Growing up in a family with 11 children, Bill Balhoff never had a dull moment as a youngster. He learned to make the best of it, and his many siblings taught him valuable life skills.
Little did he know his childhood experiences would prepare him for his future career as an accountant. As Business Report details in its new Executive Spotlight feature, Balhoff learned how work with large groups of people with differing personalities and opinions, build consensus, be a leader and communicate effectively. His knack for working with people steered him out of a major in chemical engineering and into business school.
Since Balhoff joined Postlethwaite & Netterville in 1976, the company has grown from 22 employees to 600 and revenues of more than $50 million, which he attributes to the firm’s high quality service and talented team. He manages clients in a wide variety of industries, each of which has its own rules, regulations, timelines and challenges.
Balhoff’s next professional goal is to become more active in his profession at the international level. “As our clients continue to increase their operations overseas, international knowledge and connections will be more of a focus for accountants all over the world,” Balhoff says. In addition to the international focus, Balhoff says one item on his bucket list is to travel the world with his grandchildren.
Read the full Executive Spotlight Q&A with Balhoff. Here’s a sample of what you’ll find:
What is one thing about your job people don’t know or hear about?
People think CPAs are number crunchers, and that’s true, but they don’t realize that public accounting is a people business. To be successful, you need good communication skills, including the ability to listen to your clients’ problems and to work with them to help solve their problems.
