October was an exciting month for Your Part-Time Controller, LLC (YPTC) as the company hosted its first in-person meetings since 2019!

“Fall into Learning” was YPTC’s second company-wide training event of the year, following Block Training, which took place in April. While Block Training 2022 was once again fully virtual, it was important to leadership to host another seasonal training opportunity that focused on not only staff development, but connection—and it proved to be special.

“There was an overwhelming sense of joy at these meetings. For some staff, it was the first time they had seen one another in years. And for those who started at YPTC amid the pandemic, it was the first opportunity to connect with colleagues outside of a computer screen or phone call. It was amazing to watch these interactions happen,” said Managing Partner Jennifer Alleva.

Preparation for the event began months prior under the leadership of Haley Willis, Operations Manager and Chief Operating Officer, Heidi Pelczar. In planning, the greatest challenge was shifting away from the “new normal” of a remote setting to a physical one.

YPTC’s national presence has also grown significantly in recent years with the opening of new locations, hiring staff, and the expansion of its remote services division, so where would “Fall into Learning” land?

The solution was to split the training among eight venues throughout the country, most coinciding with YPTC’s office locations in Boston, New York City, Central New Jersey, Philadelphia, Houston, and Phoenix. However, for its remote services staff members, YPTC selected the central hub of Atlanta as the meeting point. Representatives from YPTC’s Executive team attended each event and addressed important staff-submitted questions in a town hall format. In attendance were Eric Fraint, Founder and President; Jennifer Alleva, Managing Partner; Heidi Pelczar, Chief Operating Officer; Mary Dagney, Director of Human Resources; Teresa Salemi, Director of Client Services; and Mitch Roshong, National Director of Training and Development.

A joint effort between the Operations, Marketing, Training, and Human Resources departments to create and ship materials, develop agendas and social activities, and finalize all presentation content made it happen. After this enormous undertaking, “Fall into Learning” was ready to take flight.

The main training session for Associates and Staff Accountants was “A Day in the Life.” It detailed the many twists and turns that occur daily in the client services role and strategies for overcoming them. Content Manager, Kerri Padgett, crafted the presentation, which various staff members then delivered according to location.

Mitchell Roshong, National Director of Training and Development, explained why this topic was chosen for the in-person meeting. “With over 500 staff members serving clients across the nation, it is crucial that we come together and share our experiences. In keeping with YPTC’s culture of education, this training fostered critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration. When we encourage diverse perspectives, we learn and improve,” he stated.

YPTC’s Support Staff, who met in Philadelphia, received a specialized training session titled “What’s Your Point?”. Marketing Manager Ericka Blair demonstrated how to leverage specific mediums and strategies to communicate effectively with colleagues and accomplish professional goals.

“My goals for this session were to help our Support team strengthen relationships, build confidence, and improve project management and overall communication. I appreciate the participation and enthusiasm of attendees and those who contributed to the content. I had so much fun facilitating and hearing from my colleagues during the interactive portions and live activity,” Ericka remarked.

Kasey Henry, Employee Experience Manager, was one of the contributors to “What’s Your Point?” She covered the concept of psychological safety and how YPTC’s strong culture and value system exemplifies it.

“YPTC has such a well-established culture through our core values of integrity, support, trust, education, equity, community, and strong relationships that will support us as we continue to learn and practice psychological safety,” she said.

The success of “Fall into Learning” has led directly to the planning of more in-person events for YPTC in 2023. “There are many benefits to using Zoom, but no matter how good the technology is, it simply cannot replace the energy, chance interactions, and ability to get to know each other that in-person meetings provide,” President and Founder Eric Fraint wrote in his reflection on the week’s events.

With that, YPTC looks forward to creating more irreplaceable moments and connecting even further in the coming year.

Watch the official recap video below!

A Special Thanks to All Who Helped with ‘Fall into Learning’

Kerri Padgett
Kristie Jaffe
Kristin Bakewell
Lara Meyer
Leah Reichert
Lisa DiBella
Lizeth Herrera
Marc Jones
Marever Gonzalez
Martha Ferrara
Mary Dagney
Matt Zheleznyak
Melissa Pennypacker
Michael Corner
Michael McConnel
Michele Tobiassen
Mitch Roshong
Natalia Cardenas
Nicole Frisina
Patricia Bueso
Patty Karas
Rachel DeMatteo
Rich Lindsay
Rita Dame
Roanna Breen
Sam Trembly
Sandra Magri
Sarah Mokhtari
Sharon St.Clair
Sherri Melamut
Stephen Shiffman
Steve Serino
Susan Wagoner
Tamika Garrett
Teresa Salemi
Terri Pham
Theresa Marchetta
Tia Lassiter
Tom Cesareo
Tracey Bible
Tyler Starkel
Vanessa Smith
Vicki Turner