objective solutions contributes to a lasting, successful relationships.
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Kudos and Community
Congratulations to Bridgepoint's Manuel Azuara for being named 2012 Volunteer of the Year for Round Rock High School Academy Program! The school chose the one volunteer out of 10,000 they believed has had the most impact on student achievement throughout the school year. He will honored at an event on May 17.
Congrats to the Bridgepoint Consulting employees, and team lead Vince Trevino, for raising $2,500 for the March of Dimes March for Babies. And thank you to all of our clients who completed the feedback surveys in which we contributed $20 each to this cause on your behalf!
Bridgepoint was a sponsor of the fabulous Scotch & Cigars event held on a beautiful terrace at Cirrus Logic overlooking downtown Austin. (see pics below)
 
Bridgepoint Consulting is pleased to be a new sponsor of EO (Entrepreneurs' Organization). We also can't wait until the Ernst & Young EOY Finalist Reception on May 10 in which we are sponsoring.
Happy Birthday Bridgepoint Consulting! Bridgepoint Employees had a good time at the Saengerrunde Bowling Club, one of Texas' oldest bowling alleys, to celebrate the company's 13th Birthday this month.
 
(Picture clockwise from top left: David Settle and Jeanne Metz; Allie Pepe and Manuel Azuara; Nita Miller)
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Upcoming Events
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year Awards
Thursday, June 7, 2012, Hilton Downtown Austin, 6 - 10 pm
$175/per, $1,750/ table of 10
Contact Teri Steffak to purchase tickets or for more information. Email: tsteffak@ey.com.
More upcoming events:
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Bridgepoint Consulting and Freescale Semiconductor co-hosted a CAE (Chief Audit Executive) Roundtable on April 12 at Freescale's offices. Attendees included Central Texas-based CAEs, Internal Audit Directors/Managers, and Bridgepoint professionals in the Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) practice. David Roe, Director of Bridgepoint's GRC practice, moderated the session.
The discussion covered recent topics and trends in fraud prevention and detection. Dave Holody, Freescale Director of Internal Audit and his security and fraud teams provided insight and examples of their challenges and approach which contributed to a interactive discussion among the group. Read more about fraud discussion items and best practices. |
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Recruiting News
by Spencer Epley, Recruiting Manager
The spring season executive searches are keeping us busy at Bridgepoint. Presently, we are working on the following active searches for clients: Chief Accounting Officer, SEC Reporting Manager (2), Tax Senior, Accounting Manager, Divisional Controller, Senior Accountant (2).
Some of the permanent placements we've made in recent weeks include:
- Director of Finance for a growing, private equity-backed software company
- Accounting Manager for a private, Austin-based service company
- Revenue Accountant for a rapidly expanding sporting events organization
- Corporate Controller for a large retail company
To learn more about how Bridgepoint's Recruiting team can help your organization locate and secure the top talent in the marketplace, please contact Spencer Epley, Recruiting Manager, (512) 437-7924 or sepley@bridgepointconsulting.com
Read my recent article: Hiring Lessons from an Executive Recruiter
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Meet Our Newest Team Members
 Jon Irvin brings 30+ years of experience to Bridgepoint as their latest addition to the executive consulting team as a CFO Advisor. He brings a proven track record with companies in both high-growth and turnaround situations. He's a five-time CFO achieving successful liquidity events, maximizing revenue growth and leading equity and debt funding transactions totaling more than $120 million. Jon will primarily serve the needs of early-stage, venture-backed clients that are in the midst of significant growth or change.
More new team members...
We're also pleased to welcome the following talented consultants that have recently joined the Bridgepoint team to provide exceptional services to our clients. Welcome aboard to...
Melissa Debes, Allison Diebel, Heath Hindman, Brittany Perkins, Melisa Smith, Tara Whitmore |
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Thanks for reading!
Sincerely,
Vince Trevino
Director of Business Development
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Practice focus |  | |
Fraud Prevention and Detection |
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Featured EVENT |  | |
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year Awards
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