2023 Events
Heard, McElroy and Vestal Buffet Breakfast
Whited Room
June 6
8 to 10:30 a.m.
Topic: Estate Planning
View Invitation >
View Photos >
Dirk D. Coleman, CPA, AEP®
Dirk became a Partner at HMV when his former firm, Curtis Blakely & Co., joined forces with the firm in 2023. He continues to service clients from our office in Longview, Texas and is responsible for managing the firm's diverse tax practice that includes consulting, planning and compliance services for individuals and all types of business organizations. Dirk is also an Accredited Estate Planner® designee and devotes a substantial portion of his time to estate planning and administration.
Dirk is a graduate of Oral Roberts University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Master of Science in Accounting from Texas A&M University. He joined Curtis Blakely & Co. in 1984 after one year of tax experience with a Bryan, Texas accounting firm and became a Shareholder in 1986.
Kristin C. Hildebrand, CPA, AEP®
Kristin joined the partnership when the firm merged with Curtis Blakely & Co., a Texas-based firm which began operating under the name of HMV in 2023. She works out of the Longview, Texas location and continues to service clients and remain active in the firm's tax services, accounting and other business consulting services. Kristin holds the Accredited Estate Planner (AEP®) credential for individuals who specialize in estate planning services.
Kristin graduated summa cum laude from Louisiana Tech University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting followed by a Master of Public Accountancy. She joined Curtis Blakely & Co. in 2005 and became Shareholder in 2020.
Elizabeth G. Killough, CPA
Liz joined HMV Shreveport in August of 2006. Prior to working at HMV, Liz was employed with KPMG, LLP in Shreveport, LA, where she was an intern and member of the tax staff. Prior to working for KPMG, Elizabeth served as an air traffic controller for the United States Air Force. As a Tax Director at HMV, she specializes in tax compliance for closely held businesses and high wealth individuals, as well as estate tax matters through which she has experience as an expert witness at trial. She also remains responsible for preparation of tax returns and tax planning.
A native of New York City, Liz is a graduate of Louisiana State University in Shreveport, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Louisiana Society of Certified Public Accountants (LCPA), the Council of Petroleum Accountants Societies (COPAS), and the Tax and Estate Planning Council of Shreveport. Liz participates as a volunteer for Junior Achievement, is a graduate of the LANO Board Leadership training program, and a member of Willow Point Baptist Church.
2021 Events
2021 Spring Family Business Dinner
Thursday, April 29 • Petroleum Club, 416 Travis Street, 16th Floor
2021 Summer Family Business Extra
Lagniappe: Update on Proposals on Corporate, Individual, and Estate taxes
Tuesday, June 29 • Whited Room, Centenary College
2021 Summer Family Business Extra
Lagniappe: Business in Transition - Creating Your Succession Road Map
featuring Nicole Bettinger Zeidler
Wednesday, August 24 • Petroleum Club, 416 Travis Street, 16th Floor
CFOB After 5 Mixer
Wednesday, September 15 • Meadows Museum
CFOB Fall Family Business Forum
Family Councils: Building One or Getting More Out of Yours
featuring Stephen McClure, PhD
Wednesday, October 27 • Cocktails and Dinner • Petroleum Club, 416 Travis Street, 16th Floor
Thursday, October 28 • Breakfast and Workshop • Fitness Center, Centenary College
2019 Spring
Transitioning from the Top
Wednesday, April 24
Shreveport Club, 410 Travis Street 6:30 - 9:00 PM Cocktail Reception and Dinner featuring Kathy French of the Caddo-Bossier Port Commission
Kathy French is the director of community relations for the Caddo-Bossier Parishes Port Commission. Prior to joining the Port Commission, Kathy held the positions of engineering supervisor at General Motors, production supervisor and industrial engineer at UPS, market research project manager for U.L. Coleman Companies, and community relations director at Community Renewal International.
Thursday, April 25
Centenary College, Bynum Commons, Whited Room
Breakfast and Workshop featuring Stephanie Brun de Pontet, Ph.D. of the Family Business Consulting Group
Stephanie Brun de Pontet, Ph.D. is a senior consultant of The Family Business Consulting Group. She specializes in advising family enterprises facing important transitions and is a recognized expert on the topic of succession. Stephanie works with clients to establish succession plans, draft policies and governance structures, and build a framework for next-generation collaborations. Her work is driven by knowledge and experience from the fields of management, entrepreneurship, and psychology.
THURSDAY, JUNE 27
8:30 - 9:30 am • Whited Room, Bynum Commons
Larry Little
"Economic Factors Affecting the Banking Industry"
Sponsored by Origin Bank
WEDNESDAY, JULY 17
8:30 - 9:30 am • Whited Room, Bynum Commons
Brian R. Carnie and Michael D. Lowe
"Change is in the Air"
Sponsored by Kean Miller
2019 Winter
How Are Entrepreneurial Families Different from Business Families?
