NSBN Gives Back

For 3rd year, NSBN Staff Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity

NSBN staff and family members rolled up their sleeves on a build day with Habitat for Humanity. Work included framing, siding, insulating, dry walling, roofing, and painting; construction professionals were on hand to supervise the work. Through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Habitat builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses with the help of the homeowner families. Firm participants were (l to r): Eric A. Smetana, Carey Heyman, Kevin Wada, Steve Asher, Madeline Pabro, Monica Tran, Jenifer Siou, Ken Miles, Grace Lin, and Le Zhang.

For 3rd Year, NSBN Gives Back Team Volunteers at AIDS LifeCycle Event

NSBN's team of 17 volunteers, including Brian Darling, Eric Smetana, Yolanda Kamakani, Kurt Kilwein, Joel Matsushita, Madeline Pabro, and Joyce Wu, along with friends from East West Bank, assisted at the annual AIDS/LifeCycle event. The fundraiser, which concluded a 7-day cycling experience from San Francisco to Los Angeles, had more than 2,100 cyclists from around the world and raised $10.5 million.

NSBN Helps Children Read Around the World

NSBN participated in the global "Room to Read" book drive whose motto is: "World Change Starts with Educated Children". NSBN personnel collected over 60 new children's books and sent them abroad to be distributed throughout the Room to Read network of 3,000 libraries and schools in the developing world. You can learn more about this wonderful organization at www.roomtoread.org.

NSBN Proud Tabulators of 2008 LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards

For the fourth year, NSBN was proud to serve as the Official Tabulators for the LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards, labeled the "highest-profile contest for local theatre" by the Los Angeles Times. The Ovation Awards presents an opportunity for the theatre community to join together and focus public attention on our city's rich and lively performing arts scene and draw national attention to the quality and quantity of professional theatre in Los Angeles . NSBN Partner, Sharey Wang, and Staff, Devon Hinman and Tim Wei, presented the results at the Awards event on November 17, 2008.

NSBN Goes Green: Becoming Digital

NSBN is pleased to announce that during 2008 the firm took its final steps toward becoming "paperless." "Our goal is to utilize technology to its fullest extent. Converting our office from a paper-based system to a digital format was the next logical step for NSBN," said Kenneth A. Miles, CPA, Managing Partner. "It benefits our clients, our firm and the environment."

"Our system not only stores our files in a digital format, it helps us create a uniform convention in our filing system. It helps us search for documents in a way we never could before, which will increase efficiency overall," said Sharey Wang, CPA, Partner.

NSBN Speaker Series Features Tom Sherak, and Drs. Mazziotta and Voskuhl,
on the Fight Against Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

NSBN hosted a luncheon on Thursday, May 22, 2008, with featured speaker Tom Sherak, who spoke on the state of the entertainment industry. Tom Sherak has been a partner at Revolution Studios, Chairman of Twentieth Century Fox Domestic Film Group, and Senior Executive Vice President of both Fox Film Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox. Sherak is an active board member of the Southern California Multiple Sclerosis Society, Fulfillment Fund of Southern California , Southern California Variety - the Children's Charity, and a former Chairman of the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation. Dr. John Mazziotta and Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl spoke about the latest on the fight against Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Dr. Mazziotta is Chair of UCLA's neurology department. Rhonda Voskuhl, MD is the Director of the UCLA Multiple Sclerosis Program and Professor of Neurology.

"In attendance were diverse business community members, including the entertainment and MS community, who had plenty of questions answered. Hosting this event is one of many ways NSBN gives back to the community," stated Kenneth A. Miles, CPA, Managing Partner of NSBN LLP.

NSBN Helps Send Kids to Camp

NSBN proudly supports Camp Max Straus, a nonsectarian camp serving underprivileged children in Los Angeles since 1938, which is owned and operated by Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters Los Angeles. The Camp serves 1,500 children from ages 7- 12. Please visit www.campmaxstraus.org or www.jbbbsla.org.

