We return to the Capitol city, Austin, this year to continue and enhance the current and capital conversations of our industry. This is one of our best conferences each year not only in the record attendance but also in the record educational benefits that our companies’ most valuable assets receive. Three different disciplines are the focus of this conference – but the lessons learned, the team work established/complimented and the shared networking of time continue to bring great benefit to all attendees. And yes, in addition to our great meeting schedule – the Domain also offers great food and great shopping opportunities. Austin is, of course, also known for great music opportunities and it does remain the location for most (not all) things weird.  In a good way? 

 

As we prepare to open up the registration for this conference, our spirits and confidence are pretty high on the pending outcome of the PUC rulemaking on our USF legislation. While we will most likely be able to give additional information and current status report, it is not anticipated that this project will be complete by this July meeting. But stay tune.  

 

TSTCI Accounting & Marketing/Customer Service Conference is just around the corner and REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN. Our July conference is always a powerful program for the three backbone disciplines of all our companies — accounting, marketing, and customer service. This conference also offers every other year the four hours of required Ethics & Values for Texas CPAs and Accounting Professionals. Dr. Carolyn Conn, Ph.D., CPA, CFE from St. Edwards University will be conducting the Ethics course. The CPE credits for this meetings program agenda will be 12 hours of Technical Credits and the 4 hours of Ethics Training. 

 

There truly is so much going on in this world and industry.  So for these three days, we hope to continue to help fill your personal and professional tool box with valuable and necessary tools so that your job, your home and your community feel the benefits of your knowledge and actions.  

 

There are still some agenda items that we are working to finalize; however, we have the straw-person agenda secure enough to open our registration to you. Wednesday afternoon, after a brief welcome by TSTCI CEO Weldon R. Gray, CPA, we will immediately go into Concurrent Breakout Sessions. The Accounting side will enter into the Ethics & Values course which will last throughout the whole afternoon and the Marketing/Customer Service attendees will benefit from various topics beginning with Greg Owens, Calix telling us about “Marketing Managed WIFI.” Then we’ll move to “Bundles versus Broadband Only”and round out the Marketing & Customer Service day with “Round Table Discussions” lead by Terry Wolfe, VTX1, Dee Dee Longenecker, Eastex Telephone Cooperative and Andy Johns, WordSouth.  But wait — all that and our Welcome Reception too. We may all be looking forward to the offerings of the reception at the end of the day! Please plan on joining us for the traditional Welcome Reception from 5:30-7:00 p.m. 

 

Bright and early Thursday enjoy a full breakfast from 7:00 – 8:00 am before the official kick-off of the conference. TSTCI CEO Weldon R. Gray will get us started and introduce our Opening General Session keynote speaker, Aimee Lucas, with the Temkin Group who will guide us through a journey of Transforming the Customer Experience. We will continue with General Sessions throughout the morning including presentations from Bob Gnapp, NECA, who will give us the up to the minute update on things NECA “Rural Calls, Robo Calls and More”.  For those of you that know Bob, you know this will be informative and entertaining. In fact, Bob starts a series of informative and entertaining industry presenters.  Following Bob, a fan favorite, Todd McElmurry, Curtis Blakely & Co.,will once again dazzle us with his computer-mind magic in “Micro Soft Office — Making Your Life Easier!”  To close out our general sessions for the day Charley Albert, CPA, Curtis Blakely & Co. will tour the topic of fraud – like, “Fraud – 20 to Life”or “Fraud – Life in the Big House”– actually he’ll share “Fraud — The Battle to Detect & Prevent.”  

 

After lunch on your own, we will return into Concurrent Breakout Sessions. For our Customer Service/Marketing attendees, Jennifer Logsdon, Centerra, opens with “Customer Experience/Customer Interface – Modernizing the Application Process.”  And then there are those ever-present regulatory requirements that Dodie North, GVNW, will gives us a heads up and update.  After a short break, we’ll delve into “Social Media — Managing Digital marketing and Customer Service”  — might want to come prepared for a flash mob dance routine…Or not!  

 

Meanwhile on the Accounting group break-out side, we are pairing up some of the big guns Wade Wilson, CPA, Bolinger, Segar, Gilbert & Moss, and Blake Lackey, CPA, Curtis Blakely & Co. to lead a How To Discussion on “FASB Accounting Standards — Leases, Recognition & Revenues.”  Sharon Minor, CPA, Moss Adams, will follow with “Benchmarking — Financial State of the Industry”and Chad Duval, CPA, Moss Adams, will address the recent tax bill in his presentation “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act — Tax, Book & Regulatory Impacts.”  Also confirmed, Mitchell McCoy, CPA, Curtis Blakely & Co., will present “401K — ERISA Plan Sponsor Fiduciary Compliance.” 

