Big Green Zero Publishes Energy Audit Score Card

PRLog (Press Release) - Aug 06, 2011 - Two or three years ago, it was difficult to find a commercial energy auditor. Since then, a "perfect storm" of 1) rising energy costs, 2) conflicting stories from energy product sales people, and 3) a recession-plagued economy has commercial and industrial property owners struggling to recover every penny of energy cost that they can.

The potential to recover energy energy cost is tremendous. According to the U.S. Department of energy, in 4.2 million commercial buildings nationwide, 30% of energy bills are pure waste. During 2007 (latest figures available), that waste cost property owners and their tenants $60.7 billion.

Given this environment, it is not surprising that interest in commercial energy audits is rising. And, it is also not surprising that thousands of "energy auditors" are coming forth to provide that service. The situation is kind of a gold rush. And, as in any gold rush, it is difficult to seperate the good energy auditors from the bad energy audits and from the ugly.

To bring some clarity to this increasingly confusing situation, the energy engineers at Big Green Zero polled property owners and their facilities managers, financial people and accountants. They asked them what they wanted and also what they have experienced with respect to conducting an energy audit. Based on these conversations, Big Green Zero suggests that commercial energy auditors be selected based on the following score card:

1.  Will be audit be conducted by a degreed engineer who understands both the energy-
related structural issues and the energy systems typically found in your type of  
buidling?

2.  Will your energy audit be analyzed through the use of specialized software designed
specifically for that purpose?

3.  Will your energy auditor weigh energy-related business risks as inputs to his or her
findings and recommendations?

4. Can the prospective energy auditor provide a list of commercial customers who are
raving fans?

5. Does the energy auditor have any "axes" to grind. Does he or she sell any products
that the audit may just happen to recommend? Or, does the auditor happen to be a
contractor (who will sell their services to fix your energy-related problems?).

6. Does the energy audit cost being proposed make sense?

Questions 1 through 4 are pass/fail. If the answer is "yes" a prospective auditor may be a good candidate. If the answer to any one of these four questions is "no" the prospective auditor is not a good candidate.

Questions 5 and 6 are more subjective.

For Question 5, product sales people simply cannot be unbiased. They are not good candidates. On the other hand, some contractors are degreed engineers and they may be able to be objective and unbiased despite their self-interest. The decision to retain them as an auditor really comes  down to making a judgement about their honesty, objectivity and transparency.

Finally, Question 6 can really separate the good energy auditors from the bad and the ugly. Any would-be auditor who offers a "free" audit or an audit for a few hundred dollars is going to be a very poor choice. As previously discussed, commercial energy auditing requires an engineering or extensive contracting background.  It also requires the use of special purpose software and a great deal of financial savvy and insight. All of that comes at a price (which typically ranges from a few thousand to perhaps ten thousand dollars).

A commercial energy audit can be very worthwhile. Typically, it will provide due diligence guidance for reducing energy bills form 20% or 30% to as much as a Big Green Zero. But, commercial energy auditing is a gold rush. So, caveat emptor (let the buyer beware). As commercial energy auditors  proliferate, property owners would be well advised to select them with a score card.

Big Green Zero helps commercial real estate owners turn energy pennies into equity dollars. Big Green Zero Energy Due Diligence™ reduces risks, recovers cost and increase capitalized equity value in commercial and industrial properties.

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Hypatia Research Publishes Primary Study: "Enterprise Convergence of Governance, Risk & Compliance"

Benchmarks & Galaxy Vendor Rankings Reveal 75% of Practitioners Cite Both eGRC and IT GRC as Important
PRLog (Press Release) - Aug 02, 2011 - – BOSTON, MA – Industry analyst firm Hypatia Research, LLC announces availability of a primary research study entitled “Enterprise Convergence of GRC: Benchmarks & Galaxy Vendor Evaluations “ http://store.hypatiaresearch.com/enterpriseconvergenceof ... detailing current developments, major organizational challenges, business case justification and a detailed assessment of this gragmented vendor landscape. Featuring the unique Hypatia GalaxyTM in which 28 enabling technology providers that support GRC initiatives and business processes are evaluated by 10 interdependent dimensions, the report offers readers actionable insight via 40 pages, 3 case study evaluations and 15 charts, tables and figures.  

