The Practice Connection Program

3:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Registration and Networking

3:30 pm – 3:45 pm
Welcome to The Practice Connection

3:45 pm – 4:45 pm
Clear Decisions, Stronger Teams, Better Results: The Self-Leadership Advantage
Kim Grenier Mintenko

4:45 pm – 5:00 pm
Reflection Moment
What’s Your Top Practice Bottleneck?

5:00 pm – 5:10 pm
Stretch Break

5:10 pm – 5:45 pm
5 Things Every Accounting Firm Owner Should Be Thinking About
Michael Anderson, MBA, CISSP, ICD.D

5:45 pm – 6:30 pm
Refresh. Connect. Explore.

6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Practice Stories and Roundtables
Real experiences. Shared ideas. Practitioner conversation.

7:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Continue the Conversation (Optional)

In people-driven businesses, growth doesn’t just test systems and strategy. It tests the leader.

As firms grow, many owners unknowingly become the bottleneck—not because of a lack of skill or effort, but because the way they make decisions, communicate, delegate, and lead hasn’t evolved at the same pace as their practice. This practical, human-centered session explores how common leadership patterns, such as over-involvement, delayed decisions, reactive communication, and difficulty letting go, can quietly limit team performance and firm growth.

You’ll leave with practical insights to strengthen your leadership, make clearer decisions, and build a stronger, more resilient firm.

Following this session, participants will discuss their biggest practice bottlenecks and exchange ideas with peers before moving into the next conversation.

Technology is no longer just an IT problem, it’s a business decision. In this session, Michael Anderson walks accounting firm leaders through five things that need their attention right now, from AI that’s already in their firm to the ways technology shapes security, productivity, continuity, and the client experience. It’s a practical look at what matters, what to ignore, and where to focus next.

Take time to enjoy appetizers, connect with fellow attendees, and explore featured experiences throughout the venue.

Whether you’re checking into your room, participating in an interactive experience, meeting someone new, or simply taking a moment to recharge, this relaxed and welcoming environment is designed to help you connect with fellow practitioners before the evening continues.

Some of the best ideas come from hearing how other practitioners have tackled the realities of running and growing a practice.

Through real Practice Stories, facilitated conversation and roundtable discussion, you’ll hear how other firm owners and leaders have approached decisions, challenges and changes in their practices.

Ask questions. Share experiences. Hear different perspectives. And consider what you can take back and apply in your own practice.

8:30 am – 9:00 am
Breakfast and Networking

9:00 am – 10:15 am
Improving Practice Profitability: A Case Study
Jean-Guy Talbot, FCPA, FCGA

10:15 am – 10:30 am
Break

10:30 am – 11:30 am
Growth Strategies for Accounting Firms
Mike McLenehan, CPA, CGA

11:30 am – 12:15 pm
Practice Benchmarking and Practice Health
Jean-Guy Talbot, FCPA, FCGA and Kristine Tubiera

12:15 pm – 1:00 pm
Lunch

1:00 pm – 2:15 pm
What’s Really Driving the Decision?
Tamara Kroeker, IEA Cert., B.Ed/Mus.

2:15 pm –2:30 pm
Break

2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Building Your Employee Experience & Future of Work Philosophy
Jane Helbrecht, CPHR

3:30 pm – 3:45 pm
Reflection Moment
What’s one idea you will take back to your practice?

3:45 pm – 4:45 pm
Practice Connection CoLab: Connect. Explore. Share.

4:45 pm – 7:30 pm
Learning, Conversation and Social Experience
Interactive learning, practitioner conversation and connection

7:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Continue the Conversation (Optional)

As a practice owner, your financial statements should do more than report what happened. They should help you make better business decisions.

This practical session explores the key drivers of profitability in an accounting practice and how to use financial information to identify opportunities, evaluate priorities, and make more informed decisions. The concepts are brought to life through a fictional case study based on real-world scenarios, giving you the opportunity to see how different decisions can influence the performance of a practice.

How does your practice compare to others? More importantly, what contributes to a healthy, successful accounting firm today?

This interactive session brings together insights from practitioners, live audience polling, and facilitated discussion to explore the opportunities, challenges, and trends shaping accounting firms today.

Together, we’ll compare perspectives, discuss what practitioners are experiencing in their own firms, and identify practical ideas that can help strengthen your practice. Through shared experiences and meaningful conversation, you’ll gain fresh insights, validate your current approach, and discover new opportunities to consider as your firm continues to grow.

Leadership is shaped by more than strategy, logic, and expertise. Beneath every decision are internal drivers that influence how we respond to pressure, navigate uncertainty, communicate with others, and define success.

This interactive session explores the deeper motivations that shape leadership and decision-making in modern practice. Through guided reflection, journaling, and small-group discussion, participants will examine the patterns, beliefs, and instincts influencing the way they lead, often without realizing it.

The goal isn’t simply to make better decisions. This session invites leaders to slow down long enough to ask deeper questions about what is shaping their choices, reactions, and leadership patterns beneath the surface. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of themselves, greater awareness of how their patterns impact others, and practical insights they can bring back into their leadership and decision-making immediately.

Does your employee experience reflect intention, or has it simply evolved over time?

The most successful firms don’t leave workplace culture to chance. They make intentional decisions about how they lead, support, and engage their teams while adapting to the changing expectations of today’s workforce.

In this engaging keynote, Jane Helbrecht explores the connection between culture, employee experience, and workplace trends. Together, we’ll examine the forces shaping today’s workplace and the guiding principles that help firms build stronger teams, create meaningful employee experiences, and foster a workplace where people want to stay and grow.

Participants will leave with practical ideas and thoughtful questions to help define or strengthen their own philosophy for leading and engaging their people.

Some of the most valuable learning and connections happen beyond formal presentations. Throughout the day, you’ll have opportunities to work alongside fellow practitioners, explore real practice challenges, exchange ideas and continue conversations in a more collaborative setting.

Practice Connection CoLab: Connect. Explore. Share.
Learning happens in many ways. The Practice Connection CoLab gives you the opportunity to step away from the formal program and choose how you want to spend your time.

Connect with fellow practitioners, continue a conversation with a speaker, update your professional headshot, explore an experience with one of our partners, or simply grab a refreshment and recharge.

Learning, Conversation and Social Experience
Interactive learning, practitioner conversation and connection.

Additional details coming soon.

Best Practices Exchange
Practitioners sharing what works

The most valuable ideas don’t always come from the front of the room. They often come from the practitioners sitting beside you.

Join an interactive exchange where practitioners share practical ideas, lessons learned, and approaches that are making a meaningful difference in their firms. Together, we’ll uncover what’s working, explore different perspectives, and learn directly from one another.

Leave with fresh ideas and practical insights to continue exploring throughout the afternoon.

Practice Challenges and Implementation Roundtable
Your questions. Your challenges. Ideas to move forward.

Every practice faces challenges, but you don’t have to solve them alone.

Building on the ideas and conversations from throughout the retreat, join fellow practitioners for a facilitated roundtable focused on the real challenges, opportunities and priorities facing your practice.

Share experiences, ask questions, learn from the perspectives of others and explore practical ways to move forward. Discussion topics will be shaped by the questions and priorities that emerge throughout The Practice Connection, making the conversation timely and relevant to the people in the room.

Leave with greater clarity, practical ideas and next steps for your practice.

Reflections, Next Steps & Closing
We’ll come back together one final time to reflect on the ideas, conversations, and connections from the past three days. Together, we’ll celebrate key takeaways, look ahead to what’s next, and conclude the Practice Connection.