By Amanda Paolini, PICPA member connections administrator

PICPA local events are back! Shake off that COVID-isolation dust and reconnect with your CPA community. As life continues to return to normal, our members are eager to get back together in person. If you’re ready – and we know you are – the PICPA will keep you busy all summer long with happy hours, baseball games, and more. But if you need a little more enticement, below check out how some of your fellow members feel about their experiences at our in-person local events.

Kimberly Wetzel, CPA, Pittsburgh, Pa.

I’ve attended various local events with the PICPA that have helped me keep in contact with colleagues and friends and network with other CPAs, including a mixer with the bar association in Pittsburgh and a golf outing at Edgewood Country Club. During the pandemic, I poured a glass of champagne and socialized with other CPAs virtually at a PICPA wine and chocolate tasting. This event was so much fun that our firm is looking forward to hosting a similar event for our clients. Recently, a small group from our firm attended a Top Golf after-tax-season event and had a lot of fun.

Greg Bastow, CPA, Erie, Pa.

I attended the Erie Local Connection Dinner with Bankers held at Union Station this past March. It was a great networking event where I got to meet with several bankers from various financial institutions in the Erie community. Speaker John Persinger discussed the work that the Erie Downtown Development Corporation is doing currently, as well as their future plans. Overall, it was a great event and well worth the cost to attend. The Erie Local Connection Dinner with Attorneys is another top-notch event. Last October we got a chance to have our questions answered by two of our state representatives, Sen. Dan Laughlin and Rep. Ryan Bizzarro. We also spent the evening networking with local attorneys.

I’ve attended several other awesome social gatherings too! The annual golf outing, for example, is one of the best. You get to play on one of the top courses in the Erie area at Lawrence Park Golf Club, which is followed by dinner. Then there are the Erie Local Connection Happy Hour events. These are a great way to get to know your CPA colleagues at an inexpensive event. We usually have great speakers, and the food and drinks are very good.

Ralph Diodata, CPA, Muncy, Pa.

My family and I went to PICPA’s Williamsport Crosscutters game last year. It was awesome to see other PICPA members and their families at the event!

Jessica Hildebrand, CPA, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

The Northeastern Local Connection Committee bringing back some PICPA member favorites, and I’m very excited! At a recent Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders baseball game, family, friends, colleagues, and other accounting professionals gathered to root on the New York Yankees minor league team. It was a great night to enjoy some food, friends, and baseball.

I may be most excited about our Day at Knoebels. This is a highly anticipated event for many reasons: from the award-winning rides to the nonstop family fun. Members from across the state join us on the roller coasters, antique cars, pioneer train, and so many other attractions. I hope to see everyone at Knoebels this summer – rain or shine!

Milia Maalouf, CPA, Allentown, Pa.

The PICPA Lehigh Valley Local Connection Committee gives members so many opportunities to meet new people and attend great events. From baseball games at the IronPigs behind home plate to Dorney Park and rollercoasters, there is something fun for everyone. I am looking forward to a new year and what is forthcoming.

Keith Bittel, CPA, New Wilmington, Pa.

I have attended several PICPA student networking and casino night events held at Station Square in Pittsburgh, and have found them to be extremely worthwhile for both myself and my students. Accounting students have a chance to meet public accounting professionals, some of whom they had recently interviewed with for internships or full-time jobs. These encounters are a valuable opportunity to build on relationships established during the interview process and to increase the excitement for joining the profession. For me, personally, these events are a great opportunity to renew relationships with former colleagues and to establish new connections that prove to be valuable personally and professionally.

There are so many opportunities for new members and PICPA veterans to come together, have a blast, and build a stronger CPA community. Don’t let these great connections available only through your membership pass you by. Check out PICPA’s events page, and find a favorite near you, and register today. Then come back and register for another one!

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