BLI is the learning and innovation center for the Maryland Association of CPAs. Three case studies that highlight a strategic and systematic approach to talent development and learning we call the 5 C's - Career Path, Competency, Curriculum, Cloud (e-leanring), and Compliance. The firms represented all implemented the AICPA Navigator LMS & CPE Compliance Tracker with a portfolio of on-demand learning and used high impact "success skill" training like our Leadership Academy and other top BLI programs. The firms are DeLeon & Stang, TGM Group, and SC&H Group. The last case study of SC&H shows how they used talent development to help win them Best Firm to Work for - large firm category by Accounting Today Magazine. Visit us at http://www.blionline.org

1. Client Success Story
DeLeon & Stang
CPAs and Advisors
Allen DeLeon, CPA, Partner
Advancing to the Big Leagues of
Learning with AICPA Navigator
Adoption of advanced learning management system
proves to be a game changer for firm
Allen DeLeon, CPA and partner at DeLeon & Stang, had his
own vision for a learning management system (LMS) a few years
before the firm adopted Navigator. He knew that his firm needed
to move away from its manual, cumbersome learning approach
to something automated.
“Our firm had been working with the Maryland Association of
CPAs [MACPA] to develop a sophisticated LMS. Our vision was
to have curricula housed in a central location, where ongoing
education and licensing information could easily be monitored
and tracked,” DeLeon explained. “Once CPA2Biz entered the
scene, this vision became a reality with Navigator.”
Prior to using Navigator, DeLeon’s firm adhered to a manual
learning management process, where each employee’s licensing
information was tracked in a separate Excel spreadsheet and
education classes were scheduled and monitored by an onsite
staff member.
“Like many firms, we had our own internal system in place,
where we maintained curriculums, collected CPE certifications
manually from employees, and tracked licensing. As we grew,
this became a nightmare to organize and manage,” said DeLeon.
“This also increased the risk of overlooking time-sensitive tasks
like renewing licenses.”
In the recent past, high-end learning systems didn’t come cheap.
Based on cost, it was mainly large firms that were able to adopt
these solutions. This is no longer the case. Today, advanced
learning management systems, like AICPA Navigator, have
Stats at a Glance
Firm Profile
Full-service CPA and
business consulting firm
serving clients in the
Mid-Atlantic area
Locations
Gaithersburg, MD &
Leesburg, VA
Staff
40
“Navigator has been a
major game changer for
us. We’ve been able to
implement a world-class
learning management
system that offers staff
on-demand courses
across learning tracks.”
–Allen DeLeon, CPA
Firm Partner
AICPA Navigator
Learning Management System
800.634.6780 | CPA2Biz.com/Navigator

2. leveled the playing field—offering big firm learning at
an affordable cost.
“Navigator has been a major game changer for us,”
stated DeLeon. “We’ve been able to implement a
world-class LMS that offers staff on-demand courses
across learning tracks in a single platform. And we get
all of this well within budget.”
A Comprehensive Solution
In the early phases of LMS implementation, DeLeon
and his team mapped out the firm’s education
requirements. With firms in two states, and associates
with multiple state licenses, the firm required a rich
repository of content. That meant pulling in curricula
from several sources. “Our LMS houses courses
from our own internal DS [DeLeon Stang] University,
Maryland Association of CPAs, AICPA, and the
Business Learning Institute,” explained DeLeon.
Pulling from several sources, the firm’s staff has access to
everything from technical content, such as audit and tax,
to soft skills training, including courses on leadership,
written communications, and public speaking.
“Our system is built to offer the full circle of learning.
We want to set our employees up for success, and
education is a big part of that,” said DeLeon.
Using the advanced Navigator platform has allowed the
firm to develop a highly custom learning management
system—complete with materials that span a wide
range of disciplines. And with built-in tracking and
alerts, the once cumbersome task of monitoring CPE
fulfillment and licensing is now automated.
Big-firm Learning, Small-Firm Cost
“Years ago, having an advanced learning management
system on site was simply not cost feasible,” DeLeon
stated. “Systems like Navigator were really only
affordable for large firms.”
Today, Navigator brings big-firm learning to small
firms. Because it’s a cloud-based solution, Navigator
is available via subscription. For a per-employee fixed
annual fee, firms of all
sizes can easily adopt
the system.
“The value is
incredible,” stated
DeLeon. “For only a
few hundred dollars
per employee, per
year, staff gets
unlimited access
to course content. We used to
budget a lot more for learning, so out of the gate we
are saving. The fixed annual fee also allows us to easily
budget because we know exactly what we will be
paying.”
Final Words...
The firm’s transition from a manual, complex learning
management approach to an advanced automated
learning management system has been a real game
changer for DeLeon Stang. Operating within Navigator’s
cloud-based platform and providing staff with a single,
secure space for learning has proven successful.
“Staff loves the new system,” stated DeLeon. “They
can conveniently take on-demand courses at their own
pace and from the comfort of their office. This has cut
down on the need for travel because most courses are
available in the LMS.”
DeLeon and his team also love the breadth of
information available. “Just today I received an email
from an outside vendor for a time-sensitive tax course.
I forwarded the email to an employee in our tax
department. He found the same course in Navigator
and will be able to complete it in time and without the
added expense of outside registration and travel.”
Moving forward, the firm plans to expand its use of
the system—adding employee-specific development
paths and alerts for timely content. Today, the team
at DeLeon and Stang has definitively moved into the
learning big leagues!
Contact Us Today!
Call: 800.634.6780
Email: groupsales@cpa2biz.com
Learn more at:
CPA2Biz.com/Navigator
Client Success Story:
AICPA Navigator - Learning Management System

