-Keith O. Jennings, Editor-in-chief

Photo taken on Saturday March 24th during a break from work

As part of this month’s newsletter, the smart, handsome, and oversight-free newsletter editorial staff of one wanted to give the readers a chance to get to know some of the staff here at Snyder Cohn. They work hard on your tax returns, audits, trial balances, retirement plans, your hearts . . . and they deserve to be recognized. So of course I thought, what better time than a Saturday in the middle of March to conduct hour-long hard-hitting interviews trying to get to the essence of each individual . . . what really makes them tick. What you see below are excerpts from the interviews.

Pictured above are the staff who were able (or willing) to sit down and answer my James Lipton-y, Terry Gross-esque set of questions. I interviewed them in clock-wise fashion, starting with the second row.

Maly Sevilla – Tax Department – Maly has the largest collection of Russian Nesting Dolls in the office.

Matthew H. Peterson – Accounting and Auditing Department (A&A) – Matt’s hobbies include Segway polo and not being in touch with his feelings.

Billy Litz – Tax – Billy joined Snyder Cohn after a physically and mentally exhausting career in the National Symphony Orchestra. After three reconstructive shoulder surgeries due to forcefully playing the Triangle, he retired and received his accounting degree from Maryland.

Ann Recht – A&A – Ann is from Oregon. How many of you can actually name more than two cities in Oregon. Now that I think about it, how many of you have actually set foot in Oregon? Does it actually exist? I have my doubts.

Jonathan Leon – After college in Florida Jonathan tried to live out his life-long dream of becoming a marlin fisherman. After a long day on the sea three years ago, he fell asleep on his boat. A big storm developed, and waves crashed into his boat eventually flipping it. Jonathan floated on top of a marlin carcass for three days before he was rescued. In those three days, the one thought he had in his mind was . . . why didn’t I become an accountant after college. Why didn’t I use my degree to its fullest potential!!!! Jonathan Leon is now an accountant in the accounting and auditing department at Snyder Cohn.

Ben Dorsey – Tax – Ben’s favorite movie is The Godfather Part III. (Wait . . . Part III? The one where Francis Ford Coppola cast his daughter in a lead role??? She was one of the worst actors I have ever seen . . . yes I know she is accomplished director now . . . but still!!!!!)

Chris Crouthamel – A&A – Chris is a web designer in his free time. Click on his new website on the hottest trends in the accounting industry below:
www.ireallyhopesomeoneclickedonthislinkandactuallythoughtitwouldwork.com

Helen Buckley – Outsourced accounting department – Helen actually petitioned the IRS to extend busy season to May 15th. That way she would have more time to spend with her fellow Snyder Cohn associates.

Lori Smith – A&A – Lori joined Snyder Cohn this year for the second time!! Much like Odysseus in the Iliad, Lori could not withstand the sweet, siren-like call of the public accounting profession.

Ann Gohng – Outsourced – Ann once sat next to Tom Cruise on cross country NY to LA Virgin America flight. She says that he was much shorter in person and that he brought his own slippers to wear on the flight.

Brittany Craft – A&A – Brittany has a photo of the golfer Rickie Fowler on her desktop background. It’s very cute.

Renee Sweeney – A&A – Renee went to college in Pittsburgh, but is from the Philadelphia area. Now many people don’t realize this, but Pennsylvania is a big state. So next time you tell someone who is from Philadelphia that you have been to Pittsburgh or Erie . . . just remember that it’s a six-hour drive across the state. And don’t get me started on the Turnpike!!!!

Lisa Aronoff – A&A – Prior to joining Snyder Cohn, Lisa made a fortune creating motivational posters, mostly with cats on them. These days she relaxes by auditing.

Randy Bond – Tax – Randy is an avid hunter and fisherman. Bored with deer, turkey, and whatever other bird seasons there are in Maryland, Randy turned to hunting the most dangerous game of all . . . man.

Scott Becker – Outsourced – Scott is also from the Philadelphia area. Now I can’t stress this enough, but many people don’t realize that Pennsylvania is a big state. So next time you tell someone who is from Philadelphia that you are a big Pittsburgh Pirates fan (they exist, I know their entire roster) . . . just remember that it’s a six-hour drive across the state. This is usually an issue when the person is from Oregon.

Sam Zarrabinia – Tax – Sam is originally from Iran. Now many people don’t realize this, but Iran is a big country. So next time you tell someone from Tehran that you have been to Zahedan, just remember that it’s a 17 hour 21 minute drive across the country. Please be reasonable.

Well there it is. I hope you found this informative and helpful in understanding who makes up Snyder Cohn. Next time you are at our office, don’t hesitate to say hello!!!!

I’d also like to say that we are nominating this article for the first annual James Frey/Stephen Glass/Mike Daisey Award for Journalistic Excellence in a Semi-Monthly Online Newsletter. I look forward to hearing about the winner of the award on APRIL 1ST!!!!!!!!!!