Economists and financiers traditionally measure success by examining an organization’s income statement, balance sheets and cash flow statement.
The people on the Ronald Blue & Co. CPAs & Consultants team measure its success not only in terms of growth, but also in terms of whether the company is empowering people to lead enriched lives.
In fact, according to Managing Partner Michael Peters, the company’s primary motivation isn’t earning a fee for the tax, accounting, audit and consulting services it offers. Instead, he says, it operates on the philosophy that caring for clients is the best service it can provide.
“Our core motivation is to give our clients peace of mind about their financial lives,” Peters says, “so that they can flourish in their lives and focus on what is ultimately most important to them.” The company calls it the “why” of their lives.
That’s the philosophy that connects all of the firm’s employees and indeed is the cornerstone on which parent company Ronald Blue & Co. was established in 1979.
Relationships
Ronald Blue & Company CPAs and Consultants focuses on building and maintaining strong relationships, Peters says. “We work with our clients, not just for them,” he says, emphasizing that it doesn’t matter if it’s a multimillion-dollar account or an individual one—the focus is on meeting the client’s needs.
“And the same thing we do with our clientele, we want to do with our employees,” Peters continues, “because our employees are our main resource. This is a people business. We use equipment and software, but those are just the tools. When you’re dealing with finances, it’s very personal. If we don’t have good people, then we can’t do good work.”
Professional, Personal Paths
Ronald Blue & Co. is the top-ranked 2016 entry on the Orange County Business Journal’s Best Places to Work lists in the small-sized company division category.
It originally was a division of the firm Ronald Blue & Co., and its consistent growth led to its renaming and launch as a full-service CPA firm in 2014. The two organizations share the same relationship-building approach that has made the parent company one of the largest independent, fee-only wealth management firms in the United States, with more than $6.5 billion in assets under management and a network of 13 branch offices serving 7,000 clients.
Mark Mittman, operations manager, credits the management’s open-door policy, professional guidance, commitment to helping employees succeed, and creating a company culture where employees are as committed to each other as they are to their clients.
“We have a great mindset here,” he says. “Our partners are committed to helping us grow, not just as professionals but personally, as well.”
Mentor Program
The company has developed a mentor program geared toward employees’ building of leadership skills. It’s based in part on the book “What Makes a Leader Great” by company President and Chief Executive Russ Crosson. The book asks readers to consider the “why” of leadership, covering topics such as how great leaders lead, what to look for in next-generation leaders, and how to implement a leadership development program.
“The company pays for all the required classes and training programs we need to keep our skills up-to-date,” says Office Manager Karen Gromis. “Plus, if an employee is interested in expanding their skills, they just need to let their manager know, and the company will cover that expense. Our managers encourage us to learn as much as we can.”
“But it’s about more than mentor programs and classes,” says Julia Degen, CPA, accounting and audit supervisor. “At our annual firm retreat, the management brought in an expert to teach us about ergonomics—how to sit correctly in the chair, where to place your keyboard, all of that. They’ve also brought in nutritionists and others who help us focus on an area that’s not related to technical skills.”
“We’re big on team building, too,” Mittman says. “We’ve done a ropes course, flight simulators, bowling … it’s great. We really like each other as co-workers, and we enjoy being together outside of work as friends. Those relationships really carry over into the workplace and make us more effective for our clients.”
Not Just About Work
During tax season from early January through April 30, CPAs know they’ll be working long hours. At Ronald Blue & Co. CPAs & Consultants, the hours can top 70 to 80 a week, with support staff regularly investing 55 to 60 hours. Managers are cognizant of what Mittman refers to as the “burnout factor” and are determined to avoid it.
“Our managers encourage us to take at least one day off a week during busy season,” he explains. “Our company doesn’t want us to work more than 12 hours in a single day. Our managers want us to be able to rest our brains.”
“Our managers are right there beside us,” says Joy Records, client accounting coordinator. “When we’re all working after 5 o’clock, management brings dinner in. We eat together, like a family dinner.”
Mittman adds that every week during busy season, employees play games to break up the monotony.
“We’ll take half an hour and have a [miniature] golf tournament around the office. We’ve done karaoke, charades.” He describes a rock-paper-scissors tournament structured after basketball’s March Madness tournament. “We go through all the brackets, right through the Final Four to the finals. Prizes are gift cards—and bragging rights.”
When busy season is over, employees are rewarded with group outings that in the past have included a murder mystery night, bowling at Lucky Strikes, and an Angels game. “It’s great, because we get to bring our spouses,” Gromis says. “We all look forward to catching up with each other’s ‘better halves.’”
Commitment to work-life balance is actually incorporated into the official company benefits package, Mittman explains. “After one year, in addition to vacation, you get an additional four days of ‘work-life’ balance days. That’s the actual name—it’s not just four more vacation days.” He says that these days are intended to give people the extra time they need to achieve balance in their lives. “You can use the days how you’d like, and hopefully people would be spending that time with their families.”
Faith-Based
“This is a faith-based company,” Gromis says. “We encourage people to check out our website, see what we stand for. We find a lot of people who want to work in a faith-based environment. They look at us and say, ‘I’d like to work for a company that represents me, that I can identify with.’ You attract like-minded individuals. We’ve been very blessed in our hiring.”
Mittman says, “It is a real sense of community here. Through that, it fosters good relationships. We work together, laugh together, and eat together. You go to work, but you’re going to work with your work family.”
Gromis says, “The better your relationships are internally, the more your clients benefit. If you need something from a co-worker, they are always willing to help. Good internal relationships lead to good external relationships.”
Records adds, “When everyone is working well together, the product that comes from that is really great. Everyone is on board as a team, doing our best to make our clients’ lives better—that’s why we’re all here.”
