Eide Bailly LLP, a regional certified public accounting and business advisory firm, is proud to congratulate the following professionals who are serving on panels and committees of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants for the 2013-2014 year. The AICPA is the national professional organization for CPAs in the U.S., and these appointments advance Eide Bailly’s place as a thought leader in the accounting industry and its ability to direct policy in ways that benefit its clients.
Sarah DeVries, Fargo office – AICPA Employee Benefit Plan Expert Panel
Sarah DeVries was appointed to the AICPA Employee Benefit Plan Expert Panel. The primary role of this panel is to identify emerging employee benefit plan accounting and auditing issues, recommend appropriate action in addressing the issues, assist in developing AICPA employee benefit plan resources, and provide technical support to the AICPA Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center’s Executive Committee by participating as speakers on webinars and in preparing and reviewing resource tools.
DeVries has more than 18 years public accounting experience providing traditional auditing and accounting services to clients in various industries, including manufacturing, retail and employee benefit plans.
Scott Swanholm, Fargo office – Corporations & Shareholders Taxation Technical Resource Panel
Scott Swanholm was appointed to the Corporations & Shareholders Taxation Technical Resource Panel. This panel identifies issues and develops policy by monitoring legislative and regulatory activity affecting corporations and shareholders, including spin-offs and consolidated returns; suggesting legislative and regulatory modifications to tax issues affecting corporations and shareholders; meeting with the corporate technical staffs at IRS, Department of the Treasury and Congress, and the American Bar Association; developing products and services to assist members in tax practice, including through periodic articles in The Tax Adviser.
Swanholm has been providing accounting services to a variety of industries for more than 25 years. He specializes in corporate and individual taxation, and assists clients with business and tax matters with a focus on the construction and manufacturing industries.
Barb Aasen, Bismarck office – Women’s Initiatives Executive Committee
The Women’s Initiatives Executive Committee members work closely with AICPA staff to produce necessary and appropriate resources, as well as prepare for speaking engagements on the subject around the country. They are all dedicated to executing the Women’s Initiatives Executive Committee mission and vision as detailed below and spreading the message for the need of women’s initiatives.
Barb Aasen is partner-in-charge of Eide Bailly’s Bismarck office, chief practice officer for the Midwest region, and has more than 25 years experience as a public accountant. She provides audit and consulting services to a variety of industries, including school districts, tribal entities, county and city governments, non-profit organizations and manufacturers. She enjoys assisting clients build successful organizations and is an active member of the Bismarck business community.
Scot Phillips, Boise office – AICPA Private Company Practice Section (PCPS) Technical Issues Committee
Scot Phillips has been appointed chair of the AICPA Private Company Practice Section Technical Issues Committee. The committee’s purpose is to represent the views of small- and medium-sized firms and their clients in the standards-setting process. Scot served four years on the committee prior to being named the chair.
Scot works in Eide Bailly’s Boise office and has more than 13 years of public accounting experience providing services to a variety of clients, including privately held companies, manufacturing companies, employee benefit plans, government and nonprofit organizations. He is a recognized leader in his field, and has been a speaker and presenter for the Idaho Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Boise chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors.
Brian Bluhm, Minneapolis office – AICPA Center for Audit Quality Professional Practices Executive Committee
The Professional Practices Executive Committee (PPEC) provides a forum for CAQ member firms to express their views on technical and regulatory matters involving practice before the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and advocate positions on behalf of member firms. The PPEC consists of a representative from each member firm auditing 50 or more issuers and having 500 or more CPAs. Prior to this appointment, Bluhm served on the AICPA PCPS Technical Issues Committee, AICPA National Peer Review Committee and U.S. Auditing Standards Board.
Bluhm serves as the director of audit and assurance at Eide Bailly. He has more than 20 years of public accounting experience providing services to a variety of clients, including SEC registrants, manufacturers, equipment dealerships, wholesale/retail companies and construction contractors. He works out of Eide Bailly’s Minneapolis office.
Ben Ellingson, Sioux Falls office - AICPA Foundation Board of Trustees
Ben Ellingson has been appointed to a three-year term on the AICPA Foundation Board of Trustees. The AICPA Foundation’s goal is to advance the science of accountancy and accounting education by supporting and growing the next generation of CPAs. It offers accounting education and outreach, scholarships and fellowships, and promotes diversity and inclusion. Ellingson previously has been involved with the AICPA’s Leadership Academy and Academic and Career Awareness Committee.
Ellingson works in Eide Bailly’s Sioux Falls office and has more than 14 years of public accounting experience providing services to a variety of industries, focusing primarily on non-profit and closely held businesses. He also specializes in the construction and manufacturing industries. In addition, he co-chairs Eide Bailly’s First Focus Committee, which is the firm’s initiative to nurture a firmwide culture where women are as likely to succeed as men.
Ronald J. “Ron” Yates, Billings office - Life Insurance/Disability Plans Committee
Ronald Yates will serve as the Product Development Task Force Chair for the AICPA Life Insurance/Disability Plans Committee for 2013-2014. This committee’s objectives are to make available through the AICPA Insurance Trust/AICPA Group Insurance Trust a variety of self-supporting insurance products that are responsive to the needs of the membership and to provide oversight for plan administration and premium levels.
Yates works in Eide Bailly’s Billings office and has more than 15 years of public accounting experience in tax, compliance, consulting and business advisory services in all areas of business, with an emphasis in oil and gas operations, franchising businesses, high-wealth individuals and business transition and estate planning.
About Eide Bailly LLP
Eide Bailly provides 49,000 clients across the nation with core services of audit & assurance and tax, as well as expanded services, including accounting services, cost segregation, employee benefits, enterprise risk management, financial services, forensic & valuation, health care reform, international services, technology consulting, transaction services and wealth management. Eide Bailly has offices located in Phoenix, Ariz.; Boulder, Denver, Golden, Grand Junction, Frisco and Vail, Colorado; Boise, Idaho; Dubuque, Iowa; Norman, Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Okla.; Mankato and Minneapolis, Minn.; Billings, Mont.; Bismarck, Fargo and Williston, N.D.; Sioux Falls and Aberdeen, S.D; and Ogden and Salt Lake City, Utah.