Face-to-Face Approach Sets Stage for 
Customized, Coordinated Financial Strategies

A glimmer of hope for an economic recovery has given way to a maddeningly slow rate of growth in 2012. “As investors watch their timelines diminish, they can be tempted to panic and make decisions based on emotions,” says Don Worthington, CEO of National Penn Wealth Management (NPWM).

NPWM focuses on creating confident investors. “Our clients tell us they are most concerned about maintaining their quality of life during retirement, funding major obligations and preserving wealth. Taking large risks with their investments doesn’t match their financial goals,” explains Worthington, whose group develops and implements time-tested wealth strategies that address the unique needs of each client. “Balancing risk versus reward hinges on our understanding of the client’s situation and preferences. Ongoing face-to-face meetings and regular reviews give us the best opportunity to meet their expectations throughout their entire life cycle, from wealth building and distribution to retirement.”

“As we build long-term relationships, we develop the level of trust with clients that allows us to coordinate many aspects of their financial lives and impact multiple generations,” says Linda La Vay, Senior Vice President of National Penn Investors Trust Company (NPITC), part of NPWM.

La Vay recently began working with a client – a newlywed expecting her first child – who had unexpectedly inherited a substantial sum. The woman’s accountant recommended National Penn. La Vay’s team established an investment portfolio designed to achieve the client’s objectives, then assembled a team of advisors, attorneys and other professionals to minimize the tax burden and pave a path to transfer assets to the next generation.

In the months ahead, the family tapped into many National Penn resources. A part of National Penn Bancshares, Inc., an $8.4 billion bank holding company, National Penn Wealth Management offers private banking, trust, investment management, health care and other insurance services, and retirement planning. The client was so impressed with National Penn’s personal approach she recommended the firm to her father. He moved his assets to NPITC and, with the assistance from its advisors, began addressing his estate planning and low-cost-basis stock issues.

National Penn can measure its success by rankings, such as its listing as #15 among Forbes’ 2012 Best Banks in America (up from #33 in 2011) and its recognition as a “5-Star Superior” bank by Bauer Financial, Inc. for six consecutive quarters.* But Worthington is more likely to point to stories like this one to demonstrate the company’s strength. “We were referred to the family by an accountant in the community. In turn, the woman referred us to her father. We don’t take that level of trust for granted.”

* Based on capital quality, asset quality and other factors.

1.800.822.3321 | www.nationalpenn.com

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE IS AT THE CORE OF OUR
M.B.A. PROGRAM
Arcadia University School of Global Business

Arcadia University has long been recognized as one of the nation’s premier institutions for international education, producing graduates with a heightened and sophisticated awareness of the world. The School of Global Business at Arcadia University is distinguished by its cutting-edge curriculum and unsurpassed learning opportunities in both developed and emerging economies, reflecting the University’s ongoing mission. Here in Philadelphia and around the world, future business leaders and pioneers working toward an M.B.A. with a Global Perspective are forging paths to success while they experience the global marketplace firsthand.

Bringing the World Home to M.B.A. Students
Through a rigorous combination of theoretical and practical classroom instruction, high-level interaction among students and faculty, culturally diverse cohorts and study abroad, graduates of the school’s M.B.A. program emerge with the skills and knowledge they need to think creatively, act decisively and operate successfully in a global business environment.

A key component of the School of Global Business’s curriculum is cultural immersion. Around the world, more than 2,500 students are enrolled at Arcadia University. Two-thirds of these students take courses overseas, and 85 percent graduate with stamped passports. Previous M.B.A. program cohorts have traveled to the Czech Republic, France, China, Peru, Brazil, Switzerland, Turkey and Vietnam to learn from established companies in those countries. This fall, the school’s M.B.A. students will visit businesses in Rome, Italy, and future cohort opportunities in India and South Africa are on the horizon.

Diverse Options for Global Business Education
Working professionals can complete the M.B.A. with a Global Perspective in 19-22 months. Cohorts meet for accelerated seven-week courses one night per week at Arcadia’s metropolitan Philadelphia campus, traveling and studying abroad together for two weeks.

