Richard T. Balog, CPA, CIA, CGFM, DACFE

Richard T. Balog, CIA, CPA, CGFM, DACFE is President and Chief Executive Officer of The ARC Consulting Group, Inc., a multi-faceted, profit-enhancement firm, providing educational and focused consulting services to the international business community.

Mr. Balog manages the conduct of ARC's consulting engagements, specializing in Forensic Accounting, Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance, "Sick-Business" Recovery Services, Internal Audits , Operational Auditing, and Activity-Based Cost Management consulting. He is also internationally recognized in the development and presentation of a wide range of professional development programs. He is a recognized leader in providing competency-based training to the professional community. He has won awards from The Institute of Internal Auditors and is currently one of the American Management Association’s (AMA) highest rated speakers in AMA's Finance World-Practice.

Professional Development Experience
Mr. Balog has designed, developed and presented On-Site professional development programs for such organizations as Fed Ex Corp., Verizon Communications, Inc., Sony Electronics, Mitel Corporation, Entact Ventures, Inc., The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), Times-Mirror Corporation, The FDIC, National Bank of Greece, Euro-Merchant Bank, The Inter-American Development Bank, The National Center for Toxilogical Research, The Inter-American Development Corporation, The United States Customs Service, Bank Administration Institute, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, ABB, Air Products and Chemicals, The United States Department of Agriculture - Graduate School, Saudi-Armco, The Metropolitan Insurance Company and NASDAQ.

An internationally recognized educator and consultant, Mr. Balog is an associate of Management Centre Europe, The Middle East Management Center, and The Far East Management Centre. He is an advisor to The United Nations, providing counsel and direction in their worldwide effort to ensure the proper and effective use of relief funds. In addition, Mr. Balog is an Associate of The Oxford Management Institute and EuroMaTech, both London-based professional development providers, for whom he provides training in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. In addition, he has designed, developed and delivered On-Site programs for the The Australian Institute of Internal Auditors, The Swiss Institute of Internal Auditors, The IIA - Hong Kong, The Malaysian IIA, and EASA in Caracas, Venezuela.

He is the highest rated speaker for the Finance Practice of the American Management Association International. He also is a frequent speaker for Executive Enterprises, Inc., The Institute of Industrial Engineers, Institute of Internal Auditors, American Institute of CPA's, and various other professional and educational associations and foundations. He has managed consulting engagements and led executive development programs in 25 countries, and has trained over 70,000 business executives. He is associated with Ally Business Systems, Inc., and The Value Creation Group, Inc. and has extensive experience in the design and implementation of activity-based cost management systems and managing the strategic outsourcing process.

Educational Design Experience
Mr. Balog has over 30 years of educational design and professional development experience. In 1976, as a Volunteer Seminar Leader for The Institute of Internal Auditors, he pioneered many of the Advanced Educational Design Concepts many organizations are just now introducing. In 1982, as head of KPMG's Executive Education's Programs for Internal Auditors curriculum, he introduced Competency-Based Training; insuring the participant's ability to perform the skills presented in the programs when they returned to their jobs. Mr. Balog has developed programs for more than 6 professional associations, covering more then 7 various disciplines in more than 7 discrete industries.

