CHAIR'S PROFILE - CGA Online Learning Environment

public accountant who is a CGA — and financial services such as
estate planning.”
Blake, who has been with the firm since 1996, says “95 per
cent of our business is within a 10-minute drive of Milton, which
is a fantastic place to do business. The population has doubled
within the last 10 years and our practice has grown as Milton has
grown.”
Blake praises Halton Region, which includes Burlington, Milton
and Oakville, as “a great place to raise a family.” Married to Jill,
an elementary school teacher, the couple have a son, Robert,
who is five. The Mercers’ first date together was game six of the
1993 World Series at the SkyDome, where the Blue Jays won the
game and the World Series on a three-run shot in the bottom of
the ninth by Joe Carter.
“Our whole family plays baseball,” says
Blake proudly. “I play, my wife plays, and I
coach my son’s team.” Mercer even served
as the treasurer and director of the Burlington
Women’s Fastball League for three years.
More importantly to the practice, Blake
served for several years as treasurer (and
chair of the scholarship committee) of the
Milton Chamber of Commerce, but left the
Chamber board when he was elected to the
board of CGA Ontario.
He’s quick to mention that his father
served two terms as president of the
Chamber and was recognized as Milton’s business person of the
year.
Of the Mercer & Mercer partnership, Blake says, “Because
my father has been in business for more than 35 years, we have
two and sometimes three generations of clients from within the
same family. Within the broader business community, we’re known
for high quality service that we try to tailor to the needs of our
clients.”
Bill Mercer adds, “Blake and I complement one other. He’s
more knowledgeable about current happenings within the profession.
I’m in awe of his computer and writing skills and his ability
to hammer out a top-notch letter or report to a client.”
Bill tips his hat to Blake’s mother, Leslie — who has worked
at Mercer & Mercer throughout its entire 35-year history — for
contributing to Blake’s writing skills. “She was an English major
at university and she really pushed both Blake and his sister Mary
when it came to grammar and writing.”
On the boardroom wall is a framed photograph of the Burlington
Teen Tour Band. It was taken in 1987, at the Tournament of
Roses in Pasadena, California. If you look closely enough, among
the hundreds of musicians, is a teenaged Blake Mercer, playing
the trombone.
It’s one of a number of family mementoes in the office. It’s
also an indication that by no means did Blake Mercer always intend
to follow in his father’s footsteps.
GROWING UP CGA
“I grew up around accounting,” says Blake Mercer candidly, “and
I grew up around CGAs. Several of our family friends were CGAs
and some of them served on the board of CGA Ontario. There was
a whole group of kids who were the sons and daughters of CGAs.
We’re not competing for
donors or funds. We’re
competing for students
and we’re competing for
jobs for our members.
And the competition is
cutthroat.
We all grew up together.”
As a teenager, Blake did some bit work around the office and,
when the firm first started processing computerized tax returns in
the 1980s, Blake and his sister, Mary, would help assemble them
on the dining room table of the Mercer home. But these family
tales are no different than they would be for children whose parents
ran a restaurant or a hardware store.
“Honestly,” Blake says, holding up his hands, “I was never
pushed into the profession. It was something I eventually decided
to pursue on my own.”
Bill Mercer concurs. When asked if his son was influenced to
pursue the profession, the elder Mercer is adamant: “Absolutely
not. We didn’t even push him to come into the practice. He approached
us.”
Blake took accounting courses
during high school and university (he
began in the commerce program) and
worked in the corporate accounting department
of a large insurance company
as a co-op student.
“When I came out of university in the
mid-90s, I wanted a career and the family
business was there,” he says. “I grew up
with a daily demonstration of the difference
the CGA designation can make in a
person’s life, and I wanted some of that
success for myself.”
Upon joining the practice in 1996, Blake immediately transitioned
the office to a fully computerized, networked workplace,
resulting in more streamlined work processes and efficiencies.
Bill Mercer, who led the Program 90 computer integration of the
CGA program, nonetheless admits that “We wouldn’t be where
we are today in terms of computer technology without Blake. He’s
our go-to guy whenever we have a problem.”
Blake became a CGA in 2002 and immediately volunteered
with CGA Ontario’s Hamilton Chapter. He began by invigilating
exams, was elected to the chapter board in 2003, chaired the
chapter’s public practice committee and was elected chapter
chair in 2005-06.
“When I get involved in something I really like to get involved,”
he admits. One year later, in 2006, he was elected to the board
of directors of CGA Ontario.
GOVERNANCE & THE BOARD
“Our board operates in a very interesting dynamic,” asserts Blake
Mercer, warming to the topic of governance. “We are a memberbased,
not-for-profit association with a general election process,
yet we operate in an ultra-competitive marketplace. So how do
you balance the needs and desires of a member-based, not-forprofit
association that must, by necessity, compete
“We’re not competing for donors or funds,” he explains.
“We’re competing for students and we’re competing for jobs for
our members. And the competition is cutthroat.
“It’s a very challenging dynamic. Some members may feel that
we should be a more folksy, grassroots board. In my opinion, we
should be strategic and forward-thinking, more ‘corporate’ than
your local charity board. But if you go too far in one direction you
run the risk of alienating members and potential directors. If you
10 STATEMENTS AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011