The Intersect Group’s Ray Wilson, managing director of staffing in Atlanta, discusses the changing skills of CFOs and Controllers over the past 30 years in the latest episode of Intersect TV.

Catherine Dixon, director at The Intersect Group, discusses when your company should bring in outside help in the latest episode of Intersect TV.

Ray Wilson, managing director of staffing in Atlanta, discusses The Intersect Group’s core values— impeccable character, deep relationships, trust and commitment– and what makes the company a different and better business partner, in this latest episode of Intersect TV.

Today, almost every CEO is being challenged by their board to grow which can prove a difficult endeavor in the midst of a national economy that has yet to recover from the Great Recession and a global economy that seems to be facing a downward spiral.  Therefore, companies are looking more inorganically for growth and some are even breaking out into new lines of business.

STRATEGY

The key is strategy.  It is imperative that a company has a long-term strategic plan around M&A and business development.  This will enable a company to be in a state of constant readiness for a transaction, allowing it to take quick advantage of a transaction that, without preparation, could not be achieved for several more years, says Brain Sadler, CFO of Chamberlin Edmonds.  Alfred Barquin, managing director of global business development for GE Energy suggests laying out a business development game board during the first quarter of each year.  This allows a company to take a “clean-slate approach” and sets up a clear decision-making process.  As a part of any growth strategy, companies should look toward high revenue quality companies that add value, as well as look into new platforms and gray space; however, in any deal a company should not pay more than eight times EBITDA, according to Stockton Croft, executive director of Arcapita.

THEN AND NOW

So what are the differences facing the diligence process now when compared to a few years ago?  Overall, the basics are the same.   Today, however, companies must prepare for and expect a downturn in the market when making projections and ensure that the capital structure of the company can withstand it.

As corporations are now sitting on trillions of dollars worth of cash, corporate buyers appear to be more skittish than ever, with much higher levels of risk aversion.  Today’s buyers have become smarter in the market and learned lessons from their past mistakes.  With this corporate buyer reality in mind, companies should anticipate that buyers will delve deeper into a company’s past, its numbers and customer sentiment.

AFTER THE SIGNATURES

The deal has been made, now what?  According to John Heyman, CEO of Radiant Systems, as the buyer, the company must have an integration team prepared and ready to hit the ground running on day one of the integration, if not, the company may fall behind.  But what about management changes?  Should you change the company’s leadership in the midst of an already confusing and uncertain situation?  There is nothing more impactful for a company following a deal than changing the CEO, according to Croft.  Management teams can be changed for great impact because in many cases, the team you have following a merger is not necessarily the team you need to get the job done.

Overall, every decision made and each step taken around an M&A deal should be done with your customers’ best interest in mind.  Al Cochran, CFO of Greenway Medical Technologies insists that the number one focus be on the customer and what will make them successful.  Analyze the marketplace and fast-forward 10 years; will the deal you’re working on now help your customers prosper down the line?  If the answer is no, it may be time to take a step back and re-consider.  If the answer is yes, focus on executing your strategy.

Catherine Dixon, director at The Intersect Group, a national finance, accounting, and information technology staffing and consulting firm, discusses how the use of benchmarks can help streamline a company’s operations in the latest episode of Intersect TV.

Wade Hughes, managing partner at The Intersect Group, was featured in last Sunday’s Business section of The Atlanta-Journal Constitution.

In the feature Wade discussed The Intersect Group’s growth opportunities, as well as challenges that the company has faced through its continued growth.  In addition, Wade looks forward and comments on the trends we will see as we enter 2012, especially around companies’ decisions to reshore, nearshore and offshore and the boom of healthcare IT in Atlanta.

To view the entire article click here.

The year 2011 has been an exciting year of growth, expansion and change for The Intersect Group, but one of the most exciting highlights of the year can be attributed to the kindness and generosity of the entire Intersect team.  Since April 2011, The Intersect Group raised or donated over $30,000, and hundreds of hours of their time, to three deserving charities, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the Atlanta Community Food Bank and SafeHouse Outreach.  The charities supported during 2011 were determined based on an internal survey of The Intersect Group’s team.

In April of this year, nine charity committee members joined together to plan ways for the entire Intersect team to give of their time and money in each of the markets our company serves.  Our first step was to create a formal charter and guiding principles.

“We will use our skills and connections to think of others first and make a significant impact on our community by working together.  We will consider the best options for using our time and expertise to help the community, and evaluate each option independently ensuring the greater good with our time, our firm, and our brand.”

Throughout 2011 The Intersect Group team dedicated their time and resources through participation in three SafeHouse Outreach feed the homeless campaigns, as well as through SafeHouse’s Holiday Angel Campaign.  For the Holiday Angel Campaign, The Intersect Group was able to sponsor 27 children, providing each with gifts for the holiday season.  In addition, The Intersect Group donated a total of $25,000 dollars to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America with $15,000 of that donation being given by individual employees of The Intersect Group.  Also in 2011, we were able to donate two huge bins of non-perishable, non-food items, like diapers and toilet paper, to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

The opportunity to give back and support our local charities breathes The Intersect Group’s mission and allows each of us to put our corporate values into action in the community.  Together we are creating a culture where people feel comfortable volunteering their time and feel as though they can get their families involved.

