Matt Hetrick, CPA

President
Culinary Accountants, Inc.
Annapolis, MD
www.CPA-Eats.com

Q&A:

Aside from the accounting websites, which blog/website do you consider a must-read? Other than accounting sites, I often peruse The Chronicle of Higher Education (www.chronicle.com). There’s plenty of academy-specific material there, but they also curate a great selection of interesting articles from across the political spectrum that help keep me grounded in a wide range of thought. It is important for CPAs to be fluent in areas outside of the profession so we can better relate to our clients.

In what ways have you contributed to your firm/company to make it better?

I founded my firm, so I’m responsible for creating and constantly improving it. I’m most proud of the innovative work we’re doing to break down traditional work barriers by providing a work environment that offers tremendous temporal and geographical flexibility. As we continue to evolve our work processes and structure we are providing opportunities to incredibly talented team members who may not have had these opportunities otherwise.

In what ways do you participate in the professional community to change/improve the accounting profession?

Most of my efforts are directly focused on evolving my firm to meet the challenges and opportunities that come within the profession and that affect the clients in our niche, which is restaurant accounting.

In what ways do you participate in your local community to help others?

Through the restaurants that we’ve developed and run, we provide fundraising to a lot of local community organizations. As a combat veteran, I have a particular interest in supporting veteran causes.

What changes do you foresee in the accounting profession of the near future (3-5 years)?

There’s a tremendous amount of disruption occurring in the profession because of the widespread adoption of cloud based technology and the automation of a great deal of basic accounting tasks. To remain competitive, I think firms will have to specialize in particular niches and provide value-add services to clients. We can’t simply be engaged in the maintenance of books, preparation of tax returns, etc. We have to be the financial advisors our client-partners rely on to operate profitably.

How do you see yourself participating in shaping the future of the accounting profession?

I see our firm’s approach to work-life balance as innovative and promising. I expect to continue developing our human capital and to develop a staff of well trained accountants who understand that our value as professionals comes from our ability to translate financial information and help clients make the right decisions.

What is your career philosophy?

Work hard. Be kind. Adapt.

Describe one person who has been an important mentor to you and how that person helped change your life.

My father has been the single most important mentor to me, professionally. As a CPA and entrepreneur, he’s a wealth of professional knowledge, and he gave me the opportunity to get started in the profession. More importantly, however, he sets an example of work ethic, fairness, and genuine goodness that I strive to emulate each day.

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Learn more about this year’s 40 Under 40 Honorees.