In First Person

Nick Stever: The View From the Siding

BBD went back to Kentucky in early June this summer.  This was my first service trip with BBD so I really didn’t know what to expect.  I have heard all the stories about the previous two service trips the firm went on, but haven’t got to experience it for myself.  We made the trip on a Sunday morning and drove ten hours to Salyersville, KY.  Once we got close to the location we were staying at, I was very surprised at the range of types of homes.  There would be stretches of very nice gated homes, and then there would be stretches of poverty-stricken homes.  A representative from the Christian Appalachian Project explained the two extremes and said that this is very common but a large portion of the population was extremely poor.  We drove about a half hour to our job site each morning and the final turn to get to the house took us up a dirt road, which was interesting because it was lined with chicken coops.  My team was building/finishing an entire new home for a very nice couple.  Their house was in very bad condition and needed to be replaced.  So our team broke up into three groups for different jobs to be completed.  One team sanded and painted the inside of the house, one team build a deck and handicap ramp in the front of the house, and my team was responsible for hanging siding on the outside of the house.  After a quick crash course in how to hang siding, we (Mike Boyle, Frank Rongone, and I) went to work.  It took some time to get the hang of it, but by day two we were moving.  By the end of the week, our team became proficient in hanging siding.  Working on a 20 foot ladder while holding the siding up and trying to nail in the siding isn’t an easy task.  But it was all worth it knowing you are helping someone less fortunate.  I thought the manual labor was a nice change from the typical day in the office. 

Of course being from Philly, we had the Phillies on our mind.  On Monday night, the Phillies were playing on ESPN.  So when we got back from the job site that day, Frank and I decided to make it our mission to find a sports bar in the area to watch the game.  With the help of a neighbor’s WI-FI network, we were able to search and find the only sports bar in the entire area.  Everyone went out to the sports bar to watch the game and relax.  We met some nice local people and got to bond with co-workers over popcorn, a couple drinks, and the Phillies.  It proved to be a great trip.  We worked hard, helped people in need, and had a good time doing it. 

Nick Stever: The Shot Heard 'Round the Office

Before I started working at BBD, I didn’t think sports and public accounting would go hand in hand.  Once I started at BBD, I quickly realized that sports are an integral part of the culture at BBD.  Being a huge Philadelphia sports fan, this proves to be a great part of the job.

Last summer, PICPA Emerging CPAs Group hosted a networking event at the Phillies game.  BBD sent about ten people from the firm including myself to the event.  It was a great opportunity to network with other CPAs and emerging CPAs from the area.  I got to mingle and network with CPAs from other firms that varied from managers, seniors, and staff levels.  The event included a happy hour, food, and ticket to the game.  You can’t beat that, and I got a chance to meet new people in our field of public accounting.  It was great event!

BBD also has a fantasy football league.  Last football season, I joined the league.  The league has twenty people from BBD.  The games and matchups during the season become fun and spirited debates at work during the week.  At the end of the season, there is a champion crowned and a toilet bowl champion crowned, which is awarded to the worst team in the league.  Luckily, I stayed out of the toilet bowl but unfortunately I didn’t come close to winning the championship.  There are two plaques hanging in our lunch room with all the champions and toilet bowl champions engraved on them. 

March Madness.  Those two words are enough to make anyone excited.  Like many other offices, BBD has a March Madness pool.  This makes the office a very interesting place during March.  Towards the end of some games, a few people would migrate over to the TV in our lunch room to catch the final seconds of the games.  One game in particular stood out.  BBD has quite a few Temple alumni working at the firm including myself, so the Temple game against Penn State was a must see in the final minutes.  Temple’s Juan Fernandez hit a buzz beater to win the game.  Simultaneously, everyone watching the final seconds screamed from the lunch room.  It has since become known as “the shoot heard round the office” because the reaction could be heard everywhere in the office.

Nick Stever: My First Busy Season

When I decided to go into public accounting as my career choice, I heard many stories about “busy” season.  Most of the time people referred to busy season as tax season and had horror stories about it.  I work in our Investment Management Group (IMG), and our busy season is a little different.  Many of our clients are registered funds with the SEC, and many of them have 12/31 year ends.  This means we have 60 days to complete the audit and issue our opinion because of SEC requirements.  So January and February are very busy.  These requirements mean early mornings and late nights at the office.  There is a ton of work to do, but everyone came together and got it done smoothly.  As a first-year staff in IMG, I work with two teams (consisting of a manager and a senior on each team).  Working with two different teams can be challenging at times, but the key is communication and organization.  Communicating the status of tasks and organizing tasks to be performed really helped get all the work done efficiently. 

During January and February, everyone in IMG spends a great amount of time together.  We also manage to have good time though, that is what I think makes BBD different and great.  One way we try to incorporate some fun in the day is having a catch with a stuffed football or wiffle ball.  Usually in the afternoon, a few people will go out to get a cup of coffee.  A good walk always gets your blood flowing and the caffeine doesn’t hurt either.  In the end, busy season was not that bad.  It is just something you have to go through, and everyone helps get through it together.

