BREAKFAST FORUM - (2 CPE) BREAKFAST FORUM - (2 CPE) - "Going Paperless - From A to Z"

Our breakfast speaker will be Byron K. Patrick, CEO of "Simplified Innovations, Inc."

His presentation on "Going Paperless" will be applicable to those in public accounting and in industry.

Mr. Patrick, CPA.CITP, MCSE 2003 is the Cofounder and CEO of Simplified Innovations Inc, a Maryland based technology outsourcing and hosting company that specializes in servicing the needs of CPA Firms nationwide. He is a recipient of the 2009 CPA Technology Advisor's 40 under 40 award.

Byron earned his Bachelor's of Science Degree in Accounting from Salisbury State University in 1999. Thereafter he worked as a staff accountant with HeimLantz, PA in Annapolis, Maryland. In 2003 he relocated to KAWG&F (KatzAbosch), a regional size CPA firm in Baltimore, Maryland, as an In-charge Accountant. Shortly after joining the firm his ability to bridge the gap between the accountants and the technology became clear. After only a year with the firm he transitioned from accounting staff to IT Manager and shortly after Director of Information Technology. A few short months after the transition Byron earned his designation as a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer for 2003 Server by passing all 7 required exams.

As Director of IT, Byron led an IT transformation at KAWG&F that facilitated the growth of their multiple remote office's and a remote work force, all while maintaining a centralized IT infrastructure and providing high level of support for all users within the firm. This design and thorough implementation established his team as an industry leader for the use of technology within a CPA firm. While there, Byron along with the firms COO established the world's first Virtual CPA Firm in SecondLife.

Seeing great opportunity to build on what was learned and established at KAWG&F Byron, along with business partner, Daniel Houle, left in July of 2008 to establish Simplified Innovations Inc. Simplified Innovations Inc now supports over 200 CPA's and other professionals from Maryland to Arizona with their technology needs.

Byron has been an active member of the Maryland Association of CPA's since 1999. His participation began with the Structure and Governance Under 35 Task Force in 2000. He is also one of the founding members and past Chair of the MACPA's New/Young Professionals Network (NYPN). He continues participation with NYPN as an advisor and is also currently an active member of the Technology Committee. Byron was also recently elected to the Board of Directors for the MACPA. In addition Byron has participated in a number other taskforces, committees and initiatives over the years.

Byron has also been actively involved on a national level with the American Institute of CPA's. He gained the Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP) designation in 2006 and has been an active member of the Information Technology Section. He has also been a member of the Group of 100, the Virtual Grassroots Panel and has recently joined the AICPA Executive Information Technology Committee (ITEC).