2022 ASA International Conference Wrap-Up

ASA recently held its 85^th annual International Conference on September 10-12, 2022, offering a hybrid format for all disciplines, both in Tampa, FL at JW Marriott Water Street, and online. In keeping the tradition of providing the highest-level of education for appraisal experts, this year’s conference featured more than 65 sessions of the most comprehensive educational programming available taught by preeminent thought-leaders from all appraisal disciplines.

Preceding the conference on September 9, ASA CEO, Johnnie White, joined members for a golf outing, followed by a chapter leadership training that afternoon. The official 2022 ASA International Conference kicked off Saturday, September 10 with a Welcome Reception, which included hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, allowing attendees to get to know one another and network prior to the start of sessions on Sunday.

Monday was the first full day of the conference with introductions and welcoming remarks from ASA’s International President Rick Berkemeier, ASA.

Next, Johnnie White, ASA’s CEO, spoke and then invited Conference Keynote Sponsor, Cindy Knox, client success manager at Valcre, to the stage to introduce keynote speaker, Dr. LaVaughn M. Henry.

 

Dr. Lavaughn then discussed: “The Status and Outlook for the U.S. Economy”.

Following the keynote presentation, attendees adjourned to the appropriate specialized educational track they chose.

The first educational sessions of the day included An Introduction to Digital Assets: Use Cases and Value Accrual with Tara Singh and Anastis Anastasiou; Considering Installation and Decommissioning Costs When Evaluating Equipment by Alec Story; ASA Lessons Learned from a  Recent Tax Court case: Chiarelli v. Commissioner (and other topics) by Theresa Melchiorre;  Geopolitics and the Jewelry Industry presented by Avi Krawitz; and Big Data Valuation Tools and Current Market Trends with Mitch Helman and Matt Sterup.

Following the first networking break, the next round of sessions included: Valuing Cannabis 2.0   presented by Ron Seigneur, ASA and Lincoln Ehrhardt, ASA; Covid and the Corporate Jet Market by Anna Kopinski; True Luxury? Appraisal Best Practices in a Counterfeit Culture; with Graham Wetzbarger; Caffeinated Appraisal: What Keeps You Up at Night by Jeff Rauland and David Fry; Appraisals in the Courtroom – From A Judge’s Perspective with Robert Kelley, Jr. and Honorable Darren Farfante; as well as session: Goodwill Conundrums in Family Law presented by Kenneth Pia, ASA, Jay Fishman, FASA, and Thomas Sasser.

The afternoon got under way with ASA’s Annual International Awards Luncheon sponsored by FleetEvaluator. ASA International President Rick Berkemeier presented the following awards:

ASA’s Chapter Member of the Year Award was given to Matthew Muller, ASA. The Chapter Education Event Award was presented to the ASA Houston Chapter; the Chapter Outreach Program Recipient was South Florida Atlantic Chapter; Chapter Membership Referral Award Recipient was the Hudson Valley Chapter; and ASA’s International Virtual Chapter was awarded Chapter of the Year.

Next Berkemeier presented the Rising Star Award winners: Cameron Tipton, Kathryn Taylor, Henry Kaskov, Kevin Blair, Trang Pham, Corey DeWitt, Justin Salcido, Danielle Rahm and Robert Becker.

Following that, Berkemeier announced that the Board of Examiners recognized Gary Frantzen, ASA for the Examiner of the Year Award.

The NAIFA award winners were then announced. The NAIFA Appraiser of the Year Award was given to Ron Flowers; and the Paul Wetzel Award was given to Robert Solotist, ASA.

After a brief break, the awards then continued with The Jerry Larkins Volunteer Service Award given to Mona Miller, ASA; and The Sylvia Wade Olson Award of Merit went to ASA’s COO, Bonny Price.

Next, the Appraiser of the Year award went to:John Henley and Laurie-Leigh White.

Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients, Mike Bradford, Ernest Demba, ASA and John Thomson, ASA, MAI were then recognized; followed by ASA’s new Shannon Pratt Award, which was awarded to Roger Grabowski, FASA.