Hypatia categorizes GRC software technology as either an integrated suite of tools, point solutions, platform or a cloud based architecture designed to facilitate enterprise convergence of both IT and enterprise GRC capabilities.  This viewpoint is predicated on the ability of vendors to deliver solutions based not only on solving specific issues, but solutions that flexibly address at a holistic and integrated level all of the interlocking and interwoven governance, risk, and compliance issues that companies face no matter where or in what industries they do business.

According to Howard Baldwin, senior analyst and co-author of this study, “Some vendors offer GRC for the enterprise, known as eGRC, focusing on strategic and operational risk management. Others offer what’s known as IT-GRC, focusing on monitoring access and communications for compliance. The fact that both branches of GRC use technology to automate highly complex processes is confusing to most organizations.”

Leslie Ament, vice president, senior analyst and co-author shared, “Organizations invest in GRC more often as an insurance policy against unforeseen financial, legal, regulatory and operational threats rather than for a tangible return on investment. Our assessment is that this is about to change as companies move from investing in GRC merely to comply with annual audits, industry or regulatory standards to proactive decisioning grounded in strategic GRC. The products that will best serve those efforts will incorporate facets of both traditional IT-GRC and eGRC, encompassing everything from the security of data access to insight for risk management.”

Over 440 respondents with direct accountability for selection or use of GRC software and services contributed to this primary research study.  Respondent segmentation is 70% large enterprise >$1B, 23.6% mid-market and  7.3% SMB. This primary research study is available for purchase online at http://store.hypatiaresearch.com. Vendors covered in this research may contact JoeA@hypatiaresearch to inquire about licensing.

About
Industry analyst firm Hypatia Research, LLC http://www.HypatiaResearch.com delivers high impact market intelligence, industry benchmarking, best practice, and vendor selection research for how businesses use technology and service providers to capture, manage, analyze and apply customer intelligence to enhance performance and to accelerate growth. Coverage areas include: CRM, Business Intelligence, Customer Analytics, Social Media, Marketing Automation, Database Marketing, and Information Management, GRC, Customer Data Integration and Quality. Since 2001, clients have relied on us for industry insight, expertise and independent market research for guidance in assessing various technology and service options. Hypatia of Alexandria (circa. 370-415 AD), was the first woman to make substantial contributions to the development of astronomy, mathematics, and philosophy.

Contact:
JoeA@HypatiaResearch.com
Research@HypatiaResearch.com
781-862-5106

# # # Hypatia delivers high impact market intelligence, industry benchmarking, best practices, technology vendor selection, and ROI assessment services for end-users of CRM, Business Intelligence, Analytics, & Customer Data Management/Data Quality solutions.
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Forensic Accounting Expert Gary Kane Publishes Blog Covering The Basics Of Business Valuation

Gary Kane, www.KaneForensic.comPRLog (Press Release) – Jul 25, 2011 – Gary Kane, Owner and Managing Partner of Kane Forensic Accounting, a forensic accounting firm, recently published a blog on his website (http://www.KaneForensic.com) discussing business valuation. The blog, titled “What Is a Business Valuation?” explains to business owners what a business valuation entails.

Gary Kane writes, “Despite having heard the term ‘business valuation’ many times, I have found that the average business owner is unsure what the process entails—and therefore, is often hesitant to proceed.  So my goal today is to pull back the curtain and discuss the procedure in plain English.”

Kane Forensic Accounting specializes in forensic accounting. They leverage their specialized knowledge to provide valuable insight which enables their clients to make informed financial decisions.

The entire blog can be found at http://www.kaneforensic.com/blog/what-is-a-business-valu ...

To learn more about Kane Forensic Accounting, please visit http://www.KaneForensic.com

About Gary Kane:

Gary Kane is owner and managing partner of Kane & Associates, and a licensed CPA in the state of Florida.  His primary responsibilities include the planning and utilization of personnel, budgeting, cash flow management, and overall firm marketing.  Mr. Kane has been responsible for all tax preparation and planning functions within the firm.  He performs the final, technical review of all audit and review engagements.