Management Consulting Experience
He has successfully completed numerous domestic and international consulting engagements in the areas of Acquisition Integration, Due Diligence, Strategic Planning, Cost Management, and Internal Auditing. A partial list of his domestic clients include The American Runner Corporation, Insul Corporation, Inc., Youngstown Chemical, Inc., Powdertech, Inc., G. Hielman Breweries, Inc., Johnston Coca-Cola, Dalen Products, Inc., Gardeneer Products, Inc., ABC Home Health Systems, Inc., First Georgia Home Health, inc., Bluebeard's Castle Homeowner's Association of St. Thomas, USVI, Pirate's Pension Homeowner's Association of St. Thomas, USVI, Hamm & Barry Attorneys-At-Law, Liberty Mutual Insurance, The Hartford Insurance Group, Fed Ex, The United States Postal Service, The United States Customs Service, The American National Standards Institute, The United States Department of the Treasury,The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, The Federal Reserve Bank, The National Center for Toxilogical Research, Inc., The City of San Luis Obispo, CA, Raytheon, and Honeywell. Due to the nature of Mr. Balog's consulting engagements, many of his clients cannot be identified. Internationally, Mr. Balog as successfully completed a number of international consulting engagements clients including The National Bank of Greece, Pamukbank, Türkiye, The National Electric Company of Italy (ENEL), EuroMerchant Bank of Greece, Air Products PLC, ABB, Saudi Aramco, The General Audit Bureau of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Shanghai-Singapore Banking Company, and The Victoria Power Commission, Melbourne, Australia. Mr. Balog is also a Consulting Principal for a regional certified public accounting firm located in the Greater Pittsburgh area.

Background and Qualifications
Prior to forming ARC, Mr. Balog successfully established KPMG Peat Marwick's Executive Education Department. Mr. Balog was responsible for the overall administration, marketing, design, development and presentation of the Firm’s client training programs. Additionally, Mr. Balog served as Manager of Program Development for The Institute of Internal Auditors, where he developed the course development framework and many of the training programs for the IIA's professional development programs. Mr. Balog was named Outstanding Staff Faculty Member for the IIA. He also served on the professional staff of the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO) where he helped develop the COSO Structured Framework. In addition, he was awarded the Distinguished Leadership Award for his extraordinary contribution to the audit profession. He served as Manager of Internal Audit for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maryland, and began his career with an international professional services firm.

A graduate of Loyola, he holds degrees in accounting and management. In addition, he holds an M. S. in Behavioral Sciences from the University of Florida. He has served on the faculties of The University of Central Florida - Graduate Division, Orlando College, and serves the faculty of Florida Community College at Jacksonville and the adjunct faculty of The George Mason University - School of International Studies in Arlington, VA. Mr. Balog is an Eagle Scout.

Professional Recognition
Mr. Balog is a contributing author and past contributing editor for Internal Auditing Journal and Cost Management Digest. He has been published in The Journal of Accountancy, The Internal Auditor, and The Management Journal. He has written more than 70 professional development programs for various companies, professional associations and educational foundations including The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, The American Management Association, The Institute of Internal Auditors, The Institute of Management Accountants, George Mason University School of International Studies, and Orlando College. He served as Contributing Editor for Warren, Gorham & Lamont's Internal Auditing Journal. He is listed in Who's Who in the East, Who's Who in American Education, Who's Who in American Finance and Industry, Who's Who in America, and Who's Who In The World. Mr. Balog is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants, Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Institute of Internal Auditors, and National Association of Accountants. He is a Charter Member of The Institute for Financial Crime Prevention, and the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Balog is a Certified Internal Auditor, a Certified Government Financial Manager, A Distinguished Member of the American Collage of Forensic Examiners, and is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in Maryland and Florida.

Click Here for Mr. Balog's AMA and NCCE Training Schedules

Email: RickBalog@ArcConsultinggroup.com

Kathleen G. Robbins, CPA, CMA
Ms. Robbins is Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer of The ARC Consulting Group, Inc., a multifaceted, international professional services firm, providing educational and consultative services to the business community. She has overall responsibility for the management of ARC's financial operations, information technology activities, and the performance and management of consulting engagements in the areas of Forensic Accounting, Chapter 11 Restructures, and Product Cost System Development..

Professional Development Experience
Ms. Robbins has developed and delivered On-Site professional development programs for such organizations as Fed Ex Corp., Entact Ventures, Inc., Times-Mirror Corporation, The FDIC, The Inter-American Development Bank, The Inter-American Development Corporation, The United States Customs Service, ABB, Air Products and Chemicals, Wal-Mart, Inc., The Metropolitan Insurance Company, Wal-Mart, Buckman Laboratories, Balchem Corp. and NASDAQ.