To assist those that want to have a true Austin experience, we have secured a group reservation for the 7:30 pm performance at Ester’s Follies for Thursday evening. For those not familiar, it is a satire show with a magic show with political satire and humor and some reverent and non-reverent content.  It is an equal opportunity offender in a humorous way. You must bring your sense of humor and open-mind — but it really is fun.  When registering, please look for the extra outing option on the registration form. Setting is limited and will be “first come, first serve” — So if you want to join us for the evening, please make sure to include your reservation when you register. Also, while we can help getting us all there, transportation to the event is not provided. You will need to make your own transportation arrangements. 

 

After an evening of enjoying Austin, we return Friday morning for breakfast and our closing General Sessions. Clay Moreland, Bolinger, Segars, Gilbert & Moss, (INVITED) will lead off with “Cyber Security — Don’t Open That”  We have invited a speaker on “Sensitivity Training in the Workplace”.       We will round out the morning with a fun and informative panel.  Ask a Millennial !  Panel moderated by Andy Johns, WordSouth.   Millennials are a game-changing generation for industries across the U.S. During this game-show-style panel, audience members will have a chance to ask real live millennials about bill pay, video consumption, price points, internet speeds and other topics. 

To close out the presentations for the conference, Weldon and Gary Smith, JSI, will give a Legislative & Regulatory Update and the path to USF change implementation.      

 

Last but not least, we will draw for the winner of the Grand Prize drawing (donated by Texas Communications Expo) and the winner of the PAC raffle drawing.  

 

We hope that you will enjoy the meeting, the materials presented and the networking with your fellow telephone workers.  We strive to provide programs that help you learn something new or a new way of doing or viewing things.  Soak it up and take something back to share with others in your offices.  

 

We hope you know how much each of you matter to TSTCI.  We will adjourn this meeting for another year and look forward to seeing each and every one of you throughout the days ahead. 

 

TSTCI and the Program Planning Committee, want to give special thanks to those Members and Associate Members who give their time, energy and talents to share their expertise with us through their participation as speakers, presenters and facilitators in our programs. Our Association is very lucky to have as members like we do.    

 

As mentioned, we are looking at putting together a group outing to the Ester’s Follies on Thursday night. We will provide information as it is available, along with any additional cost for the outing.

 

The TSTCI online registration process allows and helps participants register online and pay by check or credit card. Just visit www.tstci.org and follow the link. It’s easy, fast and a little fun. The conference preliminary agenda will be posted to the website soon. We are still in the process of confirming speakers.    

The Westin Austin at the Domain located at 11301 Domain Drive, Austin, Texas 78758. Reservations can be made on the link on the website, or CLICK HERE. It is very important that you let them know that you are with the TSTCI Conference when making your hotel arrangements. The TSTCI Conference room rate is $195.00 single/double. Reservation cut-off date is June 20, 2018. Check in is 3pm and checkout is 12 noon. Valet Hotel Parking is $25.00 per day for guests. Complimentary self-parking is available.  

We are always looking and always grateful to those that help us put these meetings on by their generous sponsorship. We appreciate all the extra support and include recognition of your company in the printed program, the displayed meeting signs and from the podium. Sponsorships can be designated using the online form. In addition, there are door prizes during the meeting. If you would like to donate a door prize, please let us know that you’ll be bringing a door prize with you. We encourage you to put a business card or sign designation of your door prize to show the attendees and especially the winners who donated what. 

The TSTCI Board established the Discretionary Fund, which is used for important off-budget expenditures. This fund is used for speaker expenses, when applicable, as donations to memorials, assists with PAC administrative expenses, and more. The Discretionary Fund is included in the annual independent audit of TSTCI. Since this fund is notused to provide campaign funds to candidates or office holders, corporate contributions are acceptable. Contributions to this fund can be made online when you register or you may send corporate or personal checks made payable to theTSTCI Discretionary Fund to the TSTCI Austin Office at 505 W. 12th Street, Suite 206, Austin, Texas 78701.  

If you have any questions or need any additional assistance, please contact Weldon Gray at 903-658-0055 or [email protected], Kari Rouse at the Austin office 512- 343-2587 or [email protected] or Pat Holder, Event Planner at 512-496-0580 or [email protected]