2023 WINNERS, A GLIMPSE

Our winners’ answers, chosen from a set of questions posed to them, reveal much about their interests, sense of humor and downright good, smart sense. That’s why they have made it to the 2023 40UnderForty. Read and enjoy!

Mark Pires, CPA, Senior Manager

Congratulations!

We are proud to have Mark Pires on our team at CironeFriedberg, where he serves as Senior Manager and mentor.

Congratulations, Mark, on this honor. The Partners and Staff wish you a successful and rewarding career!

For the highest level of professional service and guidance, come to CironeFriedberg, a leading regional CPA firm serving middle-market, privately held and family-owned businesses, and individuals. Our professional staff provides a full range of tax, audit and assurance, and business advisory services.

CironeFriedberg offers clients unique access to national and international markets through our membership in CPAmerica, an association of independent accounting firms that maintain the highest practice standards.

(203) 366.5876 | cironefriedberg.com

What motivates you in the morning?

Having lasting impact on the people and communities we serve. My professional purpose is helping individuals become the best versions of themselves every day to achieve their vision.

Which business tip has been the most helpful to you?

Be where your feet are. I believe most ambitious people spend all their energy thinking about the next role as opposed to focusing on being the best they can be in their current role, which in my experience opens up more opportunities, some of which you might not have been thinking about.

How long are you willing to fail before you succeed?

I believe you learn more from failure than success, which is why I'm willing to fail over and over for as long as it takes to find whatever version of "success" I'm truly capable of.

How would you describe achieving your own personal success?

Success is more than a measure of money, position and influence, it’s also peace of mind that is achieved by pursuing meaningful goals, living a happy life and being able to balance my priorities. My own personal success is knowing that I have put in the work to the best of my ability, that I continue to challenge myself to learn and grow both personally and professionally and that I do it with confidence and passion.

Which business tip has been the most helpful to you?

Someone once told me that having failure does not make you a failure; it does not define you. But rather, failure is the pathway to success. The harder you fall, the more you will take away from it. Failure provides an opportunity to reevaluate your situation, change your mindset and learn. In my professional career, I have had my experiences with failure and I would not be in the place I am today without them. I learned from these experiences and used that knowledge to pivot to a place of success.

What do you think you can do more to positively affect your community?

Giving back to the community that I live and work in has always been a passion of mine. Growing up, I was actively involved in community service in the Fairfield County area through Keystone with the Wakeman Boys and Girls Club. In college, I mentored and tutored at-risk youth in the neighboring town. Today, I would love to find more opportunities to volunteer my time in both service activities and mentorship. Prior to working in insurance, I never knew of or understood the path to get here. Knowing what I know now, I would love to be a resource to students or those looking to change careers.

What motivates you in the morning?

The challenge of continuous improvement and working hard to be better than I was yesterday. I am passionate about learning and acquiring new skills and I find great joy in becoming more proficient in my craft. As a web developer, I am able to use my skills to not only generate revenue, but also to make a positive impact on the lives of others. I am proud of the work that I do and I am excited to continue learning and growing as a web developer and leader in my community.

How long are you willing to fail before you succeed?

I have never found any value in counting the number of times I have failed at something. In fact, I believe that doing so can have a negative impact on my motivation and self-confidence. Instead, I choose to focus on achieving a successful outcome. When I do fail, I take the time to reflect on what went wrong, what went right and why I think those things happened. I then use this information to improve my chances of success in the future. I also believe that you can only truly fail at something if you give up. If you make 100 attempts and fail 99 of them, you've still succeeded because you never gave up. Most people will not even know about or remember the other 99 attempts.

What do you think you can do more to positively affect your community?

I am eager to get more involved in local government. I believe that it is important for people to be involved in local government because it has a significant impact on how we and our communities live our everyday lives. I want to educate younger people about the importance of community and the power of groups of people getting together to accomplish a common goal. Showing them by actively getting involved they can help grow and shape the way their communities are built.

What motivates you in the morning?

Gratitude. My parents risked everything they had to move us from a country torn by revolution and oppression and I am so thankful for their courage and strength of will. I'm thankful for the opportunities I've had through my education and my career that others have been denied through no fault of their own, just circumstance. And most of all, I am thankful for the kindness I've received throughout my life from my partner, family, friends, colleagues and even complete strangers. I am humbled, inspired, and motivated to pay it forward, always mindful that in the end, all we have is each other.

Which business tip has been the most helpful to you?

No one makes statues of pessimists. I think this is a difficult time to enter leadership in many industries and provider-side health care is no exception. Hospital finances are challenged, staff burnout is rampant and patient acuity is on the rise. It's easy to get wrapped up in negativity and apathy but now more than ever, this is a time that asks us to embrace optimism, vision and hope. When I catch myself falling into that pit, I repeat those six words in my head. Matt, I hope you're happy I picked up what you put down.

Would you rather go back in time with the knowledge you have now or get $50,000,000?

Ever since I first read this question I've spent an inordinate amount of time contemplating it. If this same deal is being offered to everyone, then the worldwide economy will fail, the U.S. dollar would be rendered worthless and we would all be contending with global catastrophe, so I suppose the time travel option is better than apocalypse. However, if it's just me, I've got to say I cannot envision a situation where I would ever even consider passing up $50 million.