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By Jerry Davis, CPA - Our firm has struggled in the past on finding the best way to get CPE for our staff. We encourage everyone in the firm to "always be learning". The struggle we have is finding good outside CPE to attend. Our firm specializes in construction and there just are not any classes in our area that address the needs of the small to medium size construction company.

Our resolution has been to develop several specialized courses that we teach in-house. We have a firm-wide in-house CPE class one day per quarter. We hold the class at Maggiano's, a very good Italian restaurant franchise. The classes are taught by firm members. We are fortunate to have some firm members that have the gift of teaching.

We do allow staff to attend two outside CPE courses per year. If it is a topic that will be beneficial to the firm, we ask the attendee to give a one to two hour summary of the class at the next in-house CPE.

The one thing I do like about outside CPE is the interaction with other firms. I am always interested in the different ways firms will approach a challenge. It is also a boost to the ego to talk to other CPA's and find out they are struggling with the same issues you are.