Matt Packey. (Balance Sheet).

Matt Packey is someone who truly enjoys his work and the profession he's chosen, and he encourages his peers to stay involved, keep up to date and find ways to make contributions towards improving their companies' ethical and professional standards.

Name: Matthew A. Packey

Title: Vice President -- Controller, Principal Accounting Officer

Born: Alliance, Ohio; August 28,1967

Company: LendingTree Inc., an online lending exchange connecting consumers, lenders, REALTORS(r) and other service providers.

Spouse: Karen, married 12 years Children: Lindsay, 8; James. 5

Education: BS -- Accounting, with honors, The University of Akron, 1989

Career: Deloitte & Touche LLP, 1989'96, serving as independent auditor for a variety of clients in the Southeast; Broadway & Seymour Inc., a software product and services firm, 199699, serving as Controller; joined Lending Tree in January 2000.

FEI Chapter: Southern Carolinas

Time Management: "Schedule time, a half-day or full day, periodically and regulary, just to catch up on the little things. These 'little things' are typically important to someone, or if left alone could become one big problem later. Spending time on less urgent, simpler tasks allows me to relax some, and it refreshes my mind."

Leisure: "Yard work. I know some people really think of it as a chore, but I love getting outside -- especially after being cooped up in the office all week. My son loves to 'help,' so we get some bonding at the same time."

Stress Management: "Regularly schedule time away from work for personal/family matters. Maintain, and stick to, an exercise routine. Consider such 'me' times as sacred as you do meetings or work deadlines, and don't let them get pushed off your calendar. You'll be healthier, happier and more able to deal with daily challenges. Also, find ways to laugh at work. If you can't laugh, you are too serious and the stress will catch up with you."

Favorite Book: "This Present Darkness, by Frank Peritti, was so well written that you could visualize the details of each scene, yet the pages turned quickly. The book covers a very unusual topic in a very entertaining way."

I would spend 1 hour with: "Warren Buffett. From what I have read and heard, I think he has a unique perspective on and approach to business, and he is obviously very successful at it."

Best/Worst Job: "Best Job: Honestly, it is the one I have now. I have a great team of people who make it a joy to come to work. Also, the company is growing and is full of intelligent and highly motivated individuals that really pull together as a team to achieve success. 'Tree' is never boring or mundane; and I feel empowered to really contribute to the overall success. Worst Job: In high school, I worked long hours and weekends in the kitchen at a banquet center. The cooking and food prep were not too bad (although there are stories!), but the clean-up took forever."

Favorite Deal: "While Lending Tree's initial public offering was exciting and challenging, my favorite deal was in July 1994, when working at Deloitte, to spin off a piece of a large South Carolina textile business into a new entity, and then selling the resulting company to a third party. Working 100-hour weeks was the easy part; the difficult part was creating five years of historical financial statements for this previously non-existent 'new' entity so we could file a registration statement as part of the debt offering. The time spent was worth it, as I learned a lot in a relatively short period of time."

Comments: "Despite headlines and jokes, the accounting profession is not in bad shape; we continue to provide necessary and valuable services. Yes, a few individuals have hurt our credibility with their actions and ignorance, but the majority of us continue to run our businesses with high levels of integrity, diligence, competence and professionalism, all without any headlines or much recognition (which is fine). We cannot let a few destroy the trust our clients, companies and colleagues place with us."

Email: [e-mail].