CFO OF THE YEAR

Today John and I attended a luncheon for the CFO of the Year awards, sponsored by Utah Business Magazine. John was one of three recipients in the small, privately-owned business category. They had a special video presentation of each recipient, (we have a copy) and he received a very large framed certificate to hang in his office.
You can go online to Utah Business and read the article, but I've saved you the trouble by cutting and pasting it below! This isn't the official photo they used...I had to use one of my own.

John Hiatt//Career Step//Under John Hiatt’s financial leadership, Career Step increased its earnings by 25 percent, its sales by 30 percent and its product offerings by 50 percent during 2009. “John Hiatt has been crucial to all of these changes because of his ability to balance the needs of investors (new and old alike), maximize available resources, institute proven business practices, understand the company’s strengths and weaknesses, and choose the best partners to take advantage of available opportunities,” says CEO Mike Wilstead.

Another major accomplishment for Career Step during 2009 was the closure of a transaction in which private equity investors purchased 55 percent of the business. Under Hiatt’s leadership, the equity partners made an additional investment that further reduced the founder’s stake in the business, which ultimately served the needs of both parties.

“I was the primary representative of the company in both of these transactions negotiating and structuring the deal with the legal team,” says Hiatt. “To me it is very gratifying to have the trust of the stakeholders. When a member of the board, a work associate or a third party to the business says, ‘I want to hear what the CFO says about a particular topic,’ their desire to have my stamp of approval is very satisfying. This trust others place in my honesty, integrity and opinion because of my title is important to me and I don’t take this responsibility lightly.”