Ed Hartman joined Aires in 2004 with CFO experience in both private and public companies, and with extensive experience in strategic leadership and corporate finance. He formerly served as CFO of Basis 100, Executive Vice President and CFO of the Buffalo Sabres Hockey Club and HSBC Arena, Senior Accountant at Price Waterhouse Cooper, and various other roles.
Today, Hartman serves as Aires’ Vice President of Finance & Accounting. Hartman received his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and holds both a Certified Relocation Professional (CRP) designation from the Worldwide ERC® and a CPA certification. In honor of Aires’ 40th anniversary, we recently sat down with Ed to hear about his career with the company.
Improving the Expense Management Process
When Ed first joined the Aires team, he asked senior leadership if there were any industry-wide problems he could focus on that would kickstart his career. Recognizing it was an important issue for prospective clients, Aires’ President Jeff Wangler immediately thought of W-2Cs. The objective was to build a process and a team that was scalable with a goal of zero W-2Cs. When a W-2 form contains an error, a W-2C (a corrected wage and tax statement) must be issued to report the correction to the initial W-2 form, which can be a nuisance to employees, clients, and transferees.
“W-2Cs run rampant in the industry. Companies have purchased one another and when the information gets sifted through several technologies or platforms, it’s bound to put out incorrect numbers,” Jeff Wangler notes. Ed made it his mission to create processes that almost completely eliminate the need for W-2C issuance due to an Aires error, and he was ultimately successful in doing so. Expense management and reporting has been simplified by Aires’ single-system MobilityX platform. In addition, Aires has a team of Expense Management Account Coordinators dedicated to ensuring accuracy on these reports through detailed audits.
“Back then, we may have done 200 W-2s for a yearend. This year, with over 40,000 W-2s, we have fourteen people who make sure that payroll is accurate. It’s been exciting to be a part of,” said Ed.
Preserving the Human Touch in a High-Tech Future
As the relocation industry continues its trend toward tech-forward solutions, Aires is constantly introducing cutting-edge technology to meet the needs of our clients.
“We have been described as a technology company that happens to be in the relocation space by one of our clients, and we are proud of that. What’s separated us from our competitors over the years is our culture and commitment,” said Ed. “What unites us here at Aires is our commitment to customers. And customers for us are transferees, corporate customers, our partners, and our employees we work with.” Ed is dedicated to ensuring the best service possible for Aires’ clients and transferees, and he believes preserving the human touch in the new automated environment is key.
“From a technology standpoint, we’ve become the industry leader, and from a people perspective, we’re unparalleled,” said Ed.
Leading a Winning Team
As a member of Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Athletic Hall of Fame for his collegiate baseball career and a former professional third baseman, it’s no wonder Hartman compares his leadership style to sports.
“I equate being a good leader to being a good coach,” said Ed. “As a leader you have to invest in people. You have to let them know that you care about them. You have to be committed to their education and growth. They need to understand that you respect them. And what comes of that is you earn the right to help make them better.”
As a mentor and leader at Aires, Ed Hartman lives by this advice every day.
“You can’t take a day off as a leader. You have to do what’s right, and you have to hold yourself accountable for your actions. That way you can inspire others to do more than they think they can do.”