I want to personally thank every single person that has played a part in making this first year a huge success!  I, along with the whole Charity Committee, look forward to what 2012 will bring, and the support we will be able provide to those who need it the most in our community.

Anyone interested in getting involved with The Intersect Group’s community involvement and charity activities can contact Susan Bryant at sbryant@theintersectgroup.com

Wow, what an incredible year 2011 has been for The Intersect Group!  We’ve developed some outstanding client relationships, added extraordinary talent to our team and expanded offices during 2011.  I want to say Thank You to our clients and our entire team; we have all been really blessed.  I hope everyone is enjoying a relaxing holiday time with family and friends as we all recharge for another great year in 2012.

Growth and Expansion: Overall in 2011, The Intersect Group grew from $26 million in revenue in 2010 to approximately $43 million this year, a 65% overall increase in revenue.  Atlanta staffing excelled in all areas setting incredible records and creating an opportunity for Ray Wilson to step forward in a new leadership role as Managing Director of Staffing in Atlanta.  Our Chicago office has turned a corner under the leadership of Dan Eick and we have continued expansion of our company with the opening of our third office in Dallas, TX.  It is now thriving in its first six months in operation.  We also launched a new team in Atlanta with a focus on staffing for ERP specific positions nationally. Moving into 2012 we anticipate even greater growth as we continue to expand across the country, bringing our Flexible Delivery Model™ to businesses who need the right resources, at the right time and at the right value to accelerate their success. Geographic expansion will not only allow us to better serve our clients, but will also allow for increased professional opportunities for our entire team.  Toby Hughes who started out in Atlanta is now responsible for opening and running the Dallas office.

Consulting: During 2011, our firm’s consulting capabilities have really grown through the leadership of Joe Fay and Cheri Brown in the Finance Transformation Practice and the addition of top IT talent like Mike Matte, consulting partner for IT Transformation, and Eric Falthzik, Andy Speer and Will Partin as Practice Directors on this team, focusing on providing Business Intelligence, SharePoint.Collaboration and Program Management Office services, respectively.  The consulting team has met some significant needs at the local, national and global levels at clients such as The Coca-Cola Company, NCR, RockTenn, Atlanta Housing Authority, Earthlink, Follett Higher Education Group and Novelis while integrating well with the staffing teams to bring on niche skill sets for unique challenges.

Giving Back: As a company our mission and values are of the utmost importance and 2011 proved to be an exciting year as we increased our community involvement, allowing each member of our team to put into action our mission of Succeed by Serving.  In the Charity Committee’s first year alone, The Intersect Group raised and donated over $30,000 for two local and one national charity.  In addition, The Intersect Group was able to give back of their time and resources during the holiday season through many hours of volunteer time and the sponsorship of 27 kids for Christmas at SafeHouse Outreach Ministries.  The formalization of our committee this year has given us an energizing glimpse into the positive impact our team can have in the communities we serve.   We can’t wait to ramp these efforts even more in 2012.

Looking Ahead: We have intensely listened to what our clients need and significantly adjusted our model over the first six years to meet these needs efficiently and effectively.  We have created the only model that successfully marries the consulting services of a Big 4 firm with the capabilities of a global staffing company.  This is a key differentiator as more and more of our clients are demanding more cost effective solutions to bring the right resource at the right time to meet their complex and diverse needs.  Looking ahead to 2012 we are planning for significant continued growth for the firm as we continue to deliver this different and better business model to the IT and F&A market.    We are also seeing some significant trends related to re-shoring jobs that we believe will continue to gain traction.  In the world of IT we will see an increased shortage of the specific talents needed in today’s workplaces so we will continue to be innovative in how we find and develop those talents for our clients.

Without a doubt, none of the success The Intersect Group saw in 2011 would have been possible without the trust and deep relationships of our clients and the character and commitment of the entire Intersect Group team.  I want to thank you all for your continued dedication throughout 2011 and as we enter 2012.  I’m looking forward to 2012 and am thrilled about the great things that are in store for The Intersect Group in the year to come.

Finance and accounting professionals’ roles have shifted and today successful accounting professionals act as business partners and are more strategic and focused on the future.  The latest episode of Intersect TV, featuring Ray Wilson, delves into just what companies are looking for in finance and accounting professionals as we head into 2012.

Today in mergers and acquisitions there has been a shift from a sole focus on a company’s financials to a more holistic focus on diligence.  Catherine Dixon, director at The Intersect Group discusses this and other M&A trends in the latest episode of Intersect TV.