“We’re highly industry focused. We are industry experts, we’re not just compliance people. We’re business advisors and our goal is making our clients more successful.”—Michael Ricioli, partner
Moss Adams is a 105-year-old fully integrated professional services firm with more than 25 offices in locations all over the West and beyond including two in the North Bay. Michael Ricioli, partner in charge of the North Bay practice, overseeing offices in Santa Rosa and Napa, describes the business as more than numbers. “We’ve always looked at ourselves as trusted business advisors,” he says. “We’re highly industry focused. We are industry experts, we’re not just compliance people. We’re business advisors and our goal is making our clients more successful.”
What Moss Adams strives for is to provide an experience that is satisfying for both clients and their own staff. This involves sustaining a supportive and thriving culture where employees can grow and move up the ladder. This includes a program for women called Forum W, which accelerates the firm’s success in attracting, developing, and retaining advanced and talented women. At Moss Adams, they’re constantly thinking about the clients, putting themselves in their shoes. Says Ricioli, “We’re always asking how can we make our client’s life easier? How can we add more value to our clients and to our staff?”
Considering the number of years and culture changes the firm has seen over the past 105 years, leaders at Moss Adams keep an eye on change. “Accounting has been around a long time,” says Ricioli. “When I look at what’s changing right now, with technology and everything that’s progressing—driverless cars, imagine—there’s going to be a time where tax return audits are going to be automated. Much of what we do today is not what we’re going to be doing tomorrow.” The challenge then, as it is now and always has been, is to have a sustainable practice. “As our business evolves and changes, we also change with it,” he says. “Because technology is going to disrupt our business.” The excitement of that is being innovative, forward-looking and as knowledgeable as they can be about what anyone can predict about what the future is going to look like—anticipating what clients will need and staying ahead of the curve.
“Culture can change,” he says. “In time, the people who are just starting today are going to determine what our culture is going to look like. The challenge is making sure we provide enough guidance and relationships—to me that’s what culture is. When I look at why I’m here and why I continue to be proud that I’m at Moss Adams, it’s that I have great relationships with our people and great relationships with our clients.”
The North Bay Area offices are distinguished by a particularly community-minded culture. “That’s also a differentiator when we’re attracting and retaining the talent in the location,” he says. Ricioli summarizes a complex company with a few core concepts. “We want to give our clients that experience of, ‘You’re number one!’ and ‘Any time you call or have a need, we’re here for you!’ It doesn’t matter if you’re a small or large client. If you have that experience, or that relationship, we strive to get to that point where you can call any client and ask about their experience with us and they’ll say, ‘It’s great.’”
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