Mr. Kane has lectured widely on various aspects of income and estate planning and personal financial planning.  He has appeared on several local television shows and has appeared on a national cable television program broadcast on the Satellite Program Network.  With his background in tax and financial planning, Mr. Kane has been instrumental in assisting clients in the formation, implementation, and management of several real estate ventures, beginning with the planning stage through the completion and ultimate management or sale.

Mr. Kane received his BSBA with honors with a major in accounting from the University of Florida and has a Masters of Science in Accountancy from the University of Central Florida.  He has over thirty-five years of public accounting experience, including four years with the international accounting firm of Alexander Grant (Orlando, Florida), before becoming a founding partner of Kane & Associates of Winter Park, Florida, in 1975.  Mr. Kane was also an accountant with Chevron Oil Company in charge of fixed asset accounting for all oil and gas properties in Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and Alabama.

Mr. Kane is a member of the American and Florida Institutes of Certified Public Accountants and has satisfied the requirements to be accredited in Business Valuation by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.  Mr. Kane is a Certified Valuation Analyst and member of the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts.  He is past president of the Central Florida Chapter of the International Association for Financial Planning and has served as Chairman of its Board of Directors.

Mr. Kane has been an adjunct professor at the University of Central Florida teaching intermediate accounting and has assisted the Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida in lectures on business adquisition and accounting systems for small businesses.  Mr. Kane assists attorneys in numerous areas, including tax planning, litigation, and divorce settlements.  He has testified for over twenty years as an expert witness in Orange, Osceola, Brevard, Seminole, and Volusia counties.

CelebritySites develops a web presence based on an Online Marketing Platform. Their marketing platforms are more than just websites, they utilize the latest SEO & social media techniques allowing you to leverage online content to create business online.

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Tax Resolution Expert Near Irvine Publishes YouTube Video on Truth About Pennies on the Dollar

One tax resolution company in OC says that Pennies on the Dollar is just a come on. They have decided to blow up the myth. Using YouTube as the way to get the message out, Demetriou, Montano & Assoc is mounting a full fledged campaign for truth.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) – Jul 16, 2011 – Tax resolution services are advertising day and night almost everywhere you look.  Here in Irvine, CA., you will see various companies advertising on cable news shows, the radio, and in the local newspapers.  Almost all of these advertisements are promising various degrees of relief from what is owed.  The holy grail is the offer in compromise.  Unfortunately the offer in compromise is rarely a solution for the taxpayer in Irvine, and even those who apply find that the IRS has hoops and more hoops for them to go through.  Only rarely does the IRS accept an offer in compromise.  

Jim Demetriou of Demetrious, Montano & Associates has been a practicing enrolled agent and tax resolution specialist since 1989.  "We get the phone calls all the time from taxpayers who have been promised the moon by some of these companies.  Several of them have been shut down by courts for their methods.  We decided that we would do what we could to get the word out to the public.  The IRS will work with you to set up a plan to pay your taxes.  But only rarely will that result in a reduction of what you owe."

Demetriou has created a video which details some of the issues around the offer in compromise, and several other videos which give the more likely solutions that are offered by the IRS and that can be negotiated by a company who specializes -1241067585  in tax resolutions.  For all videos go to YouTube.com/user/taxrepairman.  For the specific video on offer and compromise click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uDHbeS5A_I&

Demetriou, Montano & Associates have offices in Orange County and West Los Angeles.

# # # Demetriou, Montano, and Associates is expert in resolving tax debt problems and specializes in tax collection negotiations. Because our firm is comprised of former IRS collection personnel, we absolutely know how the IRS and other tax collection agencies work. We will work with your tax attorneys, CPAs and other tax professionals. Our staff's 50 years of former IRS experience enables our firm to successfully negotiate client-favorable tax problem resolutions. Our offices are located in Santa Monica and in Huntington Beach.

The field of taxation is very broad. It is difficult to be completely knowledgeable in
accounting, taxation, audits, tax court AND collection issues. We maintain collection proficiency because we specialize in collection problems. We know what to say, but more importantly, what NOT to say to tax collection enforcement personnel.

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