Millennium Magazine_5th Ed

64 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine W atching his father succeed as an accountant at his own practice, Kenneth Garen chose to follow in his footsteps and enter the world of accounting. Today, Mr. Garen is a certified public accountant in the state of Illinois. Mr. Garen received a BA in accounting and business education from Southern Illinois University in 1970. Previously, he completed coursework at Queen’s College, St. Ann’s College and the University of Oxford in 1967. Since 1981, Mr. Garen has served as the co-founder and president of Universal Business Computing Company based out of South Pasadena, California. In his previous CPA practice, he and his team had to use a mainframe computer and a data entry division that was not efficient. The input process failed to be immediate, and it resulted in long delays in processing. Mr. Garen wanted to create a company that gave bookkeepers direct entry into the system for improved productivity, and he accomplished his goal. He calls this achievement the highlight of his career. Prior to establishing Universal Business Computing, Mr. Garen was the founder and president of iQ Merchant Service, Inc., from 2008 to 2015. He also served as president of Ken Garen, Inc., in the 1980s, and from 1970 to 1982, he was supervisor of Garen & Associates. Inspired by a friend, Mr. Garen recently joined the board of Mulmangcho, a Korean organization that stands for “Forget Me Not.” The nonprofit provides services for North Korean refugees, raises awareness for their plight and grows funding and resources for programs to help them succeed. Mr. Garen is also an avid poker player. His poker career highlight was making the top 1,000 players ranking in terms of the number of major tournaments cashed in from U.S. players. Mr. Garen is a former member of the government liaison committee and board member of the American Payroll Association. He was also formerly involved with the Griffith Park Observatory Stella Council, Southwest Chamber of Music Finance Committee, San Cristobal Ranch Foundation, Taos Y2K Task Force, Rocky Mountain Youth Corps and Los Altos Homeowners Association. KENNETH GAREN PRESIDENT, SOFTWARE DESIGNER Universal Business Computing Company South Pasadena, CA BUSINESS SERVICES, CONSULTING AND HUMAN RESOURCES