Nick Stever: The Young Scholars Charter School Art Auction

Young Scholars Charter School is a charter middle school located several blocks away from our office location in Center City.  BBD has an ongoing partnership to help support the school’s great mission, to prepare middle school students to attend and succeed academically in the best high schools and colleges, and provide students with the life skills required to become a productive member of their community.  Also, the goal of Young Scholars is to close the achievement gap affecting inner-city students in Philadelphia.

Each year the school hosts a fund raiser in the form of an Art Auction.  The auction was held at a Center City art studio in the beginning of March.  Rachel Toomey, Bobbi Kelly, Erin McClafferty, Christi Phillips, Frank Rongone, and I attended the event.  Once we arrived, the bidding began.  There was original artwork from Young Scholars students displayed with some of the students standing by their works to discuss them.  I had a great time talking to the students about their artwork and learning the stories behind the paintings and sculptures.  I bid on about four or five pieces of art, but unfortunately I lost the bidding and did not win any of the artwork.  Frank and Rachel both won some fantastic pieces of art.  There was an amazing food spread set up and we got to met some of the teachers and administration from the school.  Also we got to enjoy a few beverages and mingle with other supporters of the school.  The art studio was packed-- a lot of people came together to support Young Scholars mission.  They also had a raffle for a few non-artwork items.  Luckily, I won a pair of Phillies tickets.  It was an amazing event, and I am looking forward to attending other events to support Young Scholars.

Nick Stever: BBD's Investment Management Group

When our HR director asked me to rank which group I would like to work with the most, I ranked IMG first.  IMG is the Investment Management Group.  I chose to put IMG first because I was interested in learning all the details of the investment management world.  I started with the Investment Management Group last October.  Coming out of school with an accounting degree, I thought I knew a little about investments, yet over the past few months I have learned so much about the industry that I did not know before.

In the IMG group, we primarily audit mutual funds and hedge funds.  In the course of auditing mutual funds, I have learned all the details of the relationships between the fund accountants, the custodians, and the transfer agents.  All of these entities affect the audit, and we communicate with each one in order to gain comfort in the fund’s financial statements.  Also I have gained a better understanding of the rules and regulations relating to registered funds with the SEC.  We test different aspects of the fund’s holdings in order to gain comfort that the funds are in compliance with the rules and regulations of the SEC to remain as a registered fund.  Another interesting thing I learned a great deal about is mortgage-backed securities.  We all know about the mortgage crisis that occurred a couple years ago.  I knew the basic concept of mortgage-backed securities, but through the course of auditing funds holding them, I have gained a much better understanding of exactly what makes them up, how they are priced, and how they are bought and sold.  Over the past few months, my investment management knowledge has grown immensely.  As I continue to grow and learn in this field, I’m excited to see how much more I can learn.

 

Nick Stever: Why I Chose BBD

When starting my job search during my senior year at Temple University, I wanted to target a certain type of public accounting firm.  My target was a firm where I had the opportunity to grow and where I was not just going to be treated like a number because the firm was too large.  So, I targeted mid-size firms in and around the Philadelphia area. 

I had interviewed with many firms but BBD really stood out to me.  From my very first conversation with our HR director, Bobbi Kelly, I could tell BBD had what I was looking for.  In my first interview, Bobbi really stressed the culture of the firm- that it was a team atmosphere, everyone helps everyone, and everyone including the partners are accessible and helpful.  I accepted the offer to join BBD full time this past fall and I can tell after only a few months of being with the firm that everything was as advertised.  The culture is really unique.  Everyone is very helpful and engaging when I have questions.  We all eat lunch together when we are in the office while watching Sportscenter in our Great Room.  We even play Wii occasionally during lunch.  It is a great environment to work in because you know you have the support and help of all your teammates and everyone else in the firm.  Besides being great co-workers, many of us are friends outside of work.  The people really make the firm great and create the culture that makes our firm so unique.  I am really happy I chose BBD.

 

Nick Stever: BBD's Holiday Party at Citizens Bank Park

On December 10, 2010, BBD hosted its annual holiday party.  The party was held at the Hall of Fame Club in Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies.  When I received the invitation, I couldn’t believe that our party was going to be held at the Bank and we were going to be able to tour the whole stadium.  The party was fantastic from the start.  The night started with a cocktail hour, where everyone was talking and mingling amongst co-workers.  Then we all took our seats for a delicious dinner.  After dinner, the real fun began.  We were then taken on a tour of the ballpark.  A representative from the Phillies led us around the ballpark.  I have been to the Bank countless times being a season ticket holder but I had never been behind the scenes.  We got to see clubhouse where each player has their locker (some have two for being awesome like Chase Utley and Ryan Howard).  Then we moved on to the batting cages, where the players warm up before hitting during the game.  We then walked through some more hallways passing the Phanatic’s locker room and Charlie Manual’s office.  Then we arrived at the dugout of the Phillies, I sat in the same spot as Roy Halladay when he threw his no-hitter in his post-season debut.  Also each employee was given a hand full of chances for various prizes from the partners.  The partners gave out the prizes after the tour to conclude the evening.  The prizes included switching desks with the Managing Partner for a day, a parking space for a week, a golf outing with the partners, Phillies tickets, and a weekend getaway.  It was a truly amazing event from start to finish and I got to know my co-workers better in the casual setting.  I can’t wait for next year’s party.