On Monday July 15th, Bernath & Rosenberg held a staff event at the Hilton Garden Inn in Staten Island, NY. This location was convenient for our staff to join from all three of our offices: NYC, Howell and Monsey. They were able to reconnect and meet new team members who had recently joined the firm.
The day began with a generous breakfast, sumptuous bagels and hot coffee. James Bernath, Partner and Co-founder, welcomed all attendees and thanked them for their hard work and dedication to the firm: “The firm rests on the foundation of its staff. We have earned our reputation as a first-class financial firm due to our dedicated team.”
The morning then proceeded into the breakout sessions part of the day. These sessions included a SALT Personal Tax Update presented by Dan Kelly of Hodgson Russ, Retirement Plans presented by Charles Rosenberg of Intac, an Accounting and Audit Update presented by Shimon Einhorn of Ace Seminars, Sales & Use Tax presented by Jennifer Koo of SalesTax Defense LLC, as well as a Tax Update for the Audit Team presented by B&R’s very own Tax Manager Joseph Fixler.
After the first half of breakout sessions, the staff enjoyed a gourmet lunch. There was even a call for celebration when B&R financial planner Ted Stricker joined, following his wedding festivities from the day before. He was greeted by staff with clapping and congratulations, and presented with a cake. It was all smiles in the room as everyone congratulated Mr. Stricker and networked amongst themselves.
Following lunch, B&R Partner and Co-Founder, Jacob Rosenberg gave his State of the Firm. It was a fascinating look back into Bernath & Rosenberg’s history, and how far the firm has come from having just two employees in 1986 to growing the company to 50 employees today, and expanding to two more locations. Benjamin Berger, Partner, then took over to give a general outlook of what the firm could expect in the next few months, and to discuss the future of Bernath & Rosenberg.
Benjamin then introduced Weston Wellington of Dimensional Fund Advisors, for the keynote presentation. Mr. Wellington gave an informative talk about the history of the stock market versus where it is today. After a short break the sessions resumed. Tax Managers had a roundtable session discussing the latest tax implications, as well as Accounting Best Practices. Associates heard from Chaim Berkowitz, esq, on an overview of trusts, and Admin staff had a roundtable session where they discussed Administrative Best Practices.
The response received from staff was overwhelmingly positive, “I learned so many new things today, and enjoyed delicious meals while reconnecting with coworkers,” one employee mentioned at the end of the day, a feeling echoed by many. It was a successful day, full of information and team building.
