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EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: MATT DITTMER, CONTINUED ...continued from page 1
You’ve been around the block a time or two at CREA. Can you provide a little background on your role here, what you do and how it’s changed over the years? As a SVP in Fund Management, I am responsible for managing our Funds post-closing. This includes managing capital, providing quarterly reports, and assisting in the preparation of the Fund audits and tax returns. I started out as an Analyst in Fund Management, so I went from doing the initial prep of everything and asking questions to doing the final review of everything and answering questions. Well, I actually still ask questions too. You’ve been a trusted member of Fund Management for 10 years! Congratulations on your recent anniversary with CREA! What keeps you challenged and engaged in your current role? There is always something new to learn. The IRS helps out with that; they aren’t afraid to make changes each year. Not only do I enjoy learning new things, I also really enjoy teaching others. That is why I was excited to take the lead in Fund Management’s training program. I have learned so much from everyone here at CREA over the last 10 years. I’m happy to help others get that same chance. The headlining article of this issue of CREA Edge was from our Chief Information Officer, Andy Dalton.
What role does technology play within Fund Management and how has it improved at CREA, specifically in the recent few years? What were some IT wins for your group? I think the biggest wins for Fund Management have come from automation. Whether it is exporting and importing thousands of data points in our models by clicking a button or using “robots” to pull dollar amounts from tax returns, IT has helped us save countless hours. When I started 10 years ago, there was a lot of manual data entry. By automating those processes, we are able to focus more time and energy on analyzing the data, not just copying it from one place to another. Fund Management has a nickname: FUNd Management. What is it that puts the FUN in FUNd Management? Definitely the people! Whether it’s getting together after work or just joking around in our group chat, I think we all have fun being around one another. I hope the fun spills out to other departments, but FUNd Management is a pretty tight-knit group. Tax season is around the corner… again… what do you do to keep your sanity during this incredibly busy and stressful time? I have a vegetable garden in my backyard. So when I’m working from home I go out there and get some fresh air. It’s relaxing just being in the
sun and playing in the dirt.
You have an awesome family which includes two boys! What do you enjoy doing together as a family during your spare time? We watch a lot of movies together and have family game nights, both video games and board games. We’ll have an occasional Nerf battle or round of laser tag. When it’s nice outside we all like to go on bike rides, fish, and play soccer or basketball.
The Dittmer family enjoying a recent outing.
Random Questions & Awesome Answers
Favorite sport to PLAY and favorite sport to WATCH? I like to play tennis and watch football. You can go anywhere in the world, all expenses paid: where would you go and what would you do?
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