Each of us wakes up every morning to brush our teeth with clean water from the faucet, but we rarely stop to think about what it takes to get that water into our homes. Safe drinking water is just one example of public sector infrastructure that is made possible through public finance bonds.

While public finance might sound like a boring topic, it’s clear that without it, many of us would find ourselves without the services that we’ve come to rely on, including everything from elementary school cafeterias to hospital research laboratories to the bus route you take to and from work each day. Because public finance plays such a large role in our daily lives, it is important that our government leaders have a strong grasp on all issues and regulations surrounding public finance bonds.

One local public finance firm, George K. Baum & Company (GKB) has developed an innovative program for educating public employees, a quarterly event known as “Bond School.”

Bond School is the brainchild of John Crandall, Executive Vice President and Manager of Utah Public Finance for GKB’s Salt Lake City office. The idea came from a regular client conference that GKB organized in 2009. It was at these conferences that Crandall realized that the need for his clients to continually update themselves on changing standards and regulations in the public finance industry was significant enough to warrant its own event.  With this in mind, Crandall and his team began planning the first ever Bond School.

After several sessions and a successful first year, Bond School continues to grow and attract attendees from across the state. Currently, GKB hosts this half-day event encompassing all things bonding four times per year. The GKB crew puts together a program to help inform public officials about the latest market trends, innovations in public governance and even strategies for upcoming bond elections. Speakers range from GKB principals, to directors of state agencies, to ratings analysts. Bond school attendees represent communities from across the state.

The Salt Lake City GKB office believes that Bond School is one of the things that separates GKB from other public finance firms. Upon observing the benefits of Bond School to clients in Utah, national GKB leadership is working toward implementing Bond School in all of its markets. GKB has big plans for the future of Bond School and will continue to tailor its contents to the needs of GKB clients.

For more information on bond school and how you can attend, contact Kimberly Thornblad at George K. Baum & Company- 801-538-0351.