We are pleased to welcome our new Senior Director of Finance & Reporting, Kevin Nembhard, to America’s Car-Mart. Kevin will oversee the company’s internal and external financial reporting processes while ensuring all reports, filing, and documentation complies with necessary regulations.
Kevin brings extensive experience in budgeting, financial reporting, accounting, systems support, and risk management. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Accountancy, from Brooklyn College; and a Master of Science degree in Business Management and Leadership, from The City University of New York, and he is a Certified Managerial Accountant (CMA) and Certified Public Accountant (CPA) . He also shares his expertise by teaching accounting at Northwest Arkansas Community College, Bentonville.
“This is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I love the job,” says Kevin, who joined Car-Mart on Jan. 9. “I’m at a point in my career where I’m continually learning. I’m taking everything in like a sponge. I’m excited about this opportunity. I work for a smaller company where you can experience and learn more things. It’s amazing.”
The bottom line, Kevin is thrilled to be at Car-Mart for the rewarding job, the people he works with, and the opportunity to grow. Here’s more about Kevin and why he is excited about Car-Mart:
What drew you to this opportunity at Car-Mart?
Before I interviewed for the job, I researched the company. I liked the history, the culture, the work life balance, and their respect for their associates. All were an interest of mine. From a career standpoint, this is a unique opportunity to lead a financial reporting team – with earnings release, the 10 Q/K filings, and other SEC requirements.
And now that I’ve been here for several months, it feels like a start-up. I feel like I’m part of something great. I’m part of the growth. I’m making a difference. Car-Mart is really an interesting place to work – in terms of its growth plan. I’m excited about the experience I bring to the company.
How will your experience in the finance arena help you in your new role?
I have both an accounting background as well as technology. I’m always using my technology skillset to maximize my accounting side. Tech can enable accounting – and that excites me.
Plus, I love math. I started out in computer science where I learned when doing programming, you can get lost in that space. One summer, I worked for a company in accounts payable, and I liked it. So, I shifted my major [at college] to Accounting.
My experiences working at three major companies have positioned me for this role. At Fitch Ratings, I was the senior manager on the managerial and financial reporting team. With a global team of 35 people, I led the company’s SAP / ERP implementation, along with other financial processes.
Moving on to Morgan Stanley, I was one of the implementation leaders of their SAP program. Here I worked with the Big 4 accounting firms.
Working at Walmart was another unique experience. I helped them from an IT to Accounting perspective. I was a solution architect, then moved into a tax role improving processes, and supporting their business. I also had a global internal controls role with responsibility for Walmart U.S and lastly a corporate accounting role responsible for the enterprise risk and benefits accounting.
Editor’s Note: Kevin is highly proficient in the finance field having earned numerous certifications including the IMA Data Analytics & Visualization Fundamentals Certificate, Certified Public Accountant, Certified Managerial Accountant, Certified in Strategy and Competitive Analysis, IFRS Certification, and SBRL US GAAP Certification.
Given all the changes in today’s world, how might Car-Mart lead the way?
Car-Mart has a unique opportunity with its customers. The company cares about people, and when other dealerships won’t or can’t help them, Car-Mart can. People need a car for work and more. Car-Mart can lead the way in suburban areas where people don’t have the luxury of public transportation.
Car-Mart is well positioned to help people during a challenging economy. Car-Mart will be there for them. Car-Mart will help them and offer them with peace of mind.
What are your hopes and dreams for Car-Mart?
My hope is that Car-Mart continues to grow and becomes a $10 billion company one day. As we work through this growth, we will have a strong team to support this effort.
