May 23, 2011

McKonly & Asbury Participates in Employee Exchange Program, Hosts HURST (U.K.) Employee

HARRISBURG, PA – McKonly & Asbury, LLP took part in its International Employee Exchange Program with United Kingdom and IGAF Polaris affiliate firm, HURST, by hosting a HURST employee from April 2 – May 13. HURST is a leading business advisory and accounting firm in the North West of England, with offices in Manchester and Stockport. IGAF Polaris is an international association of independent local and regional firms of Certified Public Accountants, Chartered Accountants, or their professional equivalents.

Managing Partner, Terry Harris, serves on the North American Board of Directors of IGAF Polaris Worldwide. He stated, “For over 15 years, McKonly & Asbury has been a part of IGAF Polaris Worldwide, a global association of accounting firms, allowing us to provide the international resources required by our clients in this global economy. Several years ago, we had a vision for expanding the horizons for our team members by implementing an employee exchange program with some of our IGAF Polaris associates. In 2008, Aubrey Taylor, a supervisor with M&A, spent six weeks working with the accounting firm of Hurst in Manchester, UK as part of their audit team. This year, we were pleased to have Amanda Kay from Hurst join our audit team for a six week work exchange. Our team was thrilled to have Amanda on our team and to learn from her technical expertise as well as to share the cultural aspects of having a UK team member. Amanda was a joy to have and such a wonderful fit with our team.”

Aubrey had the opportunity to work directly with Amanda both in Manchester at the HURST office as well as in Camp Hill, Pa at the McKonly & Asbury headquarters. Aubrey commented about Amanda’s visit, “It was such a pleasure to have Amanda be a part of the audit segment for six weeks.  Amanda immediately became an asset to every engagement she worked on.  She provided all of us with insight and suggestions based on her auditing experience that helped us to improve the ways we serve our clients.  Having Amanda as part of our team was a fantastic experience for all of us and we hope that we will get to work with her again soon!”

Terry added, “One of the things that has set M&A apart is our willingness to try new things and to ‘think outside of the box’; This has been a wonderful experience for our team. Thinking globally is something that we do daily through client opportunities and relationships, and our work with our global IGAF Polaris members. Moving forward, we will continue to look for situations for our team to experience the opportunities in other parts of the world. Being a progressive accounting and advisory firm is one of our core values.”

About IGAF Polaris
IGAF Polaris is the strongest association of independent accounting firms in the world, comprised of over 380 highly successful independent public accounting firms in 89 countries. IGAF Polaris provides member firms with tools and resources to help them furnish superior accounting, auditing, and management services to clients around the globe. Through IGAF Polaris, member firms offer the strength and capabilities of a large, worldwide organization with technical depth and geographic reach impossible for a local firm alone. For more information about IGAF Polaris and the services it offers its member firms and their clients, visit the IGAF Polaris Web site at www.igafpolaris.org.

About HURST
HURST is a leading business advisory and accounting firm in the North West of England, with offices in Manchester and Stockport. The 12 partner firm specializes in providing ‘local’ accounting, tax, corporate finance and outsourcing support for businesses investing into the UK and is a member of IGAF Polaris. For more information about HURST, visit www.hurst.co.uk.

About McKonly & Asbury LLP
McKonly & Asbury LLP is a leading regional accounting and consulting firm with over 100 employees, 40 CPAs, and specialized professionals including CISA's, CIA's, and other certifications. The firm has offices in Camp Hill, PA; Lancaster, PA; and the Lehigh Valley area. McKonly & Asbury is ranked by the Central Penn Business Journal as the 5th largest accounting firm in Central Pennsylvania and named an All-Star by Inside Public Accounting in 2006, 2007, and 2008, ranking McKonly & Asbury as one of the ten fastest growing accounting firms in the nation for 2006, and as an industry leader in management metrics for 2007 and 2008.
For six years, McKonly & Asbury has been named a Best Place to Work in PA by The Best Companies Group. McKonly & Asbury has added to these accolades by being named a Best Accounting Firm to Work For by Accounting Today for two years.
McKonly & Asbury provides audit, tax, and consulting services to many of the region's largest and most well-known companies and organizations. The firm also has two affiliated companies: Anchor Financial Group provides investment advisory services for individuals and qualified retirement plans. Financial Outsourcing Solutions (FOS) is a provider of outsourced internal audit services to the banking industry. McKonly & Asbury is an independent member of IGAF Polaris. For more information, please visit McKonly & Asbury at www.macpas.com.
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For more information, please contact Melissa Roberson at 717.761.7910 or by email at mroberson@macpas.com.