Here are a couple of pictures from tonight's open house at the Ed Murray campaign headquarters in Cheyenne. A beautiful evening and great company!

Congratulations to Nicole Young for passing the final part of the Uniform CPA exam.

Nicole is a senior staff accountant for DAPCPA Pope & Associates in Winter Park Colorado and has been with the DAPCPA group of firms since 2009. After graduating from the University of Wyoming, she started in the Riverton office of DAPCPA and relocated to the Winter Park office in 2013.

The CPA exam is often rated one of the toughest of the professional licensing examinations and is given in four parts over four separate sittings. Most states now require that a candidate have 150 hours of coursework with a concentration in business and accounting in order to sit for the exam.

Well done Nicole!

Grace Bohall, CPA and Staff Accountant with DAPCPA Pope & Associates, LLC, has been named to the Kremmling, Colorado Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Her position was approved on Thursday, July 17th.

In a prepared statement, David Pope, CPA, CGMA and Managing Member of DAPCPA Pope & Associates, LLC in Grand County, Colorado, indicated that "Ms Bohall's involvement with the Chamber, as well as her additional volunteer efforts, represent the DAPCPA Group's total commitment to community involvement. We support all of our employees and partners in their efforts to better our communities."

DAPCPA Pope & Associates, LLC is part of a group of CPA firms with locations in Winter Park, Colorado, Cheyenne Wyoming and Riverton Wyoming. The firms are full-service and offer Audit, tax and a wide range of consulting and bookkeeping products.

David Pope, CPA and principle shareholder for DAPCPA Pope and Jackson, Inc. was named to the Cheyenne Animal Shelter Board of Directors. Mr. Pope was nominated for the position by the facility's President and CEO, Robert Fecht and approved by the Board of Directors at their June meeting.

Mr. Pope brings more than 20 years of accounting experience to the position, as well as a wealth of knowledge in the business advisory sector.

"My goal is to use my abilities to help the shelter succeed in their mission", explained Pope in a prepared statement.

The shelter is a Wyoming 501(c)3 non-profit corporation that helps care for animals that are stray or surrendered.

DAPCPA Pope and Jackson, Inc. is part of the DAPCPA group of CPA firms, with offices in Cheyenne and Riverton, Wyoming as well as Winter Park, Colorado. The flagship firm in Cheyenne was founded in 1996 with three clients. The combined firms now boast roughly 2,000 clients that reside or do business in all 50 states and several foreign countries.

Last night my son, Jeff Pope and I were the guests of Jimmy Orr and event co-chair, Marian Schulz at the annual Denim and Diamonds Gala at Little America in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Denim and Diamonds benefits the foundation of Cheyenne's only hospital, Cheyenne Regional Medical Center. In particular, the goal is to use this years' proceeds to install vital-sign monitors in each patients' room, allowing the staff to spend more quality time with each person.

This weekend was the 25th anniversary of the event and was celebrated over the course of two days. Last nights menu was steak and lobster and the entertainment was provided by Jackson 6, a brass band frm Jackson, Wyoming.

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to spend A one-on-one lunch with Secretary of State candidate, Ed Murray.

Ed and I have been friends for more than a decade. We were introduced in 1997 by the late Cheyenne icon, Fred Albert. At that juncture I had only been in Cheyenne three years and my business had only been open for a year. Ed was kind enough to take me to lunch and offer me some much needed encouragement and advice. I will always appreciate his kindness and help. 

Over the years, we both have grown older, his business ventures have matured and my firm has grown exponentially. Every couple of years, Ed and I still go to lunch and I enjoy our time immensely. I still learn something new at every luncheon.

In our latest installment, the natural topic was Ed's candidacy for Wyoming Secretary of State. Our discussion ranged from both the intricacies and humor of small-town politics to the need for maintaining a focused effort on supporting Wyoming's business climate.

Needless to say, I endorse Ed Murray for Secretary of State in Wyoming. Ed's business experience and acumen will allow him to step into this essential position and excel in its leadership.

     On Sunday Evening, I was fortunate to enjoy dinner with Governor Matt and First Lady Carol Mead, as well as a few friends.
     What an interesting evening hearing about and discussing the Governor's vision for the future of Wyoming. Wyoming is a very healthy state economically, with rankings in the top ten (if not at the very top) amongst all states in areas like low taxes, future opportunities, clean air and water, livability, etc. The Governor's stewardship of the state is to be commended. Yet it is in how Governor Mead is leading the state through its challenges that is truly impressive. 
     Governor Mead was kind enough to spend a significant amount of time discussing directly with me the EPA ruling that placed the town of Riverton, Wyoming under the control of the Wind River Reservation. As all of you may be aware, my firm has an office in Riverton and we are very concerned about the long-term effects of this action upon our clients in that region. I am very comfortable with the State's response and the Governor's leadership in the issue. 
     It was also nice to finally spend some time getting to know First Lady Carol Mead. She is a wonderfully gracious person and it was great to discuss her focus on literacy and education here in Wyoming.