Conshohocken, PA- October 18, 2004 – Relevante, Inc is pleased to announce that Fred Kaplan has joined the organization as Director of its Finance & Accounting Consulting practice. “Fred possesses a wealth of financial consulting and management expertise that makes him a great addition to our team,” commented William Brassington, President & CEO. “His responsibility in managing Relevante’s team of financial consulting professionals is key to the company’s role as trusted advisor and financial solutions provider to clients in the Philadelphia area.”
While at Goldenberg Rosenthal, LLP and recently as an independent consultant, Fred provided interim COO/CFO consulting services to middle market clients. His management experience included Management Team roles at General Electric Capital Company, (Providence, RI) Omicron Consulting, Provident Mutual Management Company (Wilmington, DE), and State Street Bank and Trust (Boston, MA.) He is a Certified Business Manager with expertise in process improvement, organizational re-engineering, executive coaching, strategic planning, acquisitions, and diverse accounting systems.
Fred is past president of the Philadelphia chapter of the Institute of Management Consultants and past president of the North Penn chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants. He is also a member of the Board of Governors of the Golden Slipper Club and Charities and has served on the Executive Committee of the Cornell Soccer Alumni Association. He also teaches Introduction to Finance as a part-time faculty member of Penn State University. Fred holds a BA in Economics from Cornell University and an MBA in Finance from Drexel University.
“Relevante is dedicated to growing its presence in the Philadelphia region by offering business advisory & staffing solutions that are driven by quality, price competitiveness, and promptness” said Joe Curran, CPA, Senior advisor of Relevante. “The Eastern Technology Council is committed to developing excellence and fostering continuous improvement for IT professionals, goals that Relevante shares.
The overall market has improved dramatically in the past 6 months. The following are some of the key trends that demonstrate the increase:
However, one of the factors we are seeing in the marketplace is that there are still a number of senior level professionals in various capacities unable to find employment. Specifically, CFO and Controller level positions in finance and accounting and CIO and other senior level Information Technology positions are few and far between. The number of candidates for these positions is well in excess of the number of open positions. This causes difficulty for candidates, as employers are able to look for the exact fit for the opening. Hence, someone looking to diversify his or her experience will find it very difficult to land the position they desire.
The good news is the market is changing. Activity levels are picking up and more companies are now making the investments in people at all levels. Some are increasing their levels of interim support in advance of bringing on full time permanent headcount. Others are bringing in permanent headcount into either new positions or in support of special projects on either a permanent or interim basis and then move them into full time incremental or growth positions in the company. Some of the special project work includes Sarbanes 404 compliance work in accounting and finance and many IT special projects, including revenue enhancing programs and infrastructure work put on hold over the past 2 years because of the difficult economy. At Relevante, we are well positioned and currently experiencing a significant upturn in activity in all these areas. Many companies are now in the critical stage of staffing for the following.
Relevante is specifically assisting our clients with the variety of these demands and we believe we can help you through this peak need. Our team is working diligently with our clients and future clients to meet their needs:
We provide an easy and cost effective interim to permanent solution to meet your needs as you continue to monitor the economy and balance the improved market conditions with your business growth plan needs and requirements. We encourage you to look at Relevante, Inc. as a solution for your needs. Contact us at 610-832-0430 and ask for our Sales Leader John McAvey or email John at jmcavey@relevante.com
We look forward to providing you and your team an excellent professional services experience.