This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
Workplace


LEADERSHIP


Earls is making a big push into Eastern Canada and the US. What challenges does that present to you as CFO? Running a business from Vancouver to Miami is very difficult. Each restaurant presents a new set of challenges, whether it’s labour compliance, legal compliance or just different time zones. That’s why we’re using technology to help us.


Food for Thought


Jeff Boomer, CFO of the booming eatery Earls Restaurants Ltd., on changing the perception of finance jobs and making a company relevant


Q


You’ve been the CFO at Earls for 15 months. How do you get your team onboard when


you’re the new guy? I have told my team that we don’t want to just be producing a bunch of numbers. We want to ask, “What are the implications of those numbers?” But to get buy-in, you need to follow through.


What have you done to follow through? We’re looking at new technologies to manage our human capital, to analyze data that’s integrated with our point- of-sale system and to get data out in a way that’s timely so that we can make decisions with it.


What has the reaction been? If you explain the vision, people say, “I love it.” Bookkeeping is not exciting. What’s exciting is being closer to the decision-making. Finance can be a “head-down” function in a company, but I’m trying to get people to look up a little bit.


What attracted you to Earls as a company? The president, Mo Jessa, has a vision for transforming Earls into a company that’s going to be relevant for another 30 years. Consumers are demanding more out of companies these days.


You have to be socially responsible and you have to provide your employees with more than a paycheque.


What do you think Earls offers its employees? There’s a sense of believing in people at Earls. When someone says, “I believe in you,” it gives the employee the sense that he or she has untapped potential. It goes back to our president. He started out as a dishwasher.


Jeff Boomer was in investment banking and mergers and acquisitions before being recruited by Earls’ Vancouver- based head office in 2013. He has his CFA designation and an MBA from the Ivey Business School. — Claire Gagné


Make the grade on your CFE exam The Common Final Exam (CFE) is September 16-18, 2015


Get the expert coaching you need to successfully write the CFE exam from Jason Fleming, CPA, CA, an experienced CFE/UFE consultant.


CFE/UFE Tax: A Guide to Understanding the Basics of Canadian Income Taxation, 4th Edition


Order # 986355-65201 $51 Softcover 300 pages 978-0-7798-6355-6


UFE Case Writing: A Guide to Essential Case Writing Skills for the Uniform Evaluation


Order # 984937-65201 $43 Softcover approx. 175 pages 978-0-7798-4937-6


Available risk-free for 30 days Order online: www.carswell.com/CFE


Call toll-free: 1-800-387-5164 In Toronto: 416-609-3800 Shipping and handling are extra. Price(s) subject to change without notice and subject to applicable taxes.


MAY 2015 | CPA MAGAZINE | 19


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72