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Compiled by
Lauri Johnson
FOUR LOCAL ACCOUNTING FIRMS RANK AMONG BEST
IN PRACTICAL ACCOUNTANT SURVEY
BKD, RubinBrown, Brown Smith Wallace and Anders, Minkler & Diehl
rank among the top accounting firms in the Midwest, according to
Practical Accountant’s 13th Annual Regional Survey of Accounting
Firms. Published in the magazine’s April issue, the survey is based
on net revenue for the 2005 fiscal year.
Accounting giant BKD, which is based in Springfield, Mo., but has
an office in St. Louis, won the top spot among Midwest accounting
firms with $258.7 million in 2005 revenue and 12 percent growth.
RubinBrown ranked the highest among St. Louis-based firms at No.
4 with $39.9 million in 2005 revenue, a 26 percent increase over
2004.
Brown Smith Wallace claimed the No. 8 spot with $19 million in revenue
for 2005 and an amazing 41 percent growth rate—the highest growth
rate of any firm in the Midwest. Last year, the firm also produced
the highest percentage growth in the state with a 13 percent increase
in revenue over 2004.
Anders, Minkler & Diehl ranked No. 14 with $11.6 million in 2005
revenue and 15 percent growth.
SCOTTRADE WINS GOLD AWARD FOR CUSTOMER LOYALTY
IN BRANDWEEK SURVEY
Scottrade Inc., an online investment brokerage, has been named a
Gold Award winner in the online brokerage category of the 2006 Brandweek
Customer Loyalty Awards powered by Brand Keys. Scottrade won the
top spot in the category over Charles Schwab, Fidelity, TD Waterhouse,
E*TRADE FINANCIAL, Ameritrade and Merrill Lynch. The results were
published in the May 22 issue of Brandweek, a source of news
and information in the U.S. marketing industry.
In a survey of more than 16,000 consumers, online investors determined
that Scottrade has “achieved high customer loyalty through their
marketing and customer service efforts.”
Winners are identified by the results of the annual Brand Keys Customer
Loyalty Index survey, which asks customers to rate their relationships
with brands in 35 categories, ranging from the airline industry
and rental car companies to banks and beer companies. The survey
identifies brands whose customers demonstrate the highest levels
of loyalty and profitability.
BLACK ENTERPRISE
RECOGNIZES WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY AS TOP-MINORITY COMPANY
Maryland Heights, Mo.-based World Wide Technology Holding Co. Inc.
is the nation’s top-grossing black-owned industrial/service company
for the third consecutive year, according to Black Enterprise
magazine’s 33rd Annual B.E.100s Report. World Wide Technology, a
distributor of information technology products and services, is
also the nation’s top-grossing black-owned business with $1.85 billion
in revenue for 2005.
“We showed growth across all of our sectors,” states David Steward,
CEO of World Wide Technology. “Next year we will exceed $2 billion
in revenues.”
In compiling the 2006 rankings, the magazine’s research department
collected surveys from hundreds of companies and other entities
to gather information that includes total revenue for 2005, a detailed
description of business activities, historical ownership data, and
a confirmation that an entity is at least 51 percent black-owned.
RODGERS TOWNSEND AD CAMPAIGN NAMED ONE OF
THE BEST FOR DIRECT MARKETING
A campaign created by advertising firm Rodgers Townsend is one of
the top direct marketing campaigns in the country, according to
the Won Report’s Top 50 Direct Marketing Campaigns in the World
for 2005. Rodgers Townsend also ranked No. 19 among the top 50 agencies
in the world and was the second-highest placed American firm. The
Won Report is an annual analysis of the world’s best direct marketing
and digital advertising as measured by the quantity and quality
of awards won.
Rodgers Townsend’s direct marketing campaign, “Folded Shirt” for
Pleats dry cleaners, ranked No. 19 on the top 50 list as the highest-placed
U.S. campaign. Rodgers Townsend created the campaign for a local
dry cleaner that needed to differentiate itself from the competition.
The team created a brochure to hang on doorknobs of homes and apartments
within a 30-block radius of the dry cleaner. Inside the brochure
was a neatly folded one-dollar bill in the shape of a crisply pressed
shirt and a $5 voucher from the Saint Louis Bread Company. The line
read, “If we can fold like this, imagine what we can do for your
shirts.”
PASSION PROJECT ATTRACTS ATTENTION FROM
TRADE PUBLICATIONS
Several trade publication have taken notice of Momentum- St. Louis’
inaugural Passion Project, a 2005 holiday event that doubled as
a community benefit. HOW, Event Solutions, Corporate Event
and PROMO Xtra have featured the holiday event in recent
issues.