3. Client Success Story
TGM Group LLC
Certified Public Accountants
Roy Geiser, CPA, Manager
On-Demand Learning Keeps
Firm Up-to-date and Prepared
at All Times
AICPA Navigator supports on-the-fly education to
help staff remain current on standard regulations and
prepare for specialized engagements
Roy Geiser, CPA and accounting and audit manager at TGM
Group LLC, was a champion for the AICPA Navigator Learning
Management System (LMS) implementation. Within his
department, he led training and was one of the first to try out
the system.
“I think I was officially the first person to use the LMS in our
department,” Geiser stated. “I took a few courses up front
and encouraged my staff to do the same. The content is
comprehensive and the system is very easy to use.”
Using an all-in-one LMS was a big change for the firm. For years,
ongoing education data was maintained in spreadsheets and
staff were on their own to identify and register for workshops
and events to fulfill annual CPE obligations. “It wasn’t a very
efficient process,” Geiser said. “Staff would first have to find
training, get approval from partners, and then work with HR to
pay for it. It could be time-intensive.”
This approach was also less than budget-friendly. “When you
consider the cost of travel to send staff to events, it wasn’t
economical. Navigator puts volumes of content in front of us,
and courses can be taken on-the-fly when needed…without the
travel.”
Stats at a Glance
Firm Profile
Certified Public Accounting
firm providing audit,
accounting, tax, and
business advisory services
Locations
Salisbury, MD
Staff
40
“It’s so easy because all
the content is right in
front of you, accessible
online all the time.”
–Roy Geiser, CPA
Accounting &
Audit Manager
AICPA Navigator
Learning Management System
800.634.6780 | CPA2Biz.com/Navigator
Certified PublicAccoun tants

4. As an audit firm, TGM undergoes regular peer review.
Geiser explained that part of the review process is
to identify outstanding areas of CPE fulfillment. “We
meet with employees to update each on needed
education. If it’s something time-sensitive, many
courses can be completed immediately using the
LMS,” Geiser explained.
Just-in-time Learning
Today’s fast-paced CPA firms are always searching for
ways to save time—this includes ongoing education.
And in the interest of time savings, what could be
more valuable than a comprehensive cloud-based
learning management system right at your fingertips?
“It’s so easy because all the content is right in front of
you, accessible online all the time,” said Geiser. “In
Maryland, for example, CPA’s are required to complete
four hours of ethics training a year. If you get down to
the wire, you can quickly find the course in Navigator
and complete it in the office. That is very convenient.”
Geiser also explained the value of having content
immediately available to better prepare for specialized
work. “I was working on an engagement and an issue
popped up that I was rusty on, so I looked up the
topic in Navigator right then, found a course, and
completed it in an hour. I got a refresher on the issue
and earned CPE—none of it planned…all on the fly.
It took just minutes to find the course in the LMS; it
would have taken an hour alone to research the topic
on my own. This is so beneficial because it offers a way
to fully prepare for all aspects of an engagement.”
Because Navigator is a cloud-based LMS, it fully
supports a firm’s need for just-in-time learning. Users
simply login to the system, search on a topic, and can
immediately take the course. “With all that we have
going on daily, this is one way we can save a lot of
time,” said Geiser.
Final Words...
Geiser is a full-fledged
fan of Navigator, and
working to bolster
use of the system at
TGM Group. “People
don’t tend to like
change; you have to
ease them in. I hold regular meetings to brainstorm with
staff on learning opportunities and move them toward
a development track. I will also outline certain course
material for staff to take that will better prepare them for
certain jobs, like a bank audit.”
The firm also maintains regular training for staff, so that
they are better equipped to use Navigator moving
forward. Additionally, partners and managers use the
system regularly and continually promote it in order to
create a buzz.
“We are taking a staged approach to implementation,”
explained Geiser. “The first stage is all about creating
awareness, and once word begins to spread there will
be an explosion in use. It’s an excellent system; people
will see that right away.”
Contact Us Today!
Call: 800.634.6780
Email: groupsales@cpa2bizcom
Learn more at:
CPA2Biz.com/Navigator
Client Success Story:
AICPA Navigator - Learning Management System
“If you get down to the wire, you can
quickly find the course in Navigator
and complete it in the office. That is
very convenient.”
–Roy Geiser, CPA
Accounting &
Audit Manager

