Partner, Moss Adams, Woodland Hills office Years at firm: 23 Residence: Sherman Oaks What is your primary specialty? I’m the SoCal food, beverage, and agribusiness practice leader. I focus on manufacturing and consumer product companies with an emphasis in food, beverage and agribusiness. As a firm, Moss Adams has a wide range of specialties such as business consulting, private client services, and of course, audit and tax. We’re organized by our 33 industry specialties to provide a more tailored experience for our clients. Who are your typical clients? Middle market, family-owned and private equity-held companies. How did your firm establish its specialty? Moss Adams has always had a culture of specializing within industry groups at each of our office locations. In this area, we started with a focus on the apparel industry, and today we have a number of successful industry groups including manufacturing and consumer products, food, media and technology, SEC, health care, not-for-profit and employee benefit plans. Our breadth of non-compliance specialties has been the result of years of organic growth and targeted acquisitions, designed to allow us to more fully and holistically serve our clients. Has your firm expanded beyond traditional accounting services? Yes. Moss Adams aims to serve our clients holistically, offering consulting services – risk management, information technology, valuations, business strategy – and more specialty services such as transaction services, and services geared to private clients. Also, through our affiliates, Moss Adams Wealth Advisors and Moss Adams Capital, we offer extensive services in investment management and investment banking. Does the firm have additional expansion plans? Moss Adams is open to expansion; however, we do not let trends in the industry dictate our direction. As we find new market opportunities that enable us to better serve our client base, we will continue to pursue them. What is tax time like at your firm? I’m not a tax partner but I can tell you that we are busy. How has accounting changed during your career? Obviously technology has created changes that impact any number of things, but from a more operative perspective, I’ve seen an increased emphasis on creating practical solutions for private companies as they work to implement accounting standards. How do you recruit new partners? While we will recruit new partners from outside the firm, Moss Adams has a culture of promoting from within, and developing the talents of our senior managers and other staff to help them grow into leadership positions here. How do you recruit young accountants? We have an incredible recruitment team that goes out to college campuses and job fairs to search for talented and ambitious accountants to join the firm. What was the worst day of your career? This is difficult to answer because I try not to let stress or “bad days” affect my disposition. I stay grounded in the fact that things could always be worse and I’m lucky to be where I am today. What was the best day of your career? Another tough question to answer. I am lucky to be able to work with very intelligent and caring people, both within the firm as well as my clients. So, I feel like I’m always working on making my current day into a best. Is there something personal your colleagues don’t know about you? I’m an open book so most of my colleagues know me well, but when I’m getting to know new colleagues and I tell them that I used to play competitive basketball into my 30s … well, at 5 feet, 3 inches that tends to surprise people. What career advice do you like to give? Be informed, follow your instincts and you will find your path. – Rosie Downey
