FEI Sacramento Chapter Newsletter | September 04, 2026
Trending News in FEI
Thank you to everyone who joined us at Baker Family Wines for such a memorable experience. It was a pleasure hearing Dusy’s story, learning more about the winemaking process, and gaining a deeper appreciation for the care and craftsmanship behind every bottle.
Most of all, it was wonderful to connect with fellow FEI Sacramento Members while enjoying exceptional wine in a beautiful setting. We’re grateful to Baker Family Wines for hosting us and to everyone who helped make the evening so special. Look at photos from this event in our gallery!
Also, be sure to check out our events calendar for upcoming opportunities to connect, and follow FEI Sacramento on LinkedIn for the latest updates.
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The Road to Rapid Growth: The Quick Quack Car Wash Story
How does a hometown business become the fourth-largest car wash brand in the country? For Quick Quack Car Wash, the journey started with one location in Carmichael, California, in 2004. Today, they've grown into a national brand with more than 340 locations, thousands of employees, and a reputation as one of the Sacramento region’s fastest-growing privately held companies. Join us for an inside look at the decisions behind the growth.
The kind of expansion that Quick Quack experienced requires more than an ambitious vision. It takes the right financial strategy, scalable operations, a commitment to innovation, and leaders who know how to protect company culture while moving at extraordinary speed.
Quick Quack’s transition to private equity was a defining moment, opening new avenues for growth and helping fuel the company’s next chapter. Hear firsthand from the leaders who built, financed, and operated Quick Quack through its rapid expansion—from 18 locations in 2015 to more than 340 today.
Experts will share how the company approached private equity, created systems for scale, stayed on the frontier of research and development, and continued to attract and retain exceptional people along the way.
Come away with practical perspective on the financial and operational moves that drive transformative growth and the leadership required to keep a fast-growing company moving forward!
The Road to Rapid Growth: The Quick Quack Car Wash Story will be held at the California Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, September 22nd, from 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm Pacific.
FEI Sacramento Members & Partners: Free | Non-Members: $60 | Registration: Here
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2027 Salary Guide & Hiring Trends
Compensation expectations are changing, skilled candidates are weighing more than salary alone, and organizations are competing for accounting and finance talent in an increasingly complex labor market. For finance leaders, staying ahead requires more than filling open roles—it means understanding the market forces shaping hiring, retention, workforce planning, and long-term team performance.
Join us for an interactive, data-informed discussion on the trends influencing today’s accounting, finance, and HR talent landscape. Drawing on findings from the Robert Half 2027 Salary Guide, this session will examine current compensation benchmarks, hiring demand, evolving employee expectations, and the factors that affect candidate engagement and turnover.
Gain practical perspective from workforce and hiring experts on how organizations are using market intelligence to make stronger staffing decisions. The conversation will explore how compensation data can inform budgeting and workforce plans, what candidates value when choosing an employer, and which retention strategies can help companies build resilient, high-performing finance teams.
Come prepared to take away timely insights and actionable approaches for attracting, developing, and retaining the talent your organization needs to compete.
2027 Salary Guide & Hiring Trends will be held at Robert Half Talent Solutions in Sacramento on Tuesday, October 13th, from 11:30 am - 1:00 pm Pacific.
FEI Sacramento Members & Partners: Free | Non-Members: $20 | Registration: Here
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Financial Officers Forum - This Month!
FEI Sacramento and FEI Silicon Valley are pleased to jointly present the Financial Officers Forum (FOF), an exclusive virtual opportunity for senior finance professionals to exchange timely insight, work through real-world challenges, and connect with peers who understand the demands of finance leadership.
Designed for CFOs, Controllers, VPs of Finance, consulting CFOs, and their advisers, FOF offers a confidential peer-to-peer discussion modeled after the Vistage format. Participants shape the conversation around current client situations, pressing business questions, emerging challenges, and practical approaches they are seeing across companies and industries. The result is a highly relevant exchange of perspectives you can apply to your work right away.
Past discussions have explored accounting-system selection for small businesses, the advantages and tradeoffs of PEOs, compensation ideas for small-company board members, ASC 606 audit experiences, and measurement and internal-reporting methods for SaaS companies. Whether you advise clients or lead finance within an organization, FOF provides valuable visibility into what consulting CFOs and fellow executives are seeing in the market.
Bring a question, a challenge, or an experience to share. When you register, please submit one question you would like the group to explore, then join fellow FEI members from Sacramento and Silicon Valley for a candid virtual discussion built around the issues that matter most to you.