She is one of the highest rated speakers for the Finance Division of the The American Management Association. She also is a frequent speaker for Executive Enterprises, Inc., Institute of Internal Auditors, and various other professional and educational associations and foundations. She has managed consulting engagements and led executive development programs in 5 countries, and has trained over 10,000 business executives. She is associated with Ally Business Systems, Inc., and The Value Creation Group, Inc.

An internationally recognized educator and consultant, Ms. Robbins is an associate of Management Centre Europe, The Middle East Management Center, and The Far East Management Centre. Ms. Robbins is an Associate of The Oxford Management Institute and EuroMaTech, both London-based professional development providers, for whom she provides training in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. She has designed, developed and presented programs to The Swiss Institute of Internal Auditors The National Bank of Greece, Powdertech Japan, and for the financial staff of Saudi-Aramco, located in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

Educational Design Experience
Ms. Robbins has over 10 years of educational design and professional development experience. She has successfully completed several programs in Advanced Educational Design Concepts, and has mastered the application of Competency-Based Training; insuring the participant's ability to perform the skills presented in the programs when they returned to their jobs. Ms. Robbins has developed programs for more than 4 professional associations, covering more then 5 various disciplines in more than 6 discrete industries.

Management Consulting Experience
As an internationally known consultant, Ms. Robbins specializes in the areas of corporate cost management, Activity-Based Cost system development, treasury functions, Strategic Financial Management, Sick Business Recovery Services and Forensic Accounting. She is also a recognized authority in the design, development, and control of application systems for a wide range of platforms and architectures. Her expertise includes benefit accounting, product costing, foreign investment and exchange, the strategic and tactical applications of information technology, and strategic financial management.

She has successfully completed numerous domestic and international consulting engagements in the areas of Cost Management, Cost System Development and Operational Auditing. A partial listing of her domestic clients includes: ABB, Fed Ex, The United States Postal Service, Dalen Products, Inc., Powdertech, Inc., Wal-Mart, Buckman Laboratories, Balchem Corp, and Hamm & Barry, Attorneys At Law. Ms. Robbins international clients include The National Bank of Greece, Pamukbank in Türkiye, The National Electric Company of Italy (ENEL), and Air Products PLC. She is also an American Management Association Faculty Member and an On-Site Associate for Management Centre Europe and The Middle East Management Center specializing in financial accounting, cost accounting, internal audit, operational audit, forensic accounting, PC and mainframe systems development and product cost management systems.

Background and Qualifications
Prior to joining ARC in 1992, Ms. Robbins served as Chief Financial Officer for an international manufacturing company with operations in both the United States and Japan. As an officer of the company, she was accountable for the fiscal management of the organization. In this position, Ms. Robbins developed the cost management systems for this multi-national manufacturing organization. Ms. Robbins also served as Corporate Controller and Cost Accounting Manager for several manufacturing companies in the Greater Chicago area. Ms. Robbins holds a B. S. with honors in accounting and finance from Indiana University,. She earned her MBA in Corporate Finance from Purdue University.

Professional Recognition
Ms. Robbins has contributed to a number of published journals and reference guides in the areas of fiscal management, internal controls, internal audit. She has assisted in the development of several financial management and internal audit professional development programs including The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, The American Management Association, The Institute of Internal Auditors, and The Institute of Management Accountants,. She is listed in Who's Who in the East, Who's Who in American Finance, Who's Who in America, and Who's Who in the World. Ms. Robbins is a Certified Public Accountant, and a Certified Management Accountant.

