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Greetings, FEWnet friends, and happy start to the holiday season! If we count Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day (and why not?!), we have four solid months of good cheer ahead of us.

Like many of you, we were happy to start celebrating early with such events as the CFO of the Year and the Top Women in Finance awards lunches. Kudos to some of our very own FEWnet members who were honored this year, including: Julie Neville of the Greater Twin Cities United Way; Beth Bird of Eide Bailly; Cindy Sattler of HomeServices of America; Diana Purcel of Famous Dave's; and Kaye O'Leary of Buca.

All five women are active members of our FEWnet small groups. If you have been looking for opportunities to connect with other leading women in finance and accounting and have the ability to commit to one lunch a month, we highly recommend signing up today! We are currently looking at launching 2 new Senior Analyst/Manager level groups in 2008, one in St. Paul and one in Downtown Minneapolis. For more information, please visit our website or contact Melissa Mlakar at mmlakar@certespros.com.

Cheers,

Sally Mainquist
President and CEO
Certes Financial Pros

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Julie Neville

Julie Neville is the Vice President of Finance for Greater Twin Cities United Way, a not-for-profit organization that improves lives and strengthens the community throughout the 9 county metro area.

Growing up as an identical twin and avid supporter of all things Wisconsin (her home state), Julie graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.A. in Accounting and quickly joined Grant Thornton. After spending a few years auditing mid-market firms, she moved on to financial operations positions with other for-profit organizations in real estate development, architecture, and engineering. When her husband's relocation landed her in the Twin Cities, Julie knew that this was her opportunity to meld her financial background with an upbringing that emphasized giving back to the community.

Joining a mission-based organization has given Julie the ability to live her passion of helping others while setting down roots in a community that she credits as being one of the most altruistic in the country. On the heels of the CFO of the Year awards in which Julie was one of this year's finalists, we were thrilled to get the opportunity to talk rival sports teams, why mergers can make such good business sense, and how extending people a hand up versus a hand out will lead to a stronger, more stable community.

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Explore the array of topics discussed at our FEWnet small group meetings:

• Attaining work-life balance in a technology driven era.
• Paperless office - saving trees and storage space.
• Retention techniques in an increasingly tight labor market.
• Innovation in business separates the leaders from the followers.
• Extreme jobs - what are they and how do they affect our lives?

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"Handle the challenge of change well, and you can prosper greatly. Handle it poorly, and you put yourself and others at risk." John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber

Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions by John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber uses the simple, yet profound power of the fable to educate the reader on the Eight Steps necessary for ensuring successful organizational change. Based on award-winning Harvard research conducted by the author behind other best-selling books, Leading Change and The Heart of Change, we were immediately drawn in by the memorable way the authors were able to translate complex principles into important lessons in action. If your organization is currently navigating change or foresee it on the horizon, this hour-long read might be just the tool needed to help your team navigate those turbulent waters successfully.

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Flawed is Good...

I've been really lucky. I own a wonderful company with great employees and clients and we just keep growing and growing.

What do I attribute this to? Honestly? It's my clear understanding that I succeeded in spite of myself. With that attitude, I am able to admit that not only am I "not perfect," I am flawed.

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MNCPA Tax Conference

Join 1,500 CPAs and other professionals for two days of premier tax education. The 53rd Annual MNCPA Tax Conference is the largest of its kind in the Midwest and features national and local experts. Improve your knowledge and skills by attending one of the many educational sessions, discover new solutions by visiting the exhibitors, and make important connections by expanding your personal and professional networks.

Sponsor: Minnesota Society of CPAs
When: Monday, November 12 - Tuesday, November 13
Location: Minneapolis Convention Center
Cost: $389 for MNCPA members, $489 for non-members

To Register: Click here

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Nikki Nelson, of Medtronic, and her husband Steve welcomed their new baby girl, Peyton Elizabeth, into their family on October 6, 2007. Congratulations!

Liz Wagner recently joined Buffets, Inc. as an Internal Auditor. All the best, Liz!

Nicole (Maki) Anderson, of Secure Computing, married Scott Anderson in June along the banks of Lake Superior in Two Harbors, MN. Best wishes to the newlyweds!

Karen Manthei of International Design Systems recently accepted the role of Director of Financial Services. She looks forward to the challenge ahead and we wish her all the best!

Jen Bradway, of Secure Computing, and her husband Brian welcomed baby Sophia Louise on September 19, 2007. Warm wishes to the Bradway family!

Congratulations to the following women who were recently honored as finalists for CFO of the Year by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal:

• Kathy Cooney, HealthPartners
• Pam Knous, Supervalu (speaker at our 2007 FEWnet annual party)
• Julie Neville, Greater Twin Cities United Way (see this month's Member Spotlight to learn more about Julie)
• Diana Purcel, Famous Dave's of America, Inc.

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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