Fall 2007 issue of Horizons

knowledge. commitment. value. CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS AND BUSINESS CONSULTANTS

technique. Attendance at external seminars, local and national conferences, and online and self-study programs also are coordinated through the University. The University encourages each team member to take charge of his or her professional career by developing a “career equity” plan. A career equity plan is a way for team members to map out where they are and where they plan on going throughout their professional career. RubinBrown provides services for many different industry and service groups. Each of these areas requires specific knowledge and skills. Once a career path is chosen, the University assists in providing a platform to teach team members the core competencies they need to succeed in their specialty area by identifying an educational focus. These core competencies (as well as advanced competencies) generally concentrate on technical skills, technological skills and leadership skills. Each team member works with another team member referred to as a “Career Development Coordinator” to ensure that he or she is advancing in his or her chosen specialty area and the firm is doing all it can to help that team member succeed. As the services RubinBrown provides continue to expand, so does the University. New courses are constantly added to the curriculum, technical and technological training is enhanced and improved, and the strengths of individual team members are incorporated into the University’s courses so team members can share their knowledge with others. Although we live in a world of constant change, the one thing that will never change is our recognition that our team members are our number one assets. By instilling them with the knowledge they need to succeed, RubinBrown is ensuring our team members will continually improve and become better overall advisors, accountants and business consultants.

Why invest in the pursuit of knowlege

With this Horizons’ being dedicated to “knowledge,” it is only fitting to discuss how RubinBrown has devoted itself to providing continuing education to our team members. We live in a world of constant change. New tax laws are frequently enacted, increased administrative and regulatory oversight must be accounted for in the services we provide, and technological enhancements must be brought to our clients’ attention to keep them competitive in the marketplace. In order to continue to provide our clients with the superior quality and service they deserve, RubinBrown established RubinBrown University in 2002. The stated purpose of the University is to provide an educational platform that enables each team member to continue to learn and grow as an advisor and professional throughout his or her entire career. The University is similar in design to other colleges and universities that we all attended. There currently are more than 150 internal training courses offered through the University. These courses consist of formal, substantive classroom instruction taught by RubinBrown specialists as well as external facilitators. The courses offered range in design from general classes that are structured to provide a broad base of knowledge to highly technical and sophisticated courses that concentrate on a particular topic, issue or planning

Questions? Contact Rich Petrofsky, JD Partner, Tax Consulting Services Group 314-290-3487 richard.petrofsky@rubinbrown.com

4 u winter 2007 issue