Published October 2001

Moss Adams’ services span business spectrum

By John Wolcott
Herald Business Journal Editor

Caryl Thorp joined the Everett office of the Moss Adams accounting firm fresh out of the University of Washington 26 years ago. Since then, she has become an expert in tax and estate planning, while the company has become the largest midsize accounting and consulting firm on the West Coast.

That growth has been good for Thorp as well as for the company. In 1999, her expertise and dedication earned her the distinction of being named the first woman Managing Partner in the history of the firm since its 1913 founding in Seattle. She’s also in her fourth year as the only woman on Moss Adams’ 10-member executive committee.

“I think our growth has been influenced by our image of being something more than an accounting firm, in the sense that we provide an array of nontraditional services in addition to finances and taxes,” she said. “Our strengths are in many areas, including consulting services for strategic business planning, coaching, recruiting, mentoring business owners, cost segregation, evaluating business purchases, estate planning and business succession plans.”

While many of the firm’s larger competitors, particularly at the national level, offer similar nontraditional accounting services, Moss Adams has grown by focusing much of its attention on midsize, family-owned businesses, Thorp said.

“A lot of them need help handling growth or transitioning ownership of the business to the next generation. We have some powerful tools to help them be successful. Across the country, and in Snohomish County, there are many businesses going through the generation transition stage. We help them evaluate whether family members are suited to carry on the business. If they’re not, we can help find the right company for a strategic acquisition.”

The Everett office even has its own industrial psychologist who helps business owners understand the interplay between their business needs and the needs of family members, as well as the dynamics among those members. All of those factors, among others, are important in deciding how to best chart the future course for a family business.

“I believe if a client calls with a question we should never say we don’t know the answer. We have so much staff knowledge and information available — and we network enough with others in the industry — that we can probably find whatever or whoever is needed to help the client,” Thorp said.

The staff in Everett also includes a research group of professional librarians who will find information for clients on topics ranging from international business operations to strategic marketing. And, the company offers the services of Moss Adams Capital, a related entity that serves an investment banking function, including finding buyers and sellers of businesses and putting the transaction together.

Moss Adams also offers CEO coaching, management training, a review of a business’ organization structure, evaluations of managers’ skills for their positions, strategic business plans, troubleshooting business operations and identifying areas where enterprises could increase their profitability.

“We deal with expanding companies from the architectural stage to help them with cost segregation, so they can benefit from tax breaks and maximum depreciation,” Thorp said.

Although the firm doesn’t release revenue or earnings figures, Thorp said the company has been growing at 10 percent to 20 percent annually for the past couple of years, due in part to mergers and acquisitions.

Spokane’s largest accounting firm joined Moss Adams in January 1999, and a major acquisition in southern California in June 2000 tripled the staff size of Moss Adams’ Los Angeles office to nearly 200.

“When you’re successful, people like to be a part of that,” Thorp said.

For more information about Moss Adams, call Thorp at 425-303-3008, send e-mail to carylt@mossadams.com or visit the firm’s Web site, www.mossadams.com.

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