Following the awards presentation, Berkemeier recognized current Past ASA President David Crick, as well as other past President’s and the Board of Governors.

After lunch, sessions touched on topics of: Beware of Meme Stocks with Joseph Thompson, ASA; Reflecting the Impact of ESG Factors in Business Valuations presented by Vanessa Claiborne, ASA and Nene Gianfala, ASA; The External Appraisal’s Role in Equipment Financing by Paul Cogley, ASA; Understanding Relevant Markets for Sold-Out Artists with Lela Hersh, ASA and Vivian Pfeiffer; Changes in the Luxury Watch Market with Ken Specht; Reducing Revision Requests presented by Jeff Rauland; as well as Applying USPAP in an Appraisal Review Assignment with Barry Shea, ASA.

The conference also included presentations on: Matching Risk and Return Updated Observations on Developing Discount Rates by Roger Grabowski, FASA; Purchase Price Allocation – The Industrial Appraiser’s Role with Asher Cohen, ASA and Josh Abbey, ASA; A Step Into the NFT World by Erick Calderon; Appraising for Resale: Recognizing Markets and Values by Duncan Parker; Renewable Energy Valuation & Cost Segregation with Steven Munson, ASA; as well as Bad Trial Testimony: Avoiding the Chasm Below the Bridge of Death presented by Edward Kainen.

After attendees continued to network and visit a variety of exhibitor booths, our presentations of the day concluded with: What it Takes to be a Growing Professional with Chris Mercer, FASA and Jay Fishman, FASA; A False Dichotomy: Why Data Analytics Can’t Replace Human Intuition in the Appraisal & Auction Professions presented by both Randa Doleh, ASA and Jay Rivera; Seeking the Truth—Forensic Authentication Through Signatures and Composition by Larry Stewart; 9000 Years of Precious Metals Used in Jewelry with Charles Carmona, ASA; What’s Your Slant? Bias in Appraising by Byron Miller; and CRAC Can Save Your Life! …. Professional Life, That Is! Presented by Melanie Modica, ASA.

After a day full of networking and impressive educational productions, day 1 of the 2022 ASA International Conference came to end with the Rising Stars exclusive happy hour sponsored by Borrowman Baker, LLC.

Moving on to the final day of the 2022 ASA International Conference, educational sessions began immediately after the Continental Breakfast, namely: Business Valuation Disputes: Getting to Resolution byMichael Gregory, ASA; Timely Issues in ESOP Transactions & Fairness Opinions with Dan Callanan, ASA and Michael McGinley, ASA; Biofuel Plants and Equipment presented by Terry Podgorski, ASA; Protecting Passion Investments presented by Michelle Impey; as well as Basic Overview of Accessory Dwelling Units and Valuing Accessory Unit Dwellings with Jason Tillema, ASA.

The morning sessions also included: Determining Reasonable Compensation in Disputes using the IRS Reasonable Compensation Job Aid by Chris Rosenthal, ASA; 842 and the IBR: The Cost of Capital for Lease Accounting for Right-of-Use Assets presented by Todd Fries, ASA; Economic Obsolescence – Inutility and Beyond by Douglas Krieser, FASA; Culture Wars, Viruses and Inflation, Oh My! With Rico Baca; Lab Grown Diamond Market: ID, Grading and Wholesale/ Retail Markets by Don Palmieri, ASA; as well as There’s Yachts of Information When Appraising a Marina with Matthew Kaufman, ASA, Melanie Modica, ASA, Mike Pratt, ASA, Pamela Bensoussan, ASA and Mike Hill, FASA.

Following the all-discipline network break, we had: Damages and Valuation Experts with Karl Schwabauer and Sean Saari; Once Upon a Time:  Telling the Appraisal Story by Jack Young, ASA; A Window into Understanding Contemporary Glass Markets by Suzanne Perrault and Contemporary Glass: Connoisseurship with Jane Buckman; as well as Appraising the Jewelry After It’s Gone presented by Teri Brossmer, ASA.

