Leonard J. Miller & Associates, Chartered

Partnering for CPA Practice Success Member American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants

NEWS RELEASE

ISO 9000 quality systems consultants

Baltimore, MD . . . In a move uncommon among CPA firms, Leonard J. Miller & Associates, Chartered has invested heavily in the rigorous process of ISO 9000 quality systems consultant training for two firm shareholders. Leonard J. Miller, CPA, MBA, CVA, managing shareholder, and Virginia Miller, CPA, shareholder and director of accounting and auditing in the certified public accounting and business consulting firm, have completed training that equips them to provide consulting services to companies seeking ISO 9000 registration. The firm has continually demonstrated a proactive commitment to meet marketplace demands with multi-talented specialists: Personnel credentials include 4 MBAs, 2 Certified Valuation Analysts (CVAs), a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), a Personal Financial Specialist (PFS), several masters degrees, along with 6 CPAs.

Increasingly, the firm has seen the call for ISO 9000 certification on the local level among its own clients and their suppliers and customers. Leonard Miller explains,

"The ISO 9000 family of international standards for quality management and quality assurance is rapidly becoming the single most widely recognized international standard for quality in manufacturing or service delivery. ISO certification has created a trickle-down effect in the supply chain. Our larger manufacturing and wholesale clients are hearing from their own customers that ISO certification is desirable or required for them to continue to do business. Now, our ISO training is one more important way we can help our clients continue to successfully compete in both local and global markets."

Improvement in customer satisfaction is a principal motive for a company to seek ISO 9000 registration. When a customer purchases products or services from a company that is registered, they have important assurances that the company adopts and documents a quality assurance system, and that it continuously demonstrates that it adheres to that system. ISO certification can also help establish a company’s credentials as a reliable business partner to potential customers, especially when supplier and customer are new to each other, or separated geographically as in an export context.

Two surveys conducted by the Association of Quality Control have shown that companies find registration valuable both internally, resulting in improved documentation and quality awareness, and externally, resulting in improved quality and competitive advantage. Leonard Miller continues,

"Through our understanding of business and our clients’operations, we can help them gain certification by helping them to comply with the complicated ISO standards. We can significantly shorten the timeframe for the process, enhance their chances of success, as well as reduce their cost."

The firm’s consulting role can include developing a project plan, assisting in the development of required documentation and in monitoring systems and controls, and providing internal audit training.

About Leonard J. Miller & Associates, Chartered

Certified Public Accountants & Business Consultants

While concentrated in the Mid-Atlantic region, the firm services clients throughout the country and internationally. Clients are primarily privately-held small- to mid-sized companies with $2-100-plus million in annual sales. The client base includes construction contractors, government contractors, manufacturers, professional practices, hotels and restaurant operations, rental real estate, wholesale and retail, and non-profit organizations.

The firm was formed as a sole proprietorship in 1976 with offices in Towson, incorporated in 1980, and has resided in its present downtown Baltimore location since 1984.

 The CPA and ISO 9000

Although slow to enter the market, CPAs are ideally suited for ISO 9000 consulting. Their skills in the areas of documentation, auditing and analysis and their knowledge of their own clients’ business operations make them perfect candidates to provide this service which can include education and training, development of the project plan to achieve certification and assistance in developing the required documentation.

Because of the CPA’s broad financial knowledge and familiarity with a wide range of businesses and role as strategic business advisers or de facto CIOs in small businesses, CPAs can help speed the process, increase the chance of gaining certification on the first try and lower overall costs.

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) itself recently completed the process of receiving ISO 9000 certification, becoming among one of the first professional associations in the U.S. to do so.

Backgrounder – Facts and Resources on ISO

 ISO 9000 . . .

[ Up ]