215-572-2891 | www.arcadia.edu/forbes
450 S. Easton Road, Glenside, PA 19038

Dynamic, Leading-Edge and Thoroughly Proven
Arora Engineers, Inc.

On paper, Arora Engineers, Inc. has made a singular mark. It is one of the Tristate region’s largest minority-owned engineering firms, a 70-person team serving clients from the firm’s hometown of Philadelphia to much of the East Coast and beyond. Now in its 25th year, Arora is well established, but it hasn’t slowed with age. Since 2002, the firm has grown 1,000 percent, appearing on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s Fastest Growing Companies for four of the past five years.

In practice, Arora enjoys equal distinction. At age 43, President and CEO Manik K. Arora, P.E.—who took the reins from his father, the firm’s founder—leads an energetic leadership team with a penchant for innovative problem solving, the latest digital technology and what Manik calls “hyper-responsive” client service.

“The mix of systems we provide is just as broad and comprehensive as that of a 40,000-person firm,” Manik says. “We’re that center of excellence concentrated in a close-knit, creative, youthful culture. And we continue to keep pace with client demand.”

Systems Engineering With Broad Applications
Arora applies its mastery of all types of systems—mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, aeronautical, GIS, security, surveillance, digital signage, and others—across a variety of sectors. From major airport hubs, rail, and mass transit to a full range of transportation infrastructure projects, Arora’s engineers lend their proven expertise as design consultants, construction managers, and facility managers to meet the needs of every project phase.

Manik looks forward to diversifying further on multiple fronts. “We are broadening our business segments, looking at alternate funding mechanisms like public/private partnerships and the expansion of our corporate client base,” he says. “We’ve recently expanded our reach to the West Coast and are looking at India and China. Slow and steady wins the race—that’s always been our approach.”

Super-Charged Culture Cultivates Success
Manik takes equal pride in the culture Arora has built over time—one that actively promotes communication, collaboration, camaraderie, and creativity.

“This is not the old cubicle office space anymore,” he says. “We’re a mobile app crowd, embracing and advancing new technologies to stay connected company-wide. We come together for softball games, yoga classes, and other team-building competitions. It’s a work hard-play hard culture that’s fresh, young and persistent—and a great source of pride.”

Philadelphia | New York | Boston | Fort Lauderdale
610-459-7900 | www.aroraengineers.com

It was 1971 – the year the NASDAQ opened its doors, five full years before Apple twinkled in Steve Jobs’ eyes and four years before the mighty giant Microsoft was conceived. It was also the year that CompuData came on the scene.

CompuData, Inc., a business software and technology solutions firm, was founded as a time-sharing service bureau back when computers filled large temperature-controlled rooms with raised floors. Much has changed in technology over the last 40 years, and CompuData has been there to guide its clients through the multitude of changes.

The rapid pace of progress in technology can be both a blessing and a curse to a firm like CompuData. “Our clients are always looking to gain an additional competitive advantage in their industries. So we’re always on the lookout for a newer technology to help give them that advantage,” says Angela Nadeau, president and CEO of CompuData. “Sometimes we’ve cannibalized an existing revenue stream in order to keep our clients on the cutting edge in their industries. But that’s the price you pay for putting your clients’ needs ahead of your own. And that’s what keeps our clients around for the long term.”

Depth and Breadth of IT Services

CompuData is consistently listed as a Top 100 Value-Added Reseller by several leading industry publications. This is due equally to the team’s dedication to customer service and its extensive knowledge of a wide range of business technologies, such as ERP and CRM software, as well as infrastructure, remote access, security and disaster recovery. According to Nadeau, “For ERP and CRM solutions, CompuData partners with Epicor and Sage. Both publishers offer a varied portfolio of software solutions. We choose the products that best fit each client, and then offer custom configuration or programming to create the perfect fit.”

Customers like the convenience of getting their technology from a single source and CompuData obliges with a full breadth of IT solutions. Its skilled team implements wireless WMS systems, Voice over IP phone networks, mobile sales apps, ecommerce sites, private cloud networks, and a host of other business technology solutions. “For some of our clients, we are their IT department. For others, we work closely with their staff and are brought in for project work that doesn’t make sense for them to do on their own,” says Nadeau.

