Summertime – school is out, vacations, graduations, weddings, and a host of other celebrations are in full swing. Barbacane, Thornton & Company is in full swing as well. We are coming off of a very busy winter season and in full preparations for an even busier summer/fall season. A lot has been happening in our world and we are excited to share some of the highlights.
In January of this year, we officially relocated to our new offices located at 503 Carr Road in Wilmington, Delaware. It was the first time we have changed office locations in over 12 years – and that move had only relocated us two buildings away in the same complex. So, this move marked a significant change – 3 whole miles away in what felt like 3 States! We purged, redesigned, rethought the way we work, and generally gave ourselves an entire new look. We are still finalizing some of our art installations but look forward to sharing pictures of our new space in the near future. In the meantime, we love giving tours of our new space and have conference rooms available for use by our clients.
Our newest Partner, Edmund Fosu-Laryea welcomed the newest member to his growing family. Eli Fosu-Laryea made his entrance into the world March 4th, and we are thrilled to share the newest set of milestones with Edmund and his family.
RFP (request for proposal) season has been busier than we have seen in several years. The changing economy, the great resignation, increased Federal funding, and audit rule changes, just to name a few contributors, seem to be driving more governments and nonprofits to be in need of audit services. We have been very strategic and careful to respond responsibly to opportunities to onboard new clients so that we may meet the needs of existing clients. We are thrilled to welcome several new school clients, nonprofits, and a new municipality to our lineup for the fall season.
Staffing continues to be an issue for everyone, including CPA firms. I have the privilege to sit on the Board of the PICPA Foundation, where the topic of increasing accounting graduates is top of mind. The Foundation is doing great work to reach high school students and beyond to help them understand the opportunities in the accounting field. They also provide scholarships and important mentoring for those considering a career in accounting. For our firm, staffing remains top of mind for us as well. We have undertaken several initiatives over the past months to be certain that we are current and competitive with what we are offering to those pursuing a career in accounting. We have revamped and improved our retirement options, increased health benefits, provided retention bonuses, increased salaries, and revamped performance review and mentoring. Our staff are our biggest asset, and we feel that ours represent some of the best in the audit field and we will do everything we can to support them and provide meaningful opportunities for them to prosper. Know someone looking for a challenging and rewarding career – we would love to meet them!
Our Partner group continues to stay active in the community provided value through participation in nonprofit events, speaking as technical experts, serving on local Boards, and sharing insights into current standards for our clients. They remain focused, professional, approachable, and are here to support our values of Integrity, Responsiveness, and Quality.
Enjoy your summer and wherever plans might take you – and if you are in the neighborhood stop by and see us – we would love to provide a tour!