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The Scoop on FEWnet
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"Learning is not attained by chance. It must
be sought for with ardor and attended to with
diligence."
- Abigail Adams
Greetings, FEWnet friends! We are just a few
short weeks from our annual party on May 15 -
a true celebration of women leading in
finance and accounting roles around
Minnesota. If you haven't registered yet, I
urge you to register
today with Melissa. With a goal of
growing FEWnet membership by 25% this year,
we welcome you to introduce your finance and
accounting friends and colleagues to FEWnet
and encourage them to register for our event as
well. Whether you are simply looking to
create new friendships with likeminded peers,
build your contact base for employment
opportunities or maybe meet a few potential
candidates for open roles you have back at
the office, the FEWnet annual party is the
event for you!
Who are our FEWnet members?
- 900 members
- 93% represent Metro-area companies
- 100% are women in finance and accounting
roles, including:
- 28% Directors, Controllers
- 27% Supervisors, Senior Managers
- 23% CFO, COO, VPs (Officers)
- 15% Senior Analysts, Senior Accountants
- 5% Partners, Presidents, CEOs
If you are looking for additional
opportunities to network with this amazing
community of women, then we encourage you to
join
one of our monthly small groups that meet
around the Twin Cities. Groups are formed
based on level of experience and
responsibility as well as location preference
and we anticipate launching three new groups
this summer. Benefits include the ability to
share best practices with other professionals
at the same level in a confidential setting
while also receiving exclusive invitations to
small group socials that are held throughout
the year.
Thank you so much for your participation in
FEWnet and we encourage you to share our
community with other senior level women in
finance and accounting!
Take care,
Sally Mainquist
President and CEO
Certes Financial Pros
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FEWnet Member Spotlight
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"Courage is the power to let go of the
familiar."
- Mary Byrant
Michele Fremming
Michele Fremming is the CFO of Edina
Realty, one of the nation's largest
real estate companies with more than 90 real
estate offices located throughout Minnesota,
North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Her primary
focus is on overseeing three core businesses
(Edina Realty, Edina Realty Title, and Edina
Realty Mortgage), where she is responsible
for financial reporting, forecasting,
strategic planning, facilities management,
and purchasing.
With a Bachelor's degree in Finance from the
College of St. Catherine, Michele holds both
a CPA and a Series 7 license. She joined
Edina Realty over nine years ago with an
impressive big company background that
includes PepsiCo, Fingerhut, and Unitedhealth
Care.
The first thing that struck us about Michele
was her calm demeanor during a time of
intense change. What we would find out later
is that this is the calling card of her
professional career, with a history of
turning difficult situations into success
stories. Whether it be navigating the company
through difficult market conditions or
preparing for a wedding and merging of two
households, we are thrilled to get the
opportunity to share her story with the rest
of our FEWnet community!
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Table Talk
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Discover what our FEWnet small groups are
talking about:
- Work-life balance discussions make
their way into job interviews.
- Hot jobs and high demand skills in
Finance and Accounting.
- How does online networking fit into the
networking secret recipe?
- Tapping into the non-finance talents of
financial professionals.
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What FEWnet Members are Reading
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Are you thirsty for a book that focuses on
mid-size companies experiencing astonishing
growth which shares their success strategies
in a way that is directly applicable to your
company? If so, Keith McFarland's The
Breakthrough Company: How Everyday Companies
Become Extraordinary Performers is here
to quench your thirst! McFarland created and
analyzed a massive database of the world's
largest-growth companies and conducted
thousands of interviews with executives at
high-growth organizations in an effort to
establish the background of this book and
reinforce the need for a book like this in
today's business world. A masterpiece full of
specific, powerful, and sometimes shockingly
simple action steps, this book identifies the
characteristics and practices that are
consistent among the world's most high-growth
companies from creating a strong corporate
culture to leadership strategies that engage
and motivate employees of all levels. This
book speaks to entrepreneurs, executives, and
young professionals alike - a powerful
testament to the volume of valuable takeaways
within its pages. We encourage you to add
this gem to your reading list and hope it
will inspire you in ways you never thought it
could.
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Karen's Corner
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The Great Innovation Experiment
When I was a kid at the State Fair, I loved
going to the barn where little chicks were
hatched from eggs. Wow! Amazing! We tried the
same feat at school and learned from our
complete failure that this is harder than it
looks. The perfect environment must exist to
make a chick.
The same is true of innovation. Companies
want innovative ideas because new products
and services are the easiest way to build
wealth. In the end, the most innovative win
the respect of their customers, recruit and
retain better employees, and have the best
odds of churning out great ideas in the future.
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Announcements
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2008 FEWnet Annual Party
As you already know, this year's FEWnet
Annual Party is just around the corner! May
15 will be our evening to enjoy wine tasting,
delicious hors d'oeuvres, plenty of
networking, and celebrating women in finance.
Julie Gilbert, Senior Vice President of
Retail Training and Leadership Development at
Best Buy, will share lessons learned from the
Women's Leadership Forum (WoLF). This
not-to-be-missed event will leave you
inspired to better recognize and support the
talents of women within our own companies,
communities, and families.
Sponsor: FEWnet by Certes
When: Thursday, May 15, 2008
Location: Park Place Doubletree Hotel
St. Louis Park, MN
Cost: Free for FEWnet members
To Register: Email Melissa at mmlakar@certespros.com
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FEWnet Members on the Move
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Cheryl Mills recently joined RR
Donnelley as Plant Controller.
Congratulations, Cheryl!
Darla Nemec recently accepted the
position of Director of Finance and
Administration with Eagan-based CaringBridge.
Best wishes to Darla in her new role!
Christine Iverson is now Supervisor of
Corporate Receivables at Best Buy. All the
best to you!
Susan Pew recently joined Fingerhut
Direct Marketing as Director of Accounting.
Congratulations from FEWnet!
Mary Zadach is now the Controller at
MGS Machine. Kudos to you, Mary!
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Perm Candidates / Long-Term Contractors
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Certes Financial Pros is a financial
placement firm
specializing in providing professionals to Twin
Cities' companies needing project, interim
staffing,
and permanent hiring support. Whether you have a
temp or temp to perm need, Certes Contract
is
here to help with a wide variety of high level
professionals to ease your team's workload.
The Perm Placement Network by Certes
connects
financial professionals with permanent
positions in
the Twin Cities while providing companies with
highly qualified, screened candidates at all
levels
of accounting and finance. To explore this or
other
opportunities, visit
us today!
Do you have an immediate need? Check out our
current
available lists and give us a call.
Long-Term
Contractors Available
Perm
Placement Candidates for Hire
Certes Financial Pros.
Your
bridge to a better life.
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