It is interesting that our blog includes very very little about my job considering how much time I spend, because the true focus of my life is my family and my belief in God and following him. However, I do spend a ton of time at work and now is a great time for a work update.
When I was graduating from college all the firms came on campus to interview students and I was really fortunate to have 3 different job offers. One from Deloitte and Touche, one from Jones Simpkins (local firm in Logan) and one from Hansen, Barnett and Maxwell (local firm in Salt Lake City). As I interviewed one of my goals was to find somewhere that I could work and still make sure I was able to spend time with my family and have that be the focus of my life. I also really wanted somewhere that I felt like I could be happy my whole career. That did not mean that I would work there forever, but I did not want to start somewhere I knew I would not want to stay. Shantel and I really considered living in Logan and working at Jones Simpkins, but we decided that was not the right firm and not to stay in Logan. Deloitte made the most sense and was the most prestigious (Big 4 firm), we didn't really feel like it was the right fit compared to Hansen, Barnett and Maxwell (HBM). Shantel and I both felt like HBM was the best fit and the best place to start my career. One interesting thing is that initially received a rejection from HBM. Paul Skeen had interviewed me and let me know I was not selected for the second round of interviews. He sent a separate note to let me know it was really a timing issue because they were not planning to hire anyone with a January 1st start date (when I needed to start). However, a week or so later, I got an e-mail that they had decided to invite me for a 2nd interview. I then got a job offer after that and one of the main reasons was Doug Hawkes who really thought they needed to hire me. He ended up taking Shantel and I to dinner to try and convince us to work for HBM. After much prayer and contemplation, we decided that was the best thing for our family.
A few years after I joined the firm HBM was acquired by Eide Bailly which turned out to be such a great thing for me in my career. After 10 years at the firm, I was able to get the opportunity to do a three year rotation with the National Assurance Office which is an opportunity that I had really wanted.
Throughout my career and especially after I had been at the firm for 5 or 6 years, I was really trying to figure out if 1) I could make partner. Shantel and I had a lot of conversations and thought into it and even a year and a half ago, were not sure what would happen.
In September of 2022 I got a call from Jeff Sorensen to tell me they were putting my name up for promotion to partner. As part of the conversation he asked if I would be interested in becoming a permanent member of the National Assurance Office if that was an option. He ended up talking to Scot Phillips and they told me that if I wanted to permanently join the National Assurance Office, that they would offer that to me. If I went that route, instead of being promoted to partner in May of 2023, I would be promoted in May of 2024. If you had asked me 10 years before what I would want, it would be to be a permanent member of the National Assurance Office. Shantel and I were so grateful and decided that would be the best thing for my career. We decided to join the National Office and then wait for promotion in 2024.
Joining the NAO permanently has been such a good change. Then this May the change to partner came and has been such a fun thing. The other partners and people in my office have been so excited for me and it is a really cool opportunity.
Effective May 1, 2024, I am a partner at Eide Bailly. I thought it would be fun to share a few statistics since joining the firm. I don't have the actual hours from my first 4 months at HBM, but the total hours I worked those first 4 months was probably around 700 and about 650 billable. So I'll use those amounts, but the other amounts are based on my actual time sheets.
Total hours work: 32,112
Billable: 17,533
The last 3 years were obviously much lower on billable vs. total because of the change to the NAO. On average I worked about $2,416 hours per year for 13 years before becoming partner.
I am so grateful to so many people who helped me to make this happen. First is Shantel. She has been such a support to me and helping support me when I was working late, helping to take care of the kids in so many circumstances and being a great partner for me in helping me navigate my career. I also am grateful to Heavenly Father who I feel like helped open up the opportunities in the right places at the right time. There are also so many people I am grateful for at the firm. Doug Hawkes who really pushed to bring my into the firm. Paul Skeen who has been such a good mentor to me. In addition, a lot of the reason that I had the opportunity to be promoted to partner is his willingness to pass jobs to me (even though that won't happen because I'll be in the NAO), that created the opportunity. That also came because I worked so hard to do a good job on the clients that he brought in to take care of them and in return he was able to help me. Also Jeff Sorensen who really helped create the opportunity for me and was a big supporter for me. Also, Scot Phillips who gave me the opportunity with the NAO as well as Brian Bluhm. I also really enjoy working with Ann Glenz, Angie Hillestad, and Sara Kurtz and can't wait to work with them. I also got good news that Kristin O'Connor will be joining the NAO permanently and am glad to get to continue to work with her. Then a few others, Kristin Cornell, Gary Myers, Ted Hill, Ken Jeppesen, Luke Taylor and Mike Michelsen, Hayley Dahlhauser. I'm sure there are others, but I feel like I have had so many others help me along.
Ted Hill was retiring effective April 30, so they were doing a retirement dinner for Ted and combined that with a welcome dinner for the new Utah Partners (myself and Selina Hansen).
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