01 Apr 200,000 Audit Mark & More
Everyone embraces reaching a positive milestone and we, here at Tax Management Associates, are no different. We celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, years of service and graduations. We are constantly striving towards new goals and marking our progress through the years. It is also worth stopping to recognize what we have accomplished over the past year.
In the last six months, TMA has achieved several major milestones. In September of last year, we attended the IAAO Annual Conference in Indianapolis and celebrated our thirty-fifth (35th) year of service as a company. In a day and age when eight out of ten companies fail, we are extremely satisfied that we have found a business model that resonates with our clients. The feedback we get from clients is fairly consistent – TMA does a great job with personal service and attention to detail. As CEO, I can tell you that my job becomes much more manageable when surrounded by outstanding professionals – and I am definitely surrounded by the right mix of experts.
A second milestone we have reached recently comes in our core business line of Business Personal Property Auditing Services. TMA will have completed our 200,000th audit this month. What started as an experiment in a small North Carolina County has grown into a national norm. TMA auditors have performed complex cost reconciliations in seventeen states for 537 local jurisdictions. Our footprint stretches from Connecticut to California and Michigan to Florida. To date, TMA has assisted local government in discovering over 45.8 billion dollars in additional taxable value making our service offering a wonderful way to fund local services through proper application of an existing tax and revenue source.
So, what makes this service so popular? Personal property needs to be examined on an annual basis to ensure equity and uniformity in the tax base. Taxpayers should pay their fair share and not less or more. However, real estate makes up a majority of each local tax base and usually manpower is spent making sure that real property is accurate and up to date. Knowing personal property is still an important part of the revenue puzzle, experts like TMA are brought in to assist in that effort.
Much of our growth and success in this area may also be attributed to the complexity of the tax. There are many issues to consider with personal property including real versus personal considerations, expense guidelines, fully installed cost and the like. It may take an individual many years to fully develop the skill-set to be a knowledgeable auditor in this area. TMA auditors and management have spent the last thirty (30) years perfecting their craft. Our team has examined everything from Fortune 50 major manufacturing operations to small rural farms. That is the point of equity and uniformity – everyone gets a look and everyone gets a fair shake.
I would like to congratulate the entire Business Personal Property Audit Services team on crossing the 200,000th audit mark. You have much to be proud of, and on behalf of the 150 employees of TMA, we applaud your accomplishment.
There is one person who has greatly contributed to the success of not only TMA’s audit program but the success of TMA’s operations office, here in Charlotte. Betty Fleming developed many of our present-day audit processes. Prior to joining our team in 1999, she was a schoolteacher for 16 years. Before she enters retirement, we would like to recognize her for her service over the past 17 years. Betty has held many positions at TMA including Audit Support Technician, Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable Coordinator, Audit Support Supervisor, Facilities Manager and Executive Assistant to the Chief Operations Officer. Betty has been a valuable asset to our company and will be greatly missed by our TMA family. We are so grateful for her contributions and want to wish her a happy and relaxing retirement!
Betty looks forward to spending her days with her husband of 43 years touring the country and visiting their children and grandchildren in Arkansas and North Dakota. Enjoy, Betty!
While one of our own is leaving the TMA family, another recently returned home.
We are excited to welcome Nick Swintz back from Military Leave. Nick is an auditor in our Indianapolis office and has been out on Military Leave for the past few months.
Nick joined the United States Marine Corps Reserves and is stationed at Grissom Air Force Base in Peru, Indiana. He is a Lance Corporal (E-3) and his MOS (military job) is 0651 Cyber Network Operator. Nick was ranked second overall in his class for GPA and fitness scores and received the Meritorious Mast award.
Nick expressed his gratitude to TMA and his co-workers for the support he received while away saying, “I always felt that the company was 100% behind me through the whole process and it’s good to be back.” Thank you for your service Nick and welcome back!
TMA is proud to be a member of the ESGR (Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve)
The ESGR is the lead Defense Department office promoting cooperation and understanding between civilian employers and their National Guard and Reserve employees. ESGR has served our country for more than 40 years, fostering a culture in which all employers support and value the employment and military service of members of the National Guard and Reserve in the United States. These citizen warriors could not defend and protect us at home and abroad without the continued promise of meaningful civilian employment for themselves and their families.
A big thank you to all of our staff, servicemen and women, and TMA clients. I am so proud of everything we have accomplished together and look forward to our future achievements.
Sincerely,
Richard H. (Chip) Cooke, Jr.
CEO