Tuesday, February 5
Shreveport Club, 410 Travis Street
6:30 - 7:15 PM COCKTAIL RECEPTION
7:15 - 9:00 PM DINNER WITH SPEAKER, WILLIAM GARTNER, Ph. D.
The Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurial Families
Wednesday, February 6
Centenary College, Bynum Commons, Whited Room
8:00 AM FULL BREAKFAST
8:30 - 11:00 AM WORKSHOP
William B. Gartner is the Bertarelli Foundation Distinguished Professor of Family Entrepreneurship at Babson College (Babson College has been ranked the number one higher educational institution for entrepreneurship for the past 24 years). His research and teaching at Babson focuses on the characteristics, skills and practices of successful entrepreneurial families. He has served in various academic positions as the University of Virginia, Georgetown University, the University of Southern California, Clemson University, San Francisco State University, ESSEC in Paris, Copenhagen Business School and he is also a Visiting Professor of Entrepreneurship at Linnaeus University in Vaxjo, Sweden. He is the 2005 winner of the Swedish Entrepreneurship Foundation International Award for outstanding contributions to entrepreneurship and small business research. His book: Entrepreneurship as Organizing: Selected Papers of William B. Gartner was recently published in a paperback edition by Edward Elgar.
Objectives and Key Results (OKR) Leadership; the Secret Sauce in Family Owned Business
December 5, 2019
Center for Family-Owned Business Breakfast and Workshop in the Whited Room at Centenary College
Doug Gray, Ph.D. Dr. Gray is an affiliate consultant with The Family Business Consulting Group where he specializes in leadership development, succession planning and building family unity in enterprising families. He assists family-owned firms and leadership teams with assessments and strategic solutions that leverage his expertise in positive psychology, outcome-based consulting, executive coaching, conflict resolution, family meeting facilitation and succession planning.
2018 Fall Series
Ownership Alignment: The Foundation for Family Enterprise Continuity
Wednesday, December 4 -5, 2018
- December 4th at the Shreveport Club with and the speaker will be Paul Dickson, President of Morris & Dickson Company
- December 5th at Whited Room at Centenary College, the speaker will be Barbara Dartt - View photos
Paul Dickson
Paul Meade Dickson Sr. is married to Beverly Rigby Dickson. They have 4 sons, 3 daughters-in-law, 2 grandsons, 1 granddaughter. He is a member of First Presbyterian Church Lifelong Shreveport area resident. Paul received his education at Southfield School B.A. Colorado College 1982 Continuing education at Stanford, Wharton, Sloan, and Harvard schools of business. He has worked in the family business since age 13 and is currently President. He is the fifth Dickson to hold the title of President of Morris & Dickson since 1900.
Barbara Dartt
Barbara Dartt is a senior consultant for The Family Business Consulting Group, assisting businesses with succession strategies, long-term planning, management transitions and family governance implementation, as well as other opportunities and challenges unique to family-owned businesses. Her experience in helping businesses navigate systems, create structure, and formalize strategic roles brings clarity to her clients’ organizational development needs. Barb brings expansive skills to the areas of strategic design and planning, work group and council formations, and people development for complex generational transitions. Barb’s path into family business consulting is based in very traditional roots. Growing up, she watched her grandfather and father provide educational extension services to family-owned farms. Her interest in serving farm families led her to study veterinary medicine, earning her doctoral degree from Michigan State University in 1996. In 1998, Barb earned a Master’s Degree in Agricultural Economics at MSU where she worked as a graduate research assistant, then as a Farm Business Management Specialist. She continued her family legacy as a third-generation extension agent working closely with family farms to enhance their business practices, develop management skills and identify growth opportunities. Drawing from her strengths as a financial and project management advisor, Barb focused her career on supporting the distinctive needs of family business entrepreneurs as a senior business consultant for Salisbury Management Services (later named Lookout Ridge Consulting) in 2001. She later became a founding partner of GROW, a family business advisor firm serving a wide range of agricultural sectors from manufacturing to service industries. Barb also helped create familybusiness.ag, a peer network of family business mentors working within the agricultural industry. In 2014, Barb joined FBCG to leverage her extensive advising experience to work with family enterprises across industries. According to a client, “Without Barb’s help, we wouldn’t have made the progress much needed on our decision making and family relationships.” She earned the Advanced Certificate in Family Business Advising from the Family Firm Institute in 2014. Barb currently serves as a board director and is past-president of the Michigan FFA Foundation. Barb lives in Olivet, Michigan with her husband and three children where she enjoys cooking, reading and cheering on her favorite basketball teams.
