Culture Corner: Armanino LLP

Everyone Wants a Recipe for Success

Armanino LLP Cooked Up a Great One

By Originate Report Staff

Volunteer Vacation where dozens of employees went to Thailand to do work at an elephant sanctuary and teach English to children.

What makes a company successful? It's not an easy question to answer. The right formula depends greatly on an organization's market, location and clientele. But when it comes to the financial services industry, look no further than Armanino LLP for a stellar example of a winning corporate culture.

Dean Quiambao, Armanino LLP’s CPA Partner, AKA “Chief Relationship Builder,” knows a thing or two about what it takes to succeed. Dean uses his experience of 19 years within the accounting and consulting industry to create personalized data‐driven insights for his clients, enabling them to gain an invaluable edge over the competition.

Here, Dean gives a rare insight into the foundational values that make Armanino LLP both a refreshingly vibrant place to work and a truly valuable resource for its clients—a winning combo indeed.

“Thank You Wall” which is called Clip-A-Compliment.

A Clearly Defined Purpose

Every company needs a “why.” When there’s no explicit purpose, there’s no direction—and that inevitably spells trouble when it comes to corporate culture. Armanino LLP clearly doesn’t have that problem. It exists to create unparalleled innovation and entrepreneurial advancement from the inside out—that concept applies equally to its employees, clients and surrounding communities. Sure, that sets the bar quite high, but Armanino LLP wants to push the status quo. The goal is to always be a step ahead of the competition, setting the standard for what clients should expect from their business solutions provider.

The thing I enjoy most about working at Armanino is the people. It’s rare to get along so well with your coworkers and these people have become family that I look forward to work and grow with.

Rachelle Shamieh, Audit

Put the Firm First—Always

Armanino LLP operates on the principle that doing what’s best for the firm instead of what’s best for personal gain produces results. That applies from the ground up—whether that’s a specific person, partner, or department. Sometimes that means turning down clients whose values don’t align with the firms. But this transparency pays sustainable dividends in the long run. At the end of the day, prioritizing honesty and dedication to collective responsibility is what truly forms an entity’s reputation.

Armanino coordinates with other local companies in the area to host a kickball tournament.

Empower Employees

Success comes from within. At Armanino, there’s a powerful assurance routinely circulated to all of its employees that they have the creative freedom to formulate novel solutions, voice their opinions and spark productive conversations. That internal openness and subsequent dialogue translates into value for the firm’s clients. Innovation doesn’t happen in seclusion—it takes collaboration and interconnectivity to push the boundaries in a technologically advanced sector that’s constantly changing and posing new challenges.

What I enjoy the most about working here at Armanino is the opportunity to be put in leadership positions no matter your title.

Kiyoshi William Smith, Tax

Innovative Connectivity

When it comes to connecting employees and fostering connections, Armanino isn’t afraid to mix old school methods with cutting edge technology to create a truly unique, and effective, work environment whose results speak for themselves. The firm installed “Thank You” walls, where employees can write thank you notes at each office to build a team‐centered atmosphere. Additionally, Armanino use technology to incorporate their substantial number of remote employees. Using virtual “Shout Outs,” employees and clients alike can communicate freely and openly—all in real time. These messages are integrated into each employee’s record, that way everybody knows everybody even if they haven’t had the opportunity to meet face‐to‐ face. With 16 offices across the country and over 1500 employees, it can be challenging to make sure the firm effectively includes every individual. That’s why Armanino came up with their innovative staff advisory board, where staff per region and per department are nominated and elected to represent the staff, and they report directly to the C‐suite members, who work directly with that elected staff advisory board to ensure that the staff are heard on key issues. It’s a novel solution to a real world problem, something the firm takes pride in counting among their many qualities.

Triple Shots: where employees are featured on Armanino’s Instagram page with something that they enjoy.

Give Back

Armanino understands the concept that a company can’t say they’ll be a great community asset and not visibly contribute to that community’s needs. That’s why the firm created its own charitable foundation that has partnered with numerous nonprofit organizations to make a positive impact in the surrounding areas. The Armanino Foundation gives employees many opportunities to give back, both through volunteer outings, like its “Volunteer Vacations” and “Dollars for Doers” programs and through giving initiatives. Recently, in celebration of the firm’s 50th anniversary, the foundation gave away five $10,000 grants to charities within its four areas of focus; Health & Social Services, Animal Welfare, Education and the Arts. Armanino’s longest standing charitable endeavor is The Great Give, where gets everyone involved in putting the community first, from the partners to the staff, by shutting down for an entire day every year where every single employee signs up for a nonprofit and gives back in a meaningful way.

I love the flexibility we have at Armanino. This helps with juggling life events! I also love how dedicated we are to high standards for our clients. We are not just “OK”, we are awesome!

Maryellen Wright, Consulting