This past Tuesday evening, several members of the Pasadena office gathered at the Arroyo Seco Golf Course for a golf team building. Several of our folks had been taking golf lessons and were eager to showcase their newly found skill sets. The event was also intended to provide some much needed time out of the office, in a friendly, relaxed setting in an effort to continue fostering strong working and personal relationships.Personally, it had been a while since I had last golfed and I figured there’d be nothing to it. After all, I considered myself to be an old pro. Wrong! I humbly realized I was just old and not too pro. Given it had been years since I last played golf I was kindly assigned to the miniature golf team; a team that also consisted of my 12 year-old son, which shows you the level of expertise we were competing with. Offspring or not, I was determined to take everyone on my miniature golf team down; and I would have if it weren’t for that darned windmill with the fake daffodils and smiling, dancing squirrels. All kidding aside, we had a wonderful time talking about our families, projects, holiday plans and how horribly bad most of us were at golf.
After a punishing round of miniature golf, several of us headed to the driving range. One of our partners took about a half hour working with my son to help improve his swing; simply because they wanted to do something nice. Meanwhile, over on the “Pro” golf course, our tax partner, Dean Joaquin, displayed his exemplary golfing skills hitting balls over trees and ponds with the simplest of ease, all the while encouraging his team members that they could do the same with a little more practice. That’s the McGladrey way. Nothing is impossible if you try hard enough! Of course, I also believe that it takes some real skill to actually hit the tree with your golf ball. This thinking is probably another reason for my being strategically placed on the miniature golf team.
At the end of our event, our tax practice lead partner, Karen Jong, provided snacks and handed out PGA Tee Shirts (because McGladrey is the official accounting, tax and business consulting firm of The PGA of America) and prizes to the team with the best score. Oddly enough, the miniature golf team came in last place. I guess we’ll be canceling our US tour. I’m having the score sheets audited by our new associates, because I’m pretty convinced someone on the tax side was allocating unallowable deductions.
While we were sitting around sharing stories, I was struck with how much I not only enjoy working for this firm, but how much I truly enjoy the people I work with. Through our conversations we realized that some of our kids attend the same schools and as a result, have friends in common. One partner shared stories of a recent camping trip he’d gone on in Yosemite. An ITAX director who is transitioning to Pasadena while his family sells their home up north really appreciated getting out and spending the evening doing something other than heating up a Lean Cuisine and watching Dancing With the Stars. All in all, everyone had a great time and as a result, we’re planning to develop a softball and tennis team next. Again, that’s the McGladrey way. Continuing to build on great ideas!!!
If you’d like to join in on the fun feel free to check out several of our job postings below. If you’re a public accounting professional and can either golf, play softball or tennis, we’d love to talk with you.
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