McGladrey marathoners run to support worthy charities

Last week, four McGladrey employees ran the Boston Marathon with support from their colleagues and The McGladrey Boston Foundation.

Jenna Flattery and Louis McDavid

Manager Louis McDavid and Senior Associate Jenna Flattery, both from the Boston office and sponsored by The McGladrey Boston Foundation, completed the marathon with running times of 4:21:35 and 3:45:16, respectively. Louis and Jenna, together with The McGladrey Foundation raised more than $10,000 to support several non-profit charities.

Senior Associate Kyle Pochini and Associate Scott Tonkovich also ran in Monday’s historic race. Scott (running time of 5:29:11 with a hamstring injury) ran last year’s marathon but was unable to finish due to the tragic events of that day. “Last year, I ran for the South Boston Boys & Girls Club team and helped raise more than $5,000,” he says. “Because I didn’t finish last year, I ran this year as an honorary team member.”

Kyle (running time of 3:13:27) helped raise more than $7,000 for Boston Medical Center (BMC), which treated 23 victims of last year’s attack. “I chose BMC because of its mission to provide care to all comers—regardless of their ability to pay,” says Kyle.

“Participating in the 2014 Boston Marathon was a truly memorable experience,” says Jenna. “And I’m grateful for all the support that McGladrey has provided throughout the training and fundraising process.”

“What an amazing day to be a part of,” Louis says. “Many thanks to The McGladrey Foundation, fundraising volunteers and employees who supported us and these worthwhile charities. I am grateful for the opportunity to represent the firm and that so many teammates were out on the course to cheer us on.”

Congrats to all participants!

The McGladrey Baltimore office: Experience the Excitement!

By Marty Brunk
Office Managing Partner - Baltimore

Visualize This: Situated in the robust Harbor East area of Baltimore with picturesque views of the waterfront. Surrounded by talented individuals striving to exceed client expectations. Working with many of the premier companies and their C-Level Executives. Serving the needs of the community with active involvement in charitable organizations and community efforts. You have just entered the McGladrey Baltimore Zone.

Conference Room in Baltimore

Our people enjoy a diverse work experience and are constantly challenged by the complexities of their engagements. Our intensive training programs, on the job learning, and interactions with other professionals provide the platform to deliver quality work. Each individual utilizes these learnings to pursue their passions whether it is a long term rewarding career in public accounting or the springboard for a successful career in industry.

Understanding that it is important to build lifetime relationships with your peers, we provide opportunities to interact through things such as golf lessons and outings, happy hours, sports activities, country club events and more. Here are a few of the great things happening at the Baltimore office right now:

• Golf lessons with a pro. Golf is a big part of the McGladrey culture and this is an excellent way for our local team to get involved. 
• Happy Hour- We just had a mid-season social event to celebrate the half way point in tax season. 
• In May the Baltimore’s community outreach team will be sponsoring a used book drive to benefit Baltimore Reads. 
• The 2nd annual Pursue your Passion program will kick off May 2014. This Baltimore program allows our staff to pursue a personal passion outside of the work place that aligns with McGladrey core values. Each year the winner is awarded $2,500 and 5 additional PTO days.

As a result of our success we continually look to build and grow our team of professionals. We are interested in developing a relationship with talented and motivated individuals. If you, or someone you know, would be a good addition to McGladrey Baltimore, please contact Sheree Ball or visit Baltimore Career Opportunities.

Enter the McGladrey Baltimore Zone, and experience the excitement for yourself.

Baltimore team volunteering.

The Final Stretch

By Matt Matula
Tax Intern
Chicago, IL

Interning at McGladrey has been quite the experience to say the least. I have made so many good friends and I learned more than I could possibly imagine in such a short time span. I feel as though I have become an integral part of a very close knit community of co-workers in my MWD department. Even though I still have so much more to learn, I definitely have noticed that I have become more helpful to the team rather than being the one who always needs help. However, this is to be expected after spending several weeks working 12 hours a day. Although 12 hours a day may seem daunting, you quickly get used to it, and there is a great deal of satisfaction when you complete a full day’s work. Despite how rewarding it is to complete a 200 page return, it is painful when you are asked to re-assemble the same return for the fourth time in a row. If you are planning on interning at any public accounting firm then heed my warning. You will make mistakes, and a lot of them. The goal is to learn from these mistakes, and not to let them bring you down. After all, we are accountants, and not surgeons. No one will die if we make a mistake, but people absolutely rely on the quality of our work, so it is important to not repeat the same mistakes over and over again. Anyways, I can probably keep writing all day about my experience here at McGladrey, but I am too busy with work. 

