We caught Al literally as he was heading out the Bergan Paulsen door. As Al reflects on his career and gears up for retirement, we chatted with him about how the accounting industry has changed over the years and what advice he has for new comers. Best of luck to you, Al, and thanks for your insight!
What are some of the more important leadership lessons you’ve learned in your career?
My attitude has always been that if someone is working, I am working too. I have made it a habit to work alongside my employees to ensure they know that if they are working late for a client, I will be right there with them!
What advice would you give someone getting out of school right now?
I would advise them to try public accounting first. I think it’s much easier to go from public to private accounting rather than vice versa.
What is the biggest change that you’ve seen in an auditor’s job over the years?
When I first started everything was done by hand and today we are nearly paperless! I used to keep the old work papers in the basement of our office and after so many years, it got to the point that I felt comfortable throwing them out. When the company came to shred them, they weighed the paper and it was 3 tons of accumulated work!
Biggest change to how Co-ops and Agribusiness entities work?
Today they are much larger organizations and with that growth have come a better caliber of employees.
What should Agribusinesses look for when choosing a CPA firm?
I think experience and expertise in your industry is important. I would also recommend really understanding both the history of the firm and the history of the people within the firm.
Why accounting? What brought you to this career and what do you like most about it?
I can’t remember a time when I ever wanted to be anything different. I have always enjoyed math, always wanted to be an accountant and I’ve enjoyed every step of my career.
Why BP? What differentiates this firm for you?
This firm has always taken a very client-centric approach. Everyone thinks more about clients than themselves and there is a general understanding that when a client succeeds, we succeed. And, I would say they take the same approach with employees.
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