The Passion Project was designed to celebrate the holidays while
capitalizing on the talents and passions of more than 275 employees
at Momentum-St. Louis for the benefit of charity. The project involved
an auction of priceless creations that ranged from custom artwork,
personalized books, professional photography and culinary cuisine
cooked by Chris Weil, chairman and CEO of Momentum Worldwide. The
event raised more than $20,000 for Our Little Haven of St. Louis,
a facility for abused and neglected children. The second annual
Passion Project is planned for December 2006.
DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
SPOTLIGHTS ARGENT CAPITAL MANAGEMENT
Clayton-based Argent Capital Management is profiled in an article
written recently by Greg Edwards for Dow Jones Newswires.
The article focuses on Argent’s investment style and strategy for
the future.
(Left
to right): Scott Harrison, senior analyst; John
Meara, president; Ken Crawford, portfolio manager;
Steve Finerty, chairman; and Tom Leritz, portfolio
manager |
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“Our investment philosophy is rooted in three core beliefs,” says
Argent Portfolio Manager Kenneth H. Crawford in the article. “One,
the market is frequently efficient. Two, investing is for the long
term. And three, the future is not always predictable.”
The company invests in large- and mid-cap domestic stocks, although
it does so conservatively and infrequently, according to the article.
Argent keeps no more than 30 to 35 stocks in the Argent Composite,
its model portfolio. With a minimum investment of $500,000, most
of Argent’s 450 clients are wealthy individuals and institutions.
Edwards notes that Argent’s returns have been consistently higher
than those of the S&P 500. Argent’s returns for fiscal 2005 were
10.9 percent, more than twice the S&P 500’s 4.9 percent return.
The company’s three- and five-year returns were 16.1 percent and
2.4 percent, respectively, compared to a three-year return of 14.3
percent and a five-year return of 0.5 percent for the S&P 500.
Key issues to watch in the future, Crawford says in the article,
are rising oil and raw material prices and interest rates.
MCCARTHY NAMED ONE OF BEST AEC FIRMS FOR
WHOM TO WORK
The editors of Building Design & Construction magazine have
chosen McCarthy as one of the five best firms to work for in the
architecture/engineering/construction industry. The other winning
firms on the 2006 list are FreemanWhite of Charlotte, N.C.; Hnedak
Bobo Group of Memphis, Tenn.; Shawmut Design and Construction of
Boston; and Walter P. Moore of Houston.
The judges commented that “In addition to being a leader in employee
education, diversity initiatives . . . and employee referral incentives,
McCarthy has, through its employee-ownership model, created an ‘intrapreneurial’
environment that encourages employees to take responsibility for
growing the firm.”
Judges selected the winners from 52 applicants and evaluated them
on innovative recruitment and retention practices; professional
development, education and training; social, environmental and corporate
responsibility; workplace environment; extraordinary compensation
and benefits practices; and general business practices and perception.
HEALTHLEADERS ARTICLE TAPS CEJKA
SEARCH EXEC FOR EMPLOYEE RETENTION EXPERTISE
Cejka Search President Carol Westfall lends her expertise to an
article about employee retention in HealthLeaders magazine’s
April issue. In the article, “Happy and Retained,” writer Kara Olsen
examines the benefits of boosting employee retention rates to save
money and improve morale, specifically for healthcare organizations.
Olsen writes, “A high employee turnover rate can affect an organization
beyond the financial pinch of training new people. Carol Westfall,
president of St. Louis-based healthcare executive and physician
search firm Cejka Search, says it’s difficult to put a dollar amount
on physician turnover, but an unfilled high-revenue specialty position
can rack up losses ranging from locum tenens expenses to recruiter
fees. Patient loyalty also can be affected during a time of upheaval,
she says. Employee morale can dwindle, destabilizing retention rates
throughout the organization. And the competition also may notice
a revolving employment door.”
When it comes to recruitment, organizations should be clear from
the beginning about compensation and other policies to minimize
confusion and surprises.
“When things don’t appear the way new employees expected, they can
become disillusioned,” says Westfall in the article.
The complete text can be found online at www.healthleadersmedia.com
in the archives section.
DELTA DENTAL’S OUTREACH INITIATIVES FEATURED
IN BEST PRACTICES GUIDE
The successful community outreach initiatives of Delta Dental of
Missouri are being highlighted in the 2006 edition of Guide to Best
Practices in Corporate Social Responsibility, released by PR
News. Published as a case study titled “Social Marketing Campaign
Brings Smiles All Around,” Delta Dental of Missouri offers communications
executives insight into how to make a profound difference in the
community while enhancing business.
Delta Dental of Missouri’s community outreach programs include Teeth
on the Go, an oral health education program that visits elementary
schools throughout Missouri to teach students about the importance
of good oral hygiene. The organization is a lead sponsor in the
nationally recognized Give Kids a Smile program, which provides
$1.3 million in free dental care to 4,500 local children in need
through bi-annual clinics. Delta Dental of Missouri also works with
the Saint Louis Zoo to host programs that stress the importance
of dental care for humans and animals. |
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