CompuData serves mid-size businesses, primarily in the Philadelphia area, but has several nationwide clients as well. It was one of the first companies to offer 24×7 customer support to mid-size businesses. “Manufacturers that run three shifts and retail stores don’t operate 9 to 5, so neither do we,” says Nadeau. “We are here when our clients need us.”

The Evolution of Technology

Although superior customer service has been a 40-year constant with CompuData, technology itself is an ever-evolving field. “CompuData is always evolving to keep our clients up to date,” says Nadeau. “Currently attention is on the Cloud, SaaS applications, Mobility, and Business Intelligence tools. Funny how the Cloud and SaaS models are very similar to the old time-share model of the 1970s. Let’s see what the next 40 years hold.”

CompuData, Inc. 2701 Commerce Way, Philadelphia, PA 19154 215-969-1000 www.compudata.com

Providing quality service is one thing. Being flexible to change as the client grows, being attentive to what the client truly needs and really understanding the importance of client service excellence is what sets a company apart.

“We sincerely value our client relationships,” says Paulett Eberhart, president and CEO of Philadelphia-based CDI Corporation, a leading engineering and technology services firm. While CDI’s capabilities are world-class, instilling a client-centric, quality-focused culture is the goal of CDI’s new CEO.

Eberhart joined CDI in January 2011 and has taken steps to streamline the company’s mission with a greater focus on client service excellence in select industries. “We give our clients access to our breadth of services through one point of contact. We listen carefully, work efficiently and find creative solutions to client challenges while remaining cost-competitive. Satisfying the client by exceeding their goals is our primary mission.”

In her first year leading the company, CDI Corporation’s revenues were up 14 percent, to over $1 billion. Clearly she is doing something right.

CDI’s services are called upon to help clients manage complex, multifaceted projects. For example, when a chemical or refining company needs to conduct major plant maintenance, install new equipment or deploy safety upgrades, it often faces inevitable lost production time, which has a domino effect on the company’s other operations.

To minimize this downtime, CDI partners with the client, far ahead of the planned shutdown, to more efficiently identify specific goals and determine the best way to proceed to minimize disruption and ensure employee safety.

“It’s not just a matter of doing it quickly and efficiently, but doing it in a safe manner,” says Eberhart. “Our professionals augment the client’s engineering capabilities to improve flexibility and reduce costs – saving the client millions, or even tens of millions, of dollars.”

Clients benefit from the wide range of technical skills and scientific discipline that makes up the CDI team. The company’s quality-focused, do-it-right environment has enabled CDI to attract the best talent for itself and its clients. The company’s project managers are skilled in leveraging U.S.-based engineering centers of excellence with offshore and nearshore design centers, enabling them to meet client engineering needs, regardless of geography.

For example, an American drilling and technology company wanted to compete in the Mexican offshore oil platform market. CDI provided engineering design services at the client’s facilities in Texas and Mexico, improving time-to-completion and ensuring project success, while at the same time saving the client millions of dollars.

CDI’s excellence is noted not only by clients, but also by Forbes, Engineering News-Record and InformationWeek. “Our vision is to be an integrated, market-leading engineering and technology services organization, and my personal commitment is making CDI a great place to work,” Eberhart says. “We are moving forward on both of these fronts. As our clients grow, so do the opportunities for our team.”

1717 Arch Street, 35th Floor 
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215.282.8738 | www.cdicorp.com

Sometimes the way forward is blocked by stuff. The paper-shuffling, finding, phoning minutiae of day-to-day operations can mire even the best board in busyness that doesn’t directly advance the mission. Jane Barr Pino saw that when she worked in American corporate life. And she did something about it. She founded Jane Barr Pino & Associates, a professional services company that accomplishes clients’ necessary back-office administrative and managerial tasks, freeing leaders to focus on strategy, opportunities and decision-making.

