Upstream Academy, founded by Sam M. Allred, CPA, announces a series of management and leadership training workshops for CPA firm owners that Allred says is unprecedented in public accounting.

"This caliber and variety of management training has been unavailable anywhere in the profession prior to now," Allred says. "We begin with five two-day workshops in June, with another eight during the rest of 2001. All together, we are introducing eight specific management topics this year, and more in 2002."

"Those of us in the CPA profession constantly hear that tremendous change is taking place within our profession," Allred elaborates. "We repeatedly are told that our firms and we must change in order to survive and prosper. Yet, most training today for CPA partners and managers is poor, leaving them far short of making changes or adjustments in their firms that will make any kind of real difference."

"At UPSTREAM ACADEMY, we have taught hundreds of organizations how to strategically adapt to change, to achieve continuous improvement, to flourish. Now, we bring that experience and those proven strategies to the accounting profession."

Hudson Sawyer, an Atlanta-based organization specializing in management and marketing consulting and conferences for CPAs, is collaborating with Upstream Academy on course concepts and is handling registrations for the workshops. "We have sponsored management and leadership training for CPA firm owners since 1991, when we introduced our Management Summit conference," says Martha H. Sawyer, president. "It is a giant leap forward for the profession to now have access to advanced management training on such a breadth of topics and with such knowledgeable and skilled presenters."

"This is not just another skim-the-surface management session," Allred explains. "This is revolutionary, unlike any other management training available to the CPA profession. In a series of process-driven workshops, we provide and instruct CPA firm owners on the use of a blueprint to achieve continuous improvement, teach them how to manage engagements for greater success, how to strategically market their services, how to develop an e-business strategy for their firms, how to build niches that achieve success quickly, how to manage a practice of multiple disciplines, and building leadership skills for key partners."

Faculty for the courses includes:

• Sam M. Allred, CPA a partner with Anderson ZurMuehlen & Co., member of the firm’s strategic planning committee, and founder of Upstream Academy;

• Pete Middlemass, Boston, Massachusetts a director and co-founder of Upstream Academy, a partner of FrontLine Consultants, a network association serving CPA firms and IT professionals, and a member of the Project Management Institute;

• Matthew Camden, Peoria, Illinois, Chief Technology Officer of Clifton Gundersen, LLC, the 11th largest CPA firm in the United States, and a director of Upstream Academy; and

• Steve Erickson, CPA, CVA, Albuquerque, New Mexico, a consultant to accounting and law firms in practice management, compensation, leadership, firm structure and profitability enhancement. He is the former managing partner of REDW, LLC, a $14 million CPA firm.

Workshops are scheduled across the country, including Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, and San Diego.

Fees are $1,750 per person.

BLUEPRINT FOR EXCELLENCE: CONTINUOUS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT FOR YOUR FIRM

June 7-8, 2001 Dallas, TX Code: BP10601W

June 26-27, 2001 Atlanta, GA Code: BP10601E

Instructor: Sam M. Allred

CPE: 18 Hours Prerequisite: None Level: Advanced

ENGAGEMENT MANAGEMENT: A TOOLKIT FOR PROFIT AND SUCCESS

June 14-15, 2001 Washington, D.C. Code EM10601E

August 23-24, 2001 San Diego, CA Code EM10801W

Instructor: Peter A. Middlemass

CPE: 18 Hours Prerequisite: None Level: Advanced

DEVELOP E-BUSINESS CONSULTING SKILLS FOR YOUR CPA FIRM AND YOUR CLIENTS>

PART I: E-BUSINESS STRATEGIES FOR CPA FIRMS AND CLIENTS

June 5-6, 2001 Washington, D.C. Code EB10601E

June 27-28, 2001 San Diego, CA Code EB10601W

Aug. 23-24, 2001 Chicago, IL Code EB10801C

Part II: Enhancing Existing Services Utilizing E-business

Oct. 25-26, 2001 Dallas,TX Code EB21001C

Part III: Consulting with Clients on E-business Strategies

Dates and locations to be announced.

Instructor: Matthew Camden

CPE: 18 Hours Prerequisite: None Level: Advanced

Information about the courses is available at the Upstream Academy Web site. To register or for more information, contact Martha H. Sawyer at 800-945-6462.