Donald K McCauley.

Don McCauley had an early start in a then-upcoming business: the video industry. In a career spanning almost 30 years, he got his start in a large company and says he now enjoys the financial management of a smaller start-up. He spends most of his leisure time with his family, saying he finds them highly enjoyable and that they help to alleviate stress.

Title: Senior Vice President and CFO 

Company: Accom, Inc.

Business/Industry: Designs and manufactures professional video equipment for the broadcast industry. In fact, most TV news programs will broadcast a signal that has passed through Accom-branded equipment; which has been used for the Sydney Olympics, Wimbledon, U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, etc.

Born: June 26, 1940 in Los Angeles, Calif.

Spouse: Married 34 years to Bonnie Dalebout McCauley

Children: Mark, 29; Matthew, 27; Marshall, 25; Megan, 23; Michelle, 21.

Education: BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Utah, 1970; MBA in Finance & Accounting from Northwestern University, 1972.

FEI Chapter: Santa Clara Valley 

Career History: "Started with Bell & Howell Co. in Chicago in 1972, holding various financial management positions, including controller of the video group. Negotiated the 1978 purchase of Telemation, a professional video manufacturing company in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was named controller. In 1986, I became VPF and Treasurer of Grass Valley Group (Grass Valley, Calif.), a subsidiary of Tektronix, the largest U.S. video company; in 1988, added the role of group controller (one of five responsible for the Communications Group). Then joined with two colleagues to start ImMIX, a corporate funded start-up. In 1994, our corporate sponsor sold the company; then ImMIX acquired Abekas, another video company in Redwood City, Calif., and I moved to Silicon Valley to integrate the two businesses (named Accom, Inc.), my current firm."

Leisure Pursuits: "Playing golf with my three sons and old college friends. Also enjoy snow skiing and water skiing, traveling back roads and byways looking for old cameras, tools and unusual machines."

Time Management Tip: "Don't worry about tomorrow's tasks today. Concentrate your complete mental energy on what has to be accomplished today. If it doesn't have to be done today, calendar the task for an appropriate time in the future."

Stress Management Advice: "I spend time with my family. My wife and my children are my best friends. They are fun to be with, they keep me laughing and they never let me take my challenges too seriously. Diversions and fresh perspective are important. I try to balance my energy between family, church service and work."

Best/Worst Jobs: "The best job was starting a business from scratch. After working for large companies for 19 years, I created the basic foundation of the company by selecting the accounting system, closing the books, doing payroll and accounts payable and negotiating all the major purchases."

Favorite Deal: "Selling the company I helped create and having the buyer do due diligence on the infrastructure I developed, and finding it nearly flawless."

Other comments: "A finance person has to be able to sort out reality from optimism. I have listened to a lot of explanations and interpretations of situations from CEOs and colleagues in engineering, marketing and sales. In the end, the balanced story needs to be told to the board of directors (or corporate shareholders, if private) and to the analysts. The CFO is challenged to tell it straight and to sometimes point out the unpopular risk perspective. In every business situation, I try to apply the Rotary Four-Way-Test: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? And will it be beneficial to all concerned?"

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