5. W
e’re far from perfect,” said Ron
Causey of the firm he leads. “This
is not Nirvana.”
It may not be Nirvana, but SC&H Group
is as close as you’re likely to get — a status
validated by its being one of our Best Firms
to Work For for six years, and by its elevation
to the top spot in the Large Firm Category in
2014 — and its refusal to be complacent has
no doubt contributed to that.
“We make mistakes,” Causey admitted,
“but we really do try to listen. When we do
make mistakes, I like to think we can admit
tothemandsaysorryandthenmoveonpos-
itively together.”
Of course, the firm doesn’t need to make
mistakes to find out what its roughly 300 em-
ployees think. It conducts annual staff sur-
veystolearnexactlythat,andto findouthow
individualleadersaredoing.“Notonlydowe
gettheirinput—weactonit,”Causeysaid.As
a case in point, consider the Maryland Asso-
ciationofCPAs’LeadershipAcademythatthe
firm sent staff members to: They liked it, but
wanted more. “The academy has been effec-
tive,butit’sonlyafewdays—that’sgood,but
thefeedbackfromourfolkswas,‘Thisisgreat,
we like it, but it’s not enough.’ They want
something that’s more comprehensive and
ongoing.” In response, the firm has begun
to develop an even more robust leadership
program that will work in conjunction with
the MACPA academy to give firm employees
a wide range of leadership skills as they rise
through the ranks.
A FOCUS ON CULTURE
Professional development opportunities
aren’ttheonlywaythefirmshowshowmuch
it values its staff.
“It’s how we treat our people,” Causey ex-
plained,“andinhowoftenwesaythankyou,”
sometimes in little ways — like the ice cream
cart during busy season, the massage tables,
the go-kart outings — and big, like group
community service activities, or the annual
trip SC&H takes all staff members on. This
year the trip was to Jamaica, and last year to
Puerto Rico, and employees are allowed to
bring along a significant other. “Any one of
those things would be nice, but when you
put them all together, it becomes more and
more meaningful.”
In the end, they add up to a valuable
culture, and to reinforce that, the firm has
a Culture Committee that is run entirely by
volunteer employees — none of the firm’s 21
partners are allowed. It was the committee
that established the firm’s milestone awards,
which recognize employee anniversaries,
and it chooses the finalists in the quarterly
peer recognition awards, where employees
nominateco-workersfortheircontributions.
“It’s hard to maintain a culture over time,
but if you work hard at it, it can be done,” said
Causey. “Firms do change over time, so it’s
a good thing to focus on the culture and to
work at it.” That focus on culture is not sur-
prising, given that the firm was founded in
1991 by three former tax managers from An-
dersen, which practically invented the idea
of accountingfirm culture.Butitalsoquickly
developed a strong core of services early on
inareaslikestateandlocaltax,audit,tax,and
consulting, to which it has added over time.
“Wewerefortunateenoughtofocusonthe
right kind of service offerings from the very
beginning,” according to Causey. “That focus
hasbeenonhighly-sought-after,value-added
services which results in profitability, which
has allowed us to invest in other service of-
ferings and other talented professionals who
can start service offerings for us. Those new
services, in turn, are often more intellectu-
ally stimulating to our people, which allows
us to attract and retain some of the best and
brightest in the profession.”
It has also allowed the firm to expand be-
yond its base in Maryland, first to Northern
Virginia, and more recently to Atlanta, Flori-
da, Denver and Phoenix.
In summing up the firm, Causey said, “We
really care about our clients, colleagues and
our communities that we serve. Doesn’t
everybody say the same things? Everybody
does, but I really believe that we’re so pas-
sionate about it — so we deliver, and have
evidence to support what we say.”
Mark their position on this year’s Best
Firms list as Exhibit A. — Daniel Hood
16 accounting today | December 2014
Sponsored by
In Maryland, pretty near perfect
The Best Accounting Firms to Work For Best Large Firm: SC&H Group
016_ACT1214 16 11/18/14 2:45 PM