As the day approached lunchtime, our business valuation group branched off to their exclusive luncheon, as all other attendees were able to grab a bite and continued networking and checking out our exhibitor and sponsor tables.

Afternoon sessions started with: Everything You Wanted to Know About  Fair Market Value and Were Afraid to Ask by Travis Harms; Healthcare Valuation Update with Jason Ruchaber, ASA; MTS Market Updates featuring Joe Santora, ASA with construction, Tomer Chen, ASA with marine, and Alec Story, ASA presenting machine tools; Dalí 101: From Melting Watches to Post-Atomic Still-Lifes by Peter Tush; Avoiding the Pitfalls: Appraising the Prints of Salvador Dali by Deborah Ripley; Appraising Nature’s Artwork: Minerals and Gems withCigdem Lule; as well as Writing an Effective Rebuttal Report presented by Gary Trugman, FASA.

During the break, attendees continued to network with one another while participating in ASA’s annual Educational Foundation auction. In lieu of the traditional live auction, the ASA Educational Foundation had launched its auction online, offering both in person and virtual attendees to take advantage of bidding simultaneously. This event offered a fresh and innovative experience with 31 unique items being donated. Participants enjoyed bidding both from the ease of their computer or live in Tampa, while supporting a great cause.

Next we had Business Valuation and Tax Litigation by John Emory, Jr.; Valuation of Tax Receivable Agreements (TRAs) with Harris Antoniades; Valuation/RCN Estimate Wireless Carrier TPP presented by Gregory Popham; The Impact of 18th and 19th Century African American  Decorative Arts by Paul Baker; as well as Tough Talks, Difficult Discussions and Crucial Conversations with Philip Bosen; Lions, Tigers and Zebroids: The Emergence of the Hybrid Appraisal with Jeff Rauland; and Getting Engaged: Setting the Boundaries for a Healthy Client Relationship by Kieran Wheeler.

Following the final session change of the day, the 2022 ASA International Conference closed with sessions including: What I Have Learned in Tax Court and IRS Audits by Bruce Johnson, ASA; Fair Value in Dissenting Suits Around the World by Neil Beaton, ASA; How to Survive an Audit Review with Michael Crismyre, ASA; Updating Contracts in a Post Covid World with Wendy Lindstrom; Understanding Hardstone and Gem Carvings by Cigdem Lule; and lastly, Data Visualization for Residential Appraisers with Jason Tillema.

The 85^th Annual ASA International Conference was ASA’s 2^nd time putting it together as a hybrid event, everyone pulled together to create a memorable experience and forward-thinking discussions that won’t be forgotten by attendees.

ASA would like to thank the conference sponsors: Valcre, Knowcraft Analytics, SunCorp Valuations; Borrowman Baker LLC, FleetEvaluator, Business Valuation Resources, and CES Valuations.

We would also like to thank our supporting sponsors & exhibitors: Mynarski International Valuation, the Appraisal Institute, TagniFi; Quantum Leap², Harry Davis & Company, IAAO, Fortuna, and ASA’s Houston Chapter; as well as our media partners: Business Valuation Review®, the ARM e-Journal, and the MTS Journal.

ASA extends another thank you to the planning committee and advisors for all their hard work and support; Terri Lastovka, ASA, Cameron Tipton, ASA, Tracy Aros, ASA, William M. Engel, ASA, Jamie Allen, ASA, Danielle Rahm, Lisa Meinczinger, Ken Pia, ASA, Laurie-Leigh White, ASA, Todd Larson, ASA, Ronald Seigneur, ASA, Jeff Tarbell, ASA; as well Conference Chair, Richard Berkemeier, ASA.

Lastly, a thank you to everyone who participated; for making this year’s conference as fun, educational, and successful as it was.

To see photos of the 2022 ASA International Conference, click here.

Save the Date! Make plans to attend the 2023 ASA International Conference October 1-3, 2023 – New Orleans, LA!