2018 Summer Lagniappe Series
A Kean Miller Legal Update
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
Centenary College Whited Room • 8:00 AM
Speakers: Brian R. Carnie; Will R. Huguet; David P. Hamm, Jr. • Kean Miller, LLP
An informative one-hour presentation covering legal matters dealing with several areas including labor and employment: oil and gas; and business and corporate law. Learn about recent cases and new laws that provide practical guidance regarding how to deal with the changing legal landscape.
Deal Making for Good: Smart Giving = Significant Living
Monday, June 4, 2018
Noon-1: 00 pm
Shreveport Club
410 Travis Street • Shreveport, LA
Speaker: Dick Rathgeber
DICK RATHGEBER will discuss “Deal Making for Good: Smart Giving = Significant Living” DICK RATHGEBER is a respected developer and philanthropist who has given generously of his time, talent, and treasure to many organizations in the Austin, Texas area. He has been particularly active with the Salvation Army on both the local and national level, making a significant land donation for the Salvation Army shelter in downtown Austin and serving on the Salvation Army National Advisory Board from 1990-1999. Rathgeber has received three of the four top awards given by the Salvation Army National Organization, the only person worldwide to do so. In 2016, he was named an honorary colonel of the Salvation Army, a recognition bestowed on less than ten people in the organization’s 150 year history. In recognition of his generous contributions to improve life for the neediest citizens in his community, Rathgeber has also been honored as Austinite of the Year, Philanthropist of the Year, and Austin’s Most Worthy Citizen, among other awards.
“Overview of Origin Bank’s Recent IPO”
Thursday, July 26, 2018
11:45am–1:00pm
Petroleum Club • 416 Travis Street • Shreveport, LA
ADAM GLASIER joined Stephens in 2017 and is a member of the Financial Institutions Group. Prior to Stephens, Mr. Glasier worked as Director of Finance for a venture-backed biotechnology startup, where he worked on a range of transactions including debt and equity capital raises and mergers and acquisitions. He also worked in Corporate Finance and Strategy at Walmart. He began his career at Stephens in 2010 during which time he worked with the Financial Institutions Group and completed the Investment Banking Analyst Program. He graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Economics, Political Science, and Spanish from the University of Arkansas and received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
LARRY LITTLE joined Origin in 2010 with 17 years experience in bank management. He started with Commercial National Bank in 1993 and remained with the organization through four separate merger events (Deposit Guaranty, First American, AmSouth, Regions), later being promoted to Commercial Sales Manager for the Ark-La-Tex region of Regions Bank. He graduated from Southern Arkansas University with a B.S. in Accounting and from Louisiana Tech University with an M.B.A. in Business Administration with emphasis on Accounting. He is an active member of the community volunteering with the YMCA and United Way and serving as past board president for Providence House.
“Tax Cuts and Job act”
Thursday, August 16, 2018
8:00-9:00am
Remington Suite Hotel Gallery Room
220 Travis Street
Speaker: Robert Dean
With the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) being signed into law on December 22, 2017, by President Trump, the United States is experiencing the most significant tax reform in over 30 years. As with any tax reform, there are a multitude of tax planning strategies to implement over the 2018 tax year and in future years. Please join us for an overview of the TCJA changes from both an individual and business tax perspective.
ROY PRESTWOOD Prestwood received his B.S. in accounting from Centenary and also earned an M.B.A. from the University of Houston. He has over 30 years of experience in the accounting industry and specializes in taxation, specifically as it affects closely held business, physicians, and oil & gas. In 2017 he began serving as Partner-in-Charge of HMV’s Tax Department.
CHRIS SOLOMON Solomon worked in the banking industry before joining HMV in 2008 as a Tax Manager. He uses his experience in tax planning and preparation for individuals, partnerships, and corporations and has specialized training in the taxation of financial institutions and the construction industry.
CLAIRE ADKINS Adkins joined HMV in 2012 after working for PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP in Houston. She is a Tax Manager in the Shreveport office and communicates with clients to discuss present and future tax saving opportunities, develops tax planning tactics, and completes tax returns for individuals, corporations, partnerships, and trusts.
2018 Spring Forum
Dinner • Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Shreveport Club • 6:30pm, Cocktails • 7:00 PM, Dinner
Speaker • U.S. Representative (retired) Jim McCrery, Ph.D.
