Accounting, tax, and consulting firm
McGladrey is clearing plenty of desk space for the months ahead, anticipating an increase of at least 25 more people before January.
The hiring push isn't surprising, considering that the firm has been bringing on new employees at a steady clip over the past six months, adding about 100 employees since the beginning of May. Currently, the Minneapolis office has about 325 people, with most of them getting ready for the busy tax season ahead.
Growth has also come from an increase in business consulting, notes Christine Mack, Northern Plains Assurance Leader and Partner at McGladrey. She says that for the past few years, many companies have been delaying the use of consulting in areas like risk advisory and technology services, but that the demand is increasing again.
She says, "There's a subtle shift in the economy. What was put on the back burner is now coming to the front, as people recognize they need advisory services to keep their businesses growing."
Expanding the firm's employee number comes at the same time as another major effort at McGladrey: implementing a paperless tax process.
The move toward a paperless strategy was sparked by a desire to create more efficiency in the tax process, says Mike Nelson, Managing Director of Tax Services. By going paperless, McGladrey employees can be more mobile and work electronically, allowing them to access files from a client office, for example. It's an innovative approach that's already making McGladrey unique among competitors.
"It just makes sense," says Nelson. "We can be mobile, it helps the environment, and our employees appreciate the flexibility. Everybody wins."
Source: Mike Nelson and Christine Mack, McGladrey
Writer: Elizabeth Millard