Financial Officers Forum (FOF) will be held virtually on Friday, September 25th, from 12:00 pm - 1:15 pm Pacific.
FEISV Members & Partners, Other FEI Members, and Non-Members: Free | Registration: Here
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ICONS: Women of Note – Atlanta (Hybrid Event)
Whether you’re an emerging finance leader building your path or a seasoned executive looking to stay sharp, expand your network, and give back, 2026 ICONS: Women of Note – Atlanta is a hybrid conference designed to deliver valuable perspective and genuine connection, whether you are in the room or joining virtually.
Listen to timely conversations with leaders navigating the challenges shaping finance today. Hear candid perspectives from executives at Coca-Cola and Spelman College, alongside senior finance leaders from EY, IBM, Forvis Mazars, Accenture, and PepsiCo.
ICONS is more than a traditional conference. It is a curated leadership experience designed to spark authentic discussion, create valuable connections, and deliver practical insights you can apply right away.
In-person attendance is intentionally limited to maintain an intimate, high-value experience. Virtual registration makes it easy to participate live from your office, home, or wherever work takes you, all while earning up to 3.5 CPE credits.
Be in Atlanta or join from anywhere. Register now for 2026 ICONS: Women of Note – Atlanta!
ICONS: Women of Note – Atlanta (Hybrid Event) will be held in-person and virtually on Wednesday, September 9th, from 8:30 am - 2:00 pm Pacific.
FEISV Members & Other FEI Members (In-Person): $450 | FEISV Members and Other FEI Members (Virtual): $100 | Non-Members (In-Person): $550 | Non-Members (Virtual): $200 | Unlimited Company Registrations (Virtual Only): $1,450 | Registration: Here
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Algorithmic Pricing Under Fire: State Restrictions on Personalized and Surveillance Pricing
State regulation of algorithmic pricing is accelerating. California, Connecticut, Maryland, and New Jersey have enacted new restrictions, while New York lawmakers have passed a bill that would go further than the state’s existing disclosure regime if it becomes law.
For businesses, the key distinction is the data driving the price. California and Connecticut restrict certain tools that use competitor data to address antitrust concerns, while Connecticut, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey address consumer-specific pricing based on personal data to address unfairness and deception concerns. The rules also vary by industry, product, disclosure duty, exception, remedy, and effective date.
These developments arrive against the backdrop of litigation and enforcement involving algorithmic rent-setting tools and growing scrutiny of personalized pricing.
Several provisions are already in effect; others phase in through 2027. The practical question is no longer simply whether software changes prices, but what data it uses, for which products, in which states, and for whom.
Learn more. Read Algorithmic Pricing Under Fire: State Restrictions on Personalized and Surveillance Pricing via our Platinum Partners at Greenberg Traurig, LLP.
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FEI Sacramento Member of the Week
Brendan Houlihan
Brendan Houlihan is a finance and accounting executive with more than 18 years of experience in public accounting, corporate finance, and financial leadership. He currently serves as Senior Audit Manager at MUN CPAs and previously held CFO, Controller, Assurance Manager, and Senior Analyst roles with Dorfman Milano Company, Moss Adams, Paramount Solar, and Wells Fargo.
His expertise includes financial reporting, audit readiness, internal controls, risk management, process improvement, and intercompany consolidations across public and private companies.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from California State University, Fresno, and an associate degree in Business Administration and Management from Merced Community College District.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendan-houlihan-cpa-9429a265/
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FEI Sacramento Partner of the Week
Greenberg Traurig, LLP has more than 2650 attorneys in 47 locations in the United States, Europe and the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. The firm is a 2022 BTI “Highly Recommended Law Firm” for superior client service and is consistently among the top firms on the Am Law Global 100 and NLJ 500. Greenberg Traurig is Mansfield Rule 6.0 Certified Plus by The Diversity Lab.
The GT Sacramento office has nationally recognized litigation team members who handle business disputes, class actions, environmental, labor and employment, government and government procurement, ERISA, Proposition 65, trade secrets and employee mobility, attorney general matters, government writs, appellate, and products liability litigation. They also assist clients with due diligence and compliance.
The Sacramento corporate group advises public and privately held companies on mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, corporate governance, recapitalizations and reorganizations, venture and private debt and equity capital, public and private offerings of securities, SEC investigations, 1934 Act compliance and general corporate matters. The firm is also known for its philanthropic giving, innovation, diversity, and pro bono representation.
CONTACT:
Michelle Hallsten
Shareholder, Corporate
[email protected]
www.gtlaw.com
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