Charitable planning professionals were in a giving mood last Tuesday morning as they gathered at the Quail Valley River Club for the 2017 Pinnacle Award Breakfast to give praise to Michael Kmetz, senior partner of the CPA firm of Kmetz, Nuttall, Elwell and Graham.
The room was filled with attorneys, bankers, CPAs, estate planning advisors, and the fund development representatives of nonprofit organizations wanting to honor Kmetz, who was nominated for the award by the United Way of Indian River County. The Pinnacle Award was established 10 years ago to honor professional advisors for their outstanding voluntary service to local nonprofits and the promotion of legacy gift and estate planning.
“It is always great to hit the pause button from our hectic lives for a minute. To see friends and celebrate all of the goodness that comes from the hard work of everybody in this room,” said event chairman and Merrill Lynch financial advisor David Osgood.
“He is relentless when he’s co-chairing a campaign and gets results that some thought were unattainable. Mike is a living example of compassion, integrity and being able to mobilize resources for the greater good. Mike has been an inspiration to me, and I think that is true for many of his friends, clients and colleagues in this room.”
Kerry Bartlett, Visiting Nurses Association and Hospice Foundation vice president, who has worked with Kmetz in a variety of endeavors, stated, “Michael is one of those professionals who brings an exceptional level of credibility, respect and trustworthiness to organizations who have a significant and important fiduciary responsibility to donors and our community.”
Michael Kint, UWIRC CEO, said that during the 17 years Kmetz has been involved with the United Way, his input has been invaluable. Among other things, he has served on citizen review panels, the board of directors, the foundation committee and annual campaign. In 2015, Kmetz was recognized for his dedication to the organization with its highest honor, the Ralph T. King Award.
“He’s a good man with a good heart,” shared Kint. “He leads by example, and it is a pleasure and privilege to recognize and thank one of Indian River’s finest citizens; a true and humble champion of charitable giving through estate planning.”
Gerry Thistle, USI Insurance Services vice president, said he was told the ceremony was “like a roast,” and in that spirit shared stories about his professional and personal relationship with Kmetz.
Try as he might, Thistle’s zingers, relating tales from leprechauns to Kmetz’s competitive nature, only reaffirmed to his contemporaries that the good-hearted, humble man was more than deserving of the honor.
“He’s been my CPA for 25 years. When I was audited by the IRS, they assigned a kid that had never done an audit in his professional life. He was going up against the John Wayne of auditing,” recalled Thistle, adding that as a result, the IRS ended up owing him.
“Now that’s my idea of a CPA. Michael, you deserve this. You’re an incredible community leader and an even better friend.”
Accepting the award from Richard H. Johnson, last year’s recipient, Kmetz said, “Some of you have allowed me to serve your missions. Some of you have allowed me to collaborate with you, but all of you have given me friendship and that to me is the greatest award that there is.”
Previous recipients are Robin A. Lloyd Sr., Samuel A. Block, John E. Moore III, Rebecca B. Colton (posthumously), J. Vincent Boyle, William J. Stewart Jr., Sue M. Tompkins, William N. Kirk and Richard H. Johnson.