Click Here to View Kate Robbins AMA Training Schedule

Email: KateRobbins@ArcConsultingGroup.com

Michael B. Bender, PMP
President, Ally Business Developers

Mr. Bender is a Senior Principle of The ARC Consulting Group, specializing in the deign and delivery of Project Management, Process Management and Work Management professional development program, and in managing projects through his firm Ally Business Developers, Inc. (ABD). Mr. Bender founded ABD for to assist organizations improve the way they work and achieve their strategic objectives. In the process, Mr. Bender has helped thousands of people and hundreds of organizations realize their goals. Mr. Bender’s experience includes virtually every industry and spans several continents. A brief list of projects Mr. Bender’s accomplishments include:

• The Hubbell Space Telescope
• NEXRAD (Next Generation Weather Radar) System
•  Air traffic control systems for the US, Taiwan, and the UK
• Cable television station automation systems

Mr. Bender’s industrial project and technical experience includes manufacturing, power utility control, chemical research and processing, financial services and management, information systems, medical equipment installation, construction, internet marketing, mining, and university management. Mr. Bender’s consulting experience includes project and process review, creating and enhancing process methodologies, workload analysis, organizational structure review and recommendations, and many other areas.

• Mr. Bender is a frequent speaker for the American Management Association (AMA).  Specializing in project management, Mr. Bender leads both on-site and public seminars.
• Mr. Bender has also authored or co-authored many of AMA’s current and past seminars.  Mr. Bender provided both project management training and consulting services to a worldwide religious organization to aid their information systems management department.
• For Siemens Medical Systems, Mr. Bender developed a detailed project management methodology that reduced project delays resulting in savings of an estimated $7 million dollars per year.
• Mr. Bender helped an international bank integrate a newly acquired bank. The acquired bank’s processes were bipolar in style from the buyer’s, resulting in severe cultural incompatibilities.

Prior to starting Ally, Mr. Bender was president of Computer Control Technology, where he designed, led, and directed the development of high-technology computer-based systems, and supported such organizations as Unisys, Digital Systems Corporation, Perkin-Elmer Corporation, Rational Broadcast Systems, IBM Corporation, Applied Digital Communication, telecommunication companies, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Mr. Bender holds a BS in biomedical-electrical engineering (BSEE) from Rutgers University. Mr. Bender is a proud member of the AMA and the Project Management Institute, where he holds the PMP certification. He has also been featured in International Who’s Who, and National Register’s Who’s Who in Executives and Professionals.

Mr. Bender is currently authoring a series of books designed to help new project managers develop successful techniques for managing projects. The “How To Project Manage Series” will include books targeted to the most critical aspects of project development. The first book, Setting Goals and Expectations is now available from popular on-line bookstores.

Email: MichaelBender@ArcconsultingGroup.com

Click Here to View Michael Bender's AMA Training Schedule

Carl Huffman, CSP
President, Huffman Enterprises

Carl Huffman CSP is a Senior Associate of the ARC Consulting Group, Inc. Mr. Huffman designs, develops and presents Management Development and Personal Development programs for ARC. He has been a speaker and trainer for many Fortune 500 companies including Siemens, Graybar, Metlife, Ameritech, Hilton Hotels, Mallinckrodt, Munters, CUES and many others for over 20 years.

An internationally recognized educator and consultant, Mr. Huffman is been a distinguished member of the American Management Association faculty for the past 20 years, where he presents management development and effective presentations seminars. He is also an associate of The Global Training Centre headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Management Centre Europe, The Middle East Management Center, and The Far East Management Centre

He holds a BA degree in Speech from Indiana University; he is past president of the Illinois Chapter of the National Speakers Association.  Carl received the Toastmasters Communication and Leadership Award and the National Speakers Association designation of Certified Speaking Professional.

Carl is a member of the National Speakers Association and the American Society of Training and Development. Prior to founding Huffman Enterprises, Mr. Huffman was CEO of two corporations.  His book "A Dictionary of Sales" was published in 2000.  He was also a contributing author to "Thriving on Change" published by Select Press.  His new book "Father Hope Comes to Town" will be published soon.  Carl is listed in "Who's Who in America."

Email: CarlH007@aol.com