CFO Studio Magazine with Dominic Caruso, CFO, Johnson & Johnson

discuss strategy and current issues. The committee and three other officers from across the company compose the Board of Directors, ensuring that those who are setting company policy have an intimate understanding of the business. Dentici also routinely huddles with operational executives to review billing, collections, operational reporting, and other enterprise processes. This operating structure gives Dentici tremendous insights and the opportunity to impact a wide range of strategic decisions and programs. “I work with a hard-working team to serve our company’s strategic financial and growth needs,” Dentici says. “The success of our collective efforts depends on teamwork, and cross-functional communication is enhanced withmonthly meetings that include regional leaders from throughout our operations.” By encouraging teams fromdifferent departments to develop cross-functional skills and by promoting a deeper understanding of the company’s capabilities across geographies, collaboration enables T&M to better anticipate situations and respond in a timely manner. “The validity of this kind of sharing has been vetted in studies, including one by the IBMCenter for Applied Insights and the IBM Institute for Business Value,” he says, noting that “collaboration in the C-suite is linked to higher enterprise performance.” Share and Share Alike A flexible, team-based approach has enabled T&M to handle an array of challenging projects, including one that’s currently in progress for Holtec International, an Evesham- based power plant supplier. It involves building a 600,000-square-foot nuclear reactor manufacturing complex, test loop facility, and corporate engineering facility near the Walt Whitman Bridge on Camden’s Delaware waterfront. The project broke ground in July 2015 and is expected to be complete by the middle of 2018. “On the finance side, we have to be accountable to our client while staying on budget,” Dentici reports. “In the case of this project, this meant working with operations leaders, project managers, and others to develop budget and cost controls. With the flexibility to provide customized management reports, we were able to deliver what the client wanted, and helped our front-line teams do their jobs in a timely manner.” A Sense of Passion As Dentici talks about his responsibilities, it’s easy to see the passion and enjoyment of accomplishment that he brings to the table. “To be successful, a CFO has to be flexible,” Dentici says, adding that he and his team also get involved in acquisitions, like the company’s 2015 purchase of a smaller engineering and planning firm. In that project, Dentici was tasked with due diligence, financial, and other responsibilities. Dentici says his ability to stay calm while jumping from one issue to the next comes from experience. In 1976, after graduating fromThiel College, a small, liberal arts institution in Greenville, PA, with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business administration, he joined international CPA firm Touche Ross & Company (now Deloitte). “I eventually left Touche and commenced my extensive career in the engineering and construction industry.” His current position fulfills Dentici’s natural curiosity, letting him get involved daily in a wide range of issues like project analysis, team management, financial systems and reporting, and other operational matters. Dentici is also called on to help in evaluating software to process management-level information. He is quick to point out that the job is about more than just producing financial statements and analyzing cash-flow needs. “You have to be able to work closely with other departments, clients, and strategic partners,” he says. Long-term Relationships Even when the subject is debt financing, terms like “teamwork” and “collaboration” keep popping up in a conversation with Dentici. For example, while some companies shop around for financial partners, moving from one institution to another, T&MAssociates has worked with one bank, TD (formerly Commerce Bank) for more than 15 years. “Financing is important for our short- term working capital needs and long-term growth,” he explains. “So [we wanted] to establish a long-term, close relationship with an institution that understands our company and our needs.” This attitude of collaboration also extends to T&M’s other key business partners, including Aon, UBS, Conner Strong & Buckelew, and JLL. Dentici negotiates with TD on such issues as T&M’s line of credit, noting that although he’s not happy with any debt at all, “having access to credit and capital is just part of our business and the challenges of collections that can accompany work for local, municipal, and county agencies, a big component of T&M’s client base.” The beat and the teamwork go on. Dentici recently participated on an eight-member teamwho prepared a strategic growth plan that will guide T&M through 2020, a task that involved input from just about every component of the company and took nearly nine months to complete. “Making a company successful is a long-term endeavor, and I’m pleased to be surrounded by other leaders who can link arms and create a vision that inspires employees and motivates them to follow.” “I love working with people, especially my team,” he says. “But communication is vital, and a CFO has to be able to wear multiple hats. You have to enjoy being a generalist if you want to do this job.” C Q4 2016 WWW.CFOSTUDIO.COM 19 ANATOMY OF A CFO Mike Dentici identified his job interests early on. As a high school student, a careers assignment led him to embrace and investigate the world of accounting and finance. “I knew I didn’t want to pursue a career in science or engineering,” he recalls. “But I was up for a challenging position. When I researched and evaluated career paths, I saw that a CFO was the pinnacle of professional accomplishment for accounting and finance. And, the career provided a broad range and exposure to a variety of issues that would lead to me becoming an integral member of corporate management. That influenced the direction of my education and my career choice.” As it turns out, the course set so long ago was the right path. “My career opportunities have exceeded my expectations, and I can’t imagine having made a better choice,” he says. He’s passed his enthusiasm and hard work ethic on to his son, Joe, who graduated in 2010 and has embarked on a financial career in private equity. That makes finance both a passion and a Dentici family affair.