You can definitely feel a sense of urgency around the office as the looming 4/15 deadline approaches. Our MWD group has a tradition where we inflate 10 balloons that represent the last ten days of busy season. Each day we will gather around and together we will pop one balloon to show everyone we are one day closer to the end. It is a challenge, and everyone is working twice as hard to make sure we finish strong. One of the partners in my group gave me a great analogy to describe the end of busy season. He told me, “Busy season is like fitting an elephant through the eye of a needle. It seems impossible, yet we manage to do it every year.” I plan on using his inspiring words to help push myself through this final stretch of tax season. I would like to thank everyone who took the time to read my blog, and I hope it gave you some insight into the life of an intern at McGladrey.

Hard Work, Done Well, Feels Great

By Joshua Benson
Assurance Intern
Phoenix, AZ

As my assurance internship comes to an end, I am reminded of my old swim coach’s saying: “hard work, done well, feels great.” Those words have never meant as much to me as they do now. The last three months have flown by, and I can’t imagine feeling any better about the work that I have put in, the people I have been able to meet and work with, or the company that I have been privileged to work for and represent. My internship experience has only solidified my choice to pursue a career in assurance, and I am very eager to take the skills and knowledge that I have learned and apply them to my school work this upcoming fall. 

During my internship, I worked on clients in industries including manufacturing, real estate, insurance, and software development. I worked in different teams from the Phoenix office, and even a team comprised of people from the Omaha and Dallas offices. I learned how to audit cash, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, and fixed assets. With new clients, new team members, new challenges, and new learning opportunities every week, it was hard not to look forward to Monday mornings.

The most rewarding part of my experience has been working alongside the people who I aspire to be someday. While working at clients, I was able to pick the brains of first and second year staff about how to prepare for one’s first few years of public accounting. When managers, directors, or partners came out to clients, it allowed me to observe what it takes to be successful. Everyone I have worked with has not only been an excellent teacher regarding the technical side of accounting, but they have also been willing to share their insight into developing a fulfilling career in public accounting. I have been incredibly inspired by the people I have worked with over the last three months, and I anxiously look forward to working with likeminded motivated individuals here at McGladrey.

For anyone who is thinking about doing an internship with McGladrey, I encourage you to do so. Be prepared to know nothing, be opened minded and teachable, treat every day like an interview, and take pride in your work. The time will fly by quickly, but the knowledge you gain, the lessons you learn, and the personal growth you will have will last a lifetime. Stay positive, and always remember, “hard work, done well, feels great.”

Memorable Experience

By Morgan Quesinberry
Assurance Intern
Orlando, FL

Throughout my internship I have learned more than I ever could have imagined. I have learned about the people that make up McGladrey and the amazing opportunities McGladrey gives their interns. The perk of interning during busy season is you get to see everything! After my audit internship, there is no workpaper I can’t tackle. Within the internship I was able to work on several different types of clients and industries. With each client, you learn the ins and outs of the company. It was very interesting to see how different industries are audited. 

My favorite part of the McGladrey audit internship was interacting with the clients McGladrey serves. Every few weeks I was scheduled on a new client. For the most part, the team would go out to the client site and work with the client. With all the experience I received, I was able to complete my work and take my knowledge of what I have learned and apply it in other areas. The amount of knowledge I have gained from my internship will carry on in my future education. It was a great experience and peek into what public accounting is all about.

My McGladrey internship was an amazing experience for more reasons that I can write about. I enjoyed the fact that I was given associate work to complete as an intern. It was a challenge. Even if I had problems or didn’t understand something, my senior associates were there to train and teach me how to perform certain tasks. 

