We’re honored to highlight Baker Tilly as this month’s sponsor spotlight! With more than 2,800 talented and passionate individuals strong, Baker Tilly is a top 15 full-service accounting and advisory firm with specialized professionals who connect with you and your business through refreshing candor and clear industry insight.
What drew you to sponsoring TeamWomen?
TeamWomen’s focus on providing career development and leadership opportunities for women aligns with Baker Tilly’s values. We were drawn to TeamWomen because it not only gives women a place to meet and network, but also provides training and professional development events that teach women the skills they need for the professional world. TeamWomen truly lives out their mission, supporting women to rise up together. It is a positive and welcoming organization with down-to-earth members who genuinely care about each other’s development.
How do you create a culture of prosperity and inclusion in your company?
Baker Tilly is passionate about our employees’ personal and professional development and is committed to creating an environment where every person can succeed. Achieving our vision relies on the cultivation of a diverse, engaging and inclusive environment in which exceptional people thrive. We have a group called GROW (Growth and Retention Of Women) that is made up of women leaders and acts as an advocate for the women of the firm. GROW is specifically designed to enhance the recruitment, retention, development and advancement of women by providing internal and external opportunities to network, share information, acquire skills and form rewarding professional relationships. The SOAR (Supporting Opportunity, Advancement and Recognition for all) program is another way we focus on our people. SOAR encourages and supports the evolution of a diverse, inclusive workforce with opportunity for all members to maximize their potential, create value and deliver our promise of exceptional client service with focuses on race, ethnicity and LGBT groups.
What are three things (serious or fun) that separate you from other companies within your industry?
Our company culture sets us apart. Starting at upper-level management and the partners, there is an open and welcoming environment in our offices. Everyone wants each other to succeed and is willing to go the extra mile to help a coworker. We strive to provide exceptional service and insights to our clients each and every day to assist their business. It isn’t competitive or cut-throat, but a fun place where people enjoy their coworkers and work together as a team.
As part of our culture, we want to make sure our employees have the chance to meet people outside their teams and create non-work related friendships. We have socials, potlucks, games and other activities throughout the year that give our employees an opportunity to meet and socialize and also relieve some stress.
As part of Baker Tilly’s commitment to community, each year the firm hosts Stewardship Day. Stewardship Day is an entire workday dedicated to community service, giving and education. Firm offices from across the country volunteer at a variety of organizations that represent causes close to Baker Tilly team members and their communities. Since Stewardship Day’s inception in 2016, Baker Tilly team members across 32 cities have collectively given more than 21,000 hours of services, volunteering at more than 80 not-for-profit organizations.
What are some of the big things happening for your company in 2019?
At the beginning of December, Baker Tilly went through a complete rebrand. This included everything from the logo to the colors and everything in between. We are very excited to share our new look!
Following the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), Baker Tilly has been in full swing educating and informing our clients of new tax laws and changes. This affects all industries and individuals and has a wide impact. Another big change we are working hard educating and informing our clients on is ASC 606, a new revenue recognition standard. This new accounting standard may impact their top line revenue reported.
Baker Tilly has had recent growth with two mergers at the end of 2018 — RGL Forensics (a multidisciplinary forensic accounting and consulting practice) headquartered in Denver, and the MRZ accounting firm, headquartered in Houston. We are excited to welcome them to our firm! Baker Tilly puts a large focus on growth, not only for our firm, but also for our people.
What is the favorite food leftover in your office?
Everyone loves pizza! Any time someone brings leftover pizza to the Baker Tilly Cafe, it normally only lasts a couple of minutes before word gets out and a crowd has formed in the cafe. Birthday cake is another big contender. Every month, to celebrate our employees’ birthdays, we serve cake in the office.
How do you connect with your alumni?
We believe staying connected to our alumni is really important. Every year we host an alumni networking social for past and present Baker Tilly employees. We update our alumni on big events and changes that happened that year for Baker Tilly and reconnect with past colleagues. It is one of the most anticipated events of the year!
What is the favorite busy season activity in your office?
Busy season (the period between January and April when accountants are super busy) can be a stressful time for our employees so we try to incorporate fun activities during this time. One of the most popular is bingo — every hour a new number gets emailed out to the office until someone wins bingo. It is a great way to add a little fun and excitement throughout a long day.
To learn more about Baker Tilly and their services, click here.
