January – Bill Bride

Bill handles several functions in the office, such as payroll, accounts receivable, collections, and other accounting tasks. Bill takes pride in the accuracy and organization of his work, and his professional attitude benefits the rest of the firm. Although he is frequently interrupted throughout the course of the day with staff requests, he still manages to consistently and conscientiously perform his work. Bill always is willing to help with whatever is needed in the accounting department or in the office as a whole, and does so with the utmost professionalism and courtesy.



February – John Pace

John has been nominated in each of the last two months and is, in the words of one colleague, “a pleasure to work with”. Not only does he work willingly and enthusiastically but he also simultaneously manages deadlines for several clients. John also recently completed a three-day training session in Deltek, an accounting system used by a GRF client who looked to our firm for the necessary expertise. Nice work, John, for responding quickly and effectively. Given any assignment, John jumps in with both feet and commonly questions the manner in which a project is conducted to gain a better understanding of the work. He has a stellar work ethic and is always willing to go an extra mile for clients and the firm.


March – Julia Nierad

In addition to Julia’s recent passing of the CPA exam, what makes her effort even more significant is that she managed to maintain a study schedule during the busiest months of the year. As if that was not enough, Julia also taught a Caseware training class, ran an impressive engagement for the International Youth Foundation alone in Baltimore, and put in the same long hours as other members of the accounting staff. Managers and partners both have commended her work ethic and, alongside her friendly personality, she truly is a credit to the firm and a worthy example for others to follow. Congratulations, Julia, and thanks for all of your hard work!




April – Tee Malsawma

Tee, who is a familiar face to veteran GRFers for his past tenure at the firm, returned in January and hit the ground running just in time for busy season. His focus and concentration helped him work his way through a wide variety of personal, corporate and partnership tax returns. More than one colleague likewise commented on his diligence and long hours; often he would arrive before 6am and leave after 7pm, showing an ability to easily return to the firm after time away. Tee was a credit to the hard-working tax department during the 2006 busy season and therefore has been selected for recognition this month. Welcome back to the firm, Tee, and thanks for your dedication.


May – Caroline Connelly

Congratulations to May ’s Employee of the Month, Caroline Connelly. As far as growing team spirit at GRF, Caroline is top-notch both in the office and on the softball field. For the second year in a row, she is captain of the firm’s softball team. Not only has she been recognized for her hard work and achievement within the office, but for her employee spirit which encourages loyalty and morale. Nice job, Caroline. In addition, her colleagues have pointed out her commitment, her leadership in managing work as a senior auditor, her helpfulness to new staff and excellence in performing specialized A-133 audit services for clients.




June – Walt Derengowski

Congratulations to this month’s Employee of the Month, Walt Derengowski, senior auditor in the audit department. In addition to his raw energy and enthusiastic personality, Walt is a model professional, a favorite with clients and a tireless worker who’s been known on more than one occasion to burn the midnight oil to complete an assignment. Since starting at GRF in January 2003, he has assumed greater responsibilities over the years and become a significant component of key engagement teams, including extensive travel to handle several overseas audits. Walt also has received the respect and appreciation of engagement team leaders and has moved forward into a supervisory role in his own right. Congratulations, Walt, and thanks for all your hard work.



July – Jim Allen

Congratulations to this month’s Employee of the Month, Jim Allen, senior manager in the tax department. Jim always is willing to take on responsibilities from his colleagues in the tax and the audit departments, and has the know-how to executive the work without letting anything fall through the cracks. He also, in the words of his supervisor, “is very committed to mentoring his staff, and is willing to devote the time necessary to supervise and oversee their work.” Jim is responsible for the oversight of many of the firm’s 990 tax forms and works with a great efficiency and reliability to earn his colleagues’ respect. Congratulations, Jim, and thanks for all your hard work.



August – Joe Kovacs

Congratulations to August’s Employee of the Month, Joe Kovacs, Director of Marketing. Joe is a dedicated, hard worker and never hesitates to put in extra hours and effort to make both his department and the entire firm look good. Over the past year, Joe has channeled the firm’s efforts toward greater on-line and electronic marketing. He has overseen the design and development of a new, customer-friendly GRF web site, due to launch later this year. He also has chosen a vendor to support regular electronic correspondence with GRF clients and prospects, which he hopes will create a lasting positive image of the firm in clients’ minds while simultaneously creating opportunities to gain new prospects. Finally, he works with partners and managers to facilitate the business proposal process, and present to prospects a reflection of the best our firm has to offer. Congratulations, Joe, and thanks for all your hard work.


September – Dianne Finger


Congratulations to September ’s Employee of the Month, Dianne Finger. As one of GRF’s internal accountants, Dianne oversees an array of finance-related responsibilities. She has, arguably, the most visible presence of anyone at the firm with her reliable, weekly reminders for all staff to input their time into Practice Solutions for payroll purposes. Additionally, she manages bill payments to the firm’s vendors and keeps well-organized files for all of the companies GRF does business with. Dianne is always ready to respond to a request for assistance from a staff member to track old invoices, and responds in a friendly and timely manner. Congratulations, Dianne, and thanks for all your hard work.


October – Fran Sweatt

Congratulations to October ’s Employee of the Month, Fran Sweatt. Does Fran even need an introduction? She typically is the first face most GRFers see when they come into work in the morning, smiling and exchanging pleasantries, while simultaneously managing incoming calls and arranging for packages that need to go out on short notice. She is also the face of GRF for clients and prospects who walk through our door and her long tenure at the front desk testifies to how well she does her job. Every GRFer no doubt has a positive story about how Fran has come through for them; we depend on her for the mail, phone messages and a whole slew of other administrative needs that would take too long to list. Congratulations, Fran, and thanks for all your hard work!

November – Simon Lee
Congratulations to November ’s Employee of the Month, Simon Lee. It takes more than accounting know-how to be an exemplary employee though Simon definitely has that. Over the past year, he has grown in his role as audit accountant from simply assisting colleagues to running his own jobs. In addition, according to one nomination, Simon has great relations with clients and is a pleasure to work with. Another nomination speaks of his hard work and willingness to do anything to make an audit engagement a success. It’s rare to find such an industrious individual whose ability to relate to colleagues and clients as well as keep on top of professional responsibilities makes him stand out. Congratulations, Simon, and thanks for all your hard work.



December – Mike Meyers

Congratulations to the firm’s final employee of the month, Mike Meyers. As our firm has grown, so too have Mike’s responsibilities, including setting up work stations for new employees, establishing phone connections and troubleshooting problems as they arise. He also has been instrumental in working with Neal Becker to develop the firm’s technology infrastructure and is, quite often, the first point of contact for staff who need laptops for presentations or remote use, and technical support. Mike performs his work capably, reliably and with great energy and humor (even for non-Yankees fans). Finally, he has shown an active willingness to learn new skills, by becoming the firm’s first de facto web master, responsible for creating new web pages and editing older ones. His knowledge and input were essential to move the firm from its previous web site to its current one.