If I had to give a new intern any advice, it would be to learn and absorb as much as possible. When you are working on something, you have to ask questions if you have an issue. It is easy to get wrapped up in an issue and become determined to figure it out yourself. In reality, you’re in-charge has seen this problem before and can help fix it in less time than you can. Also, you need to be open to comments and take criticism well. The only way you’re going to learn is by taking what your in-charge says and improve next time. 


Morgan and co-workers at Color Me Rad 5k

An aspect I love about McGladrey is that there is always something to participate in. In the length of my internship, I participated in a bowling charity event and attended a Solar Bears game. In addition, this past weekend, a few of the McGladrey interns and employees ran in the Color Me Rad 5k in Orlando. It was a blast! There was colored powdered all over us and after the race it was practically a big party. We all went to brunch after and had a great time. This experience was something that I will always remember because I shared it with my McGladrey co-workers. The Corporate 5k is coming up in a few weeks and I can’t wait to participate. This event is supposed to be one of the largest runs in Orlando. It will be nice to see the large amount of McGladrey employees that participate.  

Overall, as you can see, my experience as a McGladrey intern was a great one. I am so happy I decided to begin my career in public accounting with McGladrey. The opportunities the firm is able to give their employees is vast, and the people and clients that make up McGladrey make the experience even better.

Did that really just happen?

By Precious Dannug
Assurance Intern
Chicago, IL

All of this learning, all of this hard work, all of this knowledge, all of this food —in a matter of 11 weeks?! My mind has been blown in the best way possible. McGladrey has provided me with an internship experience beyond my expectations and I wouldn’t go back to change a second of it. 

Saying that I learned a lot is an understatement. Sometimes you just have to dive into the water head first. To me, busy season was a huge body of water that was the complete unknown. But, with McGladrey, I nervously dove in head first, and came out being able to successfully backstroke to the other side. My biggest leap took place on my third audit engagement. My supervisor trusted me with completing four different sections of the audit file. After freaking out for a substantial amount of time, I dove right in to the work papers and gave it my best shot. Of course, I came across frustrations and being lost, but I can honestly say that I learned the most from that engagement. When challenged, I can really end up surprising myself. So, for future interns out there, when you are given responsibility for something that is completely unfamiliar at first, just know that: 1) It’ll be okay, and 2) The leap is worth it.

The variety of knowledgeable people I was fortunate enough to work with at McGladrey made all of the difference. From all of the people I worked with, I was able to observe and grasp some of their best professional skills and begin to develop my own way of work. Some of the most important areas of work that I learned from others were organizational skills, communication skills, and teamwork. After learning these skills from others, I was able to appropriately use them on my own in my subsequent engagements.

To answer my question up at the title, yes. All of this busy, yet rewarding, time during my internship at McGladrey really did just happen. It was a phenomenal experience that certainly taught me more than a full class schedule could. With my internship at a close, not only am I grateful for the experience, but that I can walk into my Advanced Auditing class next week knowing a thing or two about substantive analytics.

Wrapping up the Season

By Jamie Jacobs
Tax Intern
Cedar Rapids, IA

It’s hard to believe we are only a few weeks away from April 15th. Man, did time fly by! It feels like just yesterday I was in orientation preparing myself for what I thought would be a long three months. In the short amount of time as a tax intern, I was able to obtain a broad knowledge on a variety of business financials and was also able to see how everything I learned in my business classes link together. This internship has been a great learning experience and it will definitely help me excel not only in my classes but in my future career. 

Cedar Rapids office

On the first week back from training, I was really nervous to start preparing business returns. They seemed complicated and I felt like I was asking questions every minute. I wasn’t sure how this internship would go as the first returns were a struggle, but within a week I was able to catch on and everything seemed to click from there. Once we hit March 15th I found it challenging to switch over to individual returns as I grew to enjoy preparing business returns.

It’s going to be weird going back to a “normal” lifestyle of working 40 hours a week. I’m not going to say I will miss working 60-70 hours a week, but overall it really wasn’t as bad as I imagined. It helped that our office is filled with a great group of people at all levels. They never made me feel like I was at the bottom of the pyramid and were always there to give me advice. I think that is one major benefit of working in a smaller office. 

I am happy with my decision to take a semester off of college because I now see that having work experience helps piece together everything I learned in classes. I am also grateful for this internship because I was able to make a lot of new friends and get out of my comfort zone. Moving to another town and having to start a new job was scary, but well worth it! It’s been a great few months and I am truly going to miss working for McGladrey.

