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Balancing the Future Ep. 8 - Strategies to Broaden the Accounting Talent Pool with Herschel Frierson
195 Plays2 months ago
Herschel Frierson is a partner at Crowe public accounting firm and the current chair of NABA (National Association of Black Accountants). He joins host Christopher Mitchell to discuss attracting new talent into the accounting workforce, sharing recruitment strategies and personal experiences. He openly talks about his own journey to success and his responsibility to use this platform to attract and support new talent. Learn how he opens opportunities for more professionals to enter and advance within the profession.
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Transcript
Introduction and Career Journeys
00:00:09
Speaker
Thank you for joining us today. Another interesting conversation with a really good man here, Herschel Frierson, current NABBA chair, partner at Crow, just an impressive individual. I want to spend time talking with Herschel today because we actually come up through the ranks at Crow and i you know he watched me become partner and I watched him become partner. So there's a closeness there and a bond there ah that we cannot deny.
00:00:37
Speaker
But today we want to do a deeper
Commitment to Transparency
00:00:39
Speaker
dive. For those who don't know me, and I'm going to back up just a minute, um I am Christopher Mitchell. I have about 20 plus years of experience doing compliance in government's work, have my own firm. And I'm out here trying to help solve so and provide solutions for clients just like Herschel, Lynn, and Crow is. so But today's conversation