Barr Pino’s firm works as a client’s “virtual headquarters.” Her company plans meetings and events; takes care of financial accounting; runs membership drives; maintains databases; writes reports; handles internal, external and public relations communications duties; and accepts responsibility for myriad other details that need attention – just not the attention of board leaders.

“We also offer special events services,” Barr Pino says. “The organization always looks professional and makes a positive impression anytime members and guests assemble.”

Those events could be anything from professional meetings to board meetings to social gatherings, says Patty Barr Russo, Jane’s sister and an associate at the company. For these occasions, she is involved in planning, budgeting, booking venues, choosing menus, all to take the load off the client. “This is our profession,” Russo says. “It’s our job to make the client successful.”

In addition to its support role for associations, Jane Barr Pino & Associates handles personal organization, correspondence, special event coordination, travel arrangements and other tasks for high-powered individuals.

Jane Barr Pino cites two mentors from her days at Amerimar Realty, David Marshall and Ken Balin, as strong influences in the formation and success of her company. “It was their encouragement,” she says. “They told me I could do whatever I wanted, and it kept happening, I kept doing it, and it kept working.”

And Amerimar became her first client when she opened Jane Barr Pino & Associates. Today, she and her sister serve as executive directors for a number of their client organizations.

Most of her competitors, Barr Pino says, focus on association management, or special events coordination, or personal services. “But we combine all three.”

The company is celebrating its 25th anniversary in September. Barr Pino, counting her corporation experience, says she has honed her organizational skills for 30 years. “We’re known for excellence and professionalism in serving prestigious organizations.”

1231 Highland Avenue Fort Washington, PA 19034 215.628.9844 jane@barrpino.com | www.janebarrpino.com

Actuarial consultant Amy A. Kim is an expert in identifying, measuring, and quantifying risk. Recently she demonstrated an extraordinary gift for taking risk. Leaving behind a steady job where she handled actuarial duties for some of the largest companies in the world, she launched Beneprise Employee Benefit Solutions, a full service employee benefits consulting firm in Philadelphia.

The freedom to serve clients in the most cost-effective way regardless of profit motivation led Ms. Kim and Beneprise co-founder Bill Alex to make the move from their previous employer. “It was a great place to cut our teeth, and it allowed us to gain expertise with sophisticated technologies and systems used to serve Fortune 100 companies,” explains Kim. “But the pressure is always on to pay for large overhead costs and satisfy stockholders. The needs of small to mid-size companies can best be addressed by a smaller, more agile consulting firm that can provide very personalized solutions without the overhead or multiple management layers of a larger firm.”

With resurgence in the middle markets, Kim and Alex’s timing couldn’t be better. “Growth among mid-size businesses is a welcome sign, but HR and Finance managers and business owners who aren’t sure this is yet the time to hire are under pressure,” explains Kim. “Having downsized in order to survive over the past few years, they’re already asking their remaining staff to work harder and longer. Experienced employees who feel overworked and undervalued are tempted to look for greener pastures. Excellent benefit packages improve retention rates but costs can put desirable benefits out of reach.”

Finding creative ways to lower costs is a Beneprise hallmark. For Kim and Alex, out-of-the-box thinking can result in significant savings for clients. Considered a boutique firm, Beneprise delivers the best value to businesses ranging in size from 200 to 5,000 employees because it gives small to mid-size companies the same attention other consulting firms reserve only for their largest clients. “If we can’t find savings, we tell our clients up front,” says Kim.

Recently, a manager of a mid-size company called on Beneprise to help reduce healthcare costs. The solution involved obtaining tax-exempt status, a difficult feat for a smaller group. “The standard way of doing calculations would never get them there,” says Kim. “We found a way and now the company is saving thousands. And the manager, who is now CFO of the company, is a hero to the administration and his co-workers alike.”

Beneprise, LLC
Employee Benefit Solutions, LLC
866-364-7049  • 484-883-2855
www.beneprisellc.com

Amy A. Kim, Managing Partner, Beneprise Employee Benefit Solutions, graduated from Penn State University. She is an Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA) designee and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.
Amy also authors Chick Clique Philly (www.chickcliquephilly.com), a social networking site for women in the Greater Philadelphia area.