"Federal Legislative Update on Tax Policy Affecting the Family Business"
Breakfast Workshop • Wednesday, March 28, 2018
Centenary College Whited Room • 8:00 AM
Speaker: David Karosky, President, Family Business Consulting Group
"Family Business Health Check"
2018 Winter Forum
Dinner • Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Shreveport Club • 6:30pm, Cocktails • 7:00 PM, Dinner
Breakfast Workshop • Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Centenary College Whited Room • 8:00 AM
Speaker: Jean Meeks-Kock, Ph.D., Family Business Consulting Group
"Family Values + Healthy Family-Business Culture = Healthy ROI"
2017 FALL FORUM
Dinner Speaker: Harry McInnis, President, McInnis Brothers Construction, Inc.
"Development of an Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP)"
Workshop Facilitator: Dana Telford, Family Business Consulting Group
"From Partners by Chance to Partners by Choice: Building Trust-Based Partnerships with Siblings and Cousins"
FALL 2016 FORUM
Dinner Speaker: Dr. Christopher Holoman, President, Centenary College
"My Vision for Centenary in 2017"
Workshop Facilitator: Dr. Otis Baskin, Family Business Consulting Group
"The Stages of Good Governance"
WINTER FORUM
Dinner Speaker: Lee Michael Berg and Sons, Owners of Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry
"Generational Transitioning at Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry"
Workshop Facilitator: Dr. Joshua Nacht, Family Business Consulting Group
"Family Champions and Champion Families"
SPRING FORUM
Dinner Speaker: Richard Lipsey and Laurie Lipsey Aronson, Owners of Lipsey's and Haspel Clothing
"History of Steinberg's and Lipsey's"
Workshop Facilitator: Greg Greenleaf, Family Business Consulting Group
"To Sell or Not to Sell: Knowing the Right Reasons to Exit the Family Business"
2017 SUMMER LAGNIAPPE SERIES
Origin Bank Program
Speaker: Larry Little, Origin Bank
"Current Trends in Banking"
Argent Financial Group Program
Speaker: John McCollum, CFA, Senior Vice President of Investments, Argent Financial Group
"Trends in Investment Management"
Kean Miller Program
Speaker: Brian Carnie, Kean Miller Attorneys at Law
"Trumpcare and Other Labor and Employment Developments in the First 200 Days"
Heard, McElroy & Vestal Program
Speaker: Robert Dean, Heard, McElroy & Vestal
"Tax Changes and the Family Business"
2015-16 Programs
FALL FORUM
Workshop Facilitator and Dinner Speaker: Amy Schuman, Family Business Consulting Group
“Human Resource in the Family Business: Maximizing the Power of Your People”
WINTER FORUM
Dinner Speaker: Mike Woods, CEO Woods Operating
“Navigating the Rough Patches”
Workshop Facilitator: Kent Rhodes, Family Business Consulting Group
“Conflict Resolution in the Family-Owned Business”
SPRING FORUM
Dinner Speaker: Clark Hunt, owner of Kansas City Chiefs, and Norma Hunt, owner of Bidwell Creek Vineyard
“The Hunt Family Business”
Workshop Facilitator: David Lansky, Family Business Consulting Group
“Family Wealth Continuity: Building a Foundation for the Future”
2015-16 Summer Lagniappe Programs
Origin Bank Program
Speaker: Larry Little, Origin Bank Regional President
“The Banking Environment and How It Affects You as a Business Owner”
Kean Miller Program
Speaker: Price Barker and Brian Carnie, Kean Miller Partners
“To Be or Not to Be Exempt: Coming to Grips with the New Overtime Rules”
Heard McElroy & Vestal Program
Speaker: Mark Eldredge, Heard McElroy & Vestal Partner
“Tax Changes in Louisiana”
2014-15 Programs
FALL FORUM
Workshop Facilitator and Dinner Speaker: Joe Schmieder, Family Business Consulting Group
“Strengthening the Strategic Planning Process: Helping Family Businesses Plan in a Networked Economy”
WINTER FORUM
Workshop Facilitator and Dinner Speaker: Dana Telford, Family Business Consulting Group
“Siblings in the Family Business”
SPRING FORUM
Workshop Facilitator and Dinner Speaker: Anne Hargrave, Family Business Consulting Group
“Building Family Agreements and Achieving Shareholder Alignment”
2014-15 Summer Lagniappe Programs
Heard McElroy & Vestal Program
Speakers: Robert Dean, Heard McElroy & Vestal Partner and Pat Nunley, Athens Partners
“Stronger Relationships, Better Results: Partnering Tips to Strengthen Your Family-Owned Business
Argent Financial Group
Speaker: Diane Rudner, Argent Board Member
“Philanthropy Can Last Forever – But at What Price?”
Cook Yancey King & Galloway
Speaker: William Kalmbach and Logan Schroeder, Cook Yancey King & Galloway Partners
“Back to Basics: Keeping the Estate Plan and Corporate Governance Documents Up to Date”