NSBN Participates in the Great Southern California ShakeOut

At 10:00 am, on November 13, 2008, NSBN staff joined over 5 million Southern Californians in the ShakeOut Drill - the largest earthquake preparedness activity in U.S. history. NSBN's Beverly Hills office implemented the drop-cover-hold technique. "The safety of our staff is of the utmost importance to the firm; after all, they are our most important asset," said Kenneth A. Miles, CPA, Managing Partner. For more information, please visit www.ShakeOut.org

NSBN and JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes

NSBN participated in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) 5K Walk to Cure Diabetes, along with over 12,000 people at Dodger Stadium, where our walk ended at the Dodgers' home plate. Type 1 Diabetes touches many of us at NSBN - some of us live with this disease, as well as being parents and spouses of those with Type 1 - and we are proud to be part of the search for a cure.

NSBN Sponsors Drug Awareness Month and Safe Driving

NSBN was heard on KRLA 870 AM Radio as a sponsor for Children's Drug Awareness Month and Safe Driving for the Fourth of July holiday. Listen for future NSBN sponsorships throughout the year. Click here to listen to the spots.

NSBN Participates in Special Olympics Equestrian Event

NSBN volunteers helped at the 15th annual Kiwanis Club of Warner Center equestrian event for physically and mentally challenged athletes. "It is so fulfilling to see these courageous kids do such great things and with so much enjoyment and enthusiasm," says Kiwanis member Gloria D. Birnkrant, CPA, Partner at NSBN.

Operation Gratitude: NSBN Sends Care Packages to U.S. Troops

NSBN is aiding Operation Gratitude in their goal to raise $1.2 Million to send 120,000 care packages to our troops. For more information please see www.operationgratitude.com.

NSBN 16th Annual Golf Tournament Benefits UCP (United Cerebral Palsy)

NSBN's 16th Annual Golf Tournament raised $14,000 for UCP (United Cerebral Palsy). Over 100 golfers attended the event at Robinson Ranch Golf Course, which was co-sponsored by East West Bank, Goldrich & Kest Industries, and Rochdale Investment Management. The day's events included trick-shot artist and national & world long-drive champion, Frank Miller, a golf clinic, massage, silent auction, and raffles.

"The generosity of the participants of this golf tournament will help UCP feed, clothe, and house more than 350 people with significant developmental disabilities," said Steve Asher, NSBN Partner and golf tournament chairman. Over the past 16 years, NSBN has raised over $500,000 benefiting UCP. For information about future sponsorship opportunities and/or donation of raffle and silent auction items, please contact Steve Asher, 310.288.4277 or sda@nsbn.com.

NSBN Goes "Green"

NSBN staffers participated in the first NSBN Carpool Day. We are proud to help the environment, and we are continuing to carpool! For information about carpooling, go to www.commutesmart.info.

NSBN Participates in Coastal Cleanup Day

NSBN participated in the worldwide Coastal Cleanup Day, organized locally by Heal the Bay. An estimated 500,000 participants from 88 countries, and more than 9,500 volunteers in Los Angeles County picked up more than 66,000 pounds of trash and 3,000 pounds of recyclables from 66 beaches, rivers, and creeks. Our volunteers from NSBN helped clean Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades, collecting 50 pounds of trash!

LA Stage Alliance Features NSBN on Panel

NSBN Partners Ken Miles and Bill Esensten, and Manager Josephine Rosario, participated in an expert panel for the LA Stage Alliance Workshop, "Deposit/Withdrawal: Cash Flow and Financial Strategies". Other panelists included Center Theatre Group, The Center for Nonprofit Management, and Wells Fargo Bank. The Workshop was sponsored by LA Stage Alliance and was free to the theatre community. For more information please visit www.lastagealliance.com.

Affordable Housing Management Association (AHMA) Awards NSBN

NSBN received the AHMA Associate Member of the Year Award for 2007, to acknowledge the support and active involvement of our partners and staff in AHMA over the past 15 years. NSBN Partners Kathy Keifner and Dennis Ayers, along with our real estate department staff, received the award at the AHMA Pacific Southwest Conference.

NSBN Runs in the Nike Run Hit Remix

NSBN staff were among the 10,000 participants in the Nike Run Hit Remix in Los Angeles. After benefiting from a free six-week training program, runners raced a five mile course, energized by live bands at every mile and culminating in a concert with De La Soul at the finish line. Runners had the opportunity to try out several Nike products during the training, including a shoe with an iPod that announced their speed. The event benefited NikeGO, a youth running program, and LA Leggers, a non-profit marathon training program.