Busy Season in Boston

By Hannah Lynch
Tax Intern
Boston, MA

It is unbelievable how fast time has gone by from the first blog post that I wrote back in January. Since then things around the office have picked up a lot. With the start of February came busier hours and more challenging work. From the first day I started I had work to do, but didn’t anticipate how much I would be exposed to throughout the coming months. During the past two months here at McGladrey I have been given opportunities to work on various types of returns, as well as an on-site client review with a senior associate for three days. I have gotten the chance to prepare individual, trust, partnership and s-corporation returns for a wide range of client types. With this came the chance to learn about different industries and types of clients that McGladrey serves. There have been some that I was able to complete in one day. However, there are engagements that I have been scheduled on since the week I began. One thing that I particularly enjoy about the wide range of work opportunities I have been given is the chance to work with different people in the office of all different levels. Regardless of their busy schedules, all the seniors and managers seem to find time to answer my questions and help me through any problems with returns I might be having. Working with people who want me to learn, rather than just fixing my mistakes for me, is one of the best parts about the job. 

As I am still finishing undergrad at Northeastern University, it is amazing to me how much more I feel that I have learned from this internship than I have in the past three years of college courses. Although classes are lucrative to understanding the basics of accounting, there is nothing quite like getting the real experience to learn. Getting the chance to do on-site work for a client was one of the more interesting experiences I’ve had here so far because it provided the opportunity to actually go out and be able to further understand the needs and thought processes of the clients. Though it makes for a busier week, I enjoyed the chance to get out of the office. 

Overall my experience has been nothing but positive so far, and with only two weeks left of busy season I can’t imagine that changing. Having other interns and first year associates around to help answer questions and make the long days go by just that much faster also makes the job much more fun, while helping me feel more comfortable. A welcoming environment such as McGladrey which encourages learning and asking questions is a place that I could definitely envision myself beginning my professional career after finishing school.  

Busy Season - Work and Entertainment

By Darina Veleva
Tax Intern
Chicago, IL

It is well known that tax season is the “most wonderful” time of the year for tax accountants all over the country. We have all heard stories about people working in public accounting who have worked 40 hour shifts and have slept at the office. As an intern in the Financial Services tax group, I can say that the crazy stories we all have heard are an extremely uncommon occurrence in McGladrey’s Financial Services Tax Group, let’s just say they do not take place at all. Although it is very busy and we work on weekends and late nights, it is also fun because you get to connect with the people around you, and you are also always learning no matter if you are an intern, manager or partner. Also, the company hosts events for employees, which allow us to take a break from work, unwind and enjoy some great food and company. We enjoyed two great events recently, one of which was an intern appreciation event hosted by HR. The intern appreciation event was held at the Little Goat in downtown Chicago and it was a great mid week break for all interns. The other FS interns and I did not plan on going, since it was a very busy week for us, but two of our partners urged us to attend and to allow ourselves a break from work. The event ended up being a great way to recharge and continue working at full speed over the weekend. 

The intern appreciation event was on a Thursday night on the second floor of the restaurant which was reserved for McGladrey. The room had an open floor plan and the kitchen was visible, which was great because we got to see the chef prepare our meals. The atmosphere was very casual and relaxed and the food was delicious. We had a variety of interesting appetizers such as goat empanadas, fried pickles and raw tuna with pumpkin seeds and squash. It was very nice to see friends from training and to learn more about their experience in the different groups and practices. Everyone seemed very satisfied with their work and shared some great stories about their experience at McGladrey. I am grateful for having the opportunity to have met and worked with the professionals at the Financial Services group.

My fellow interns and I have shared some very entertaining moments while working together and have bonded through this experience. We help each other out constantly and also laugh and make jokes very often which makes busy season seem a lot less stressful. It is really nice sharing a room because we can share all the things we have learned, and thus expand our knowledge. We have also become close with many of the associates who give us great advice. I have enjoyed this journey and have learned an immense amount not only about the life of a public accountant and the tax preparation process but also about the importance of communication and relationship building at the workplace. My fellow interns and I all hope to work here in the future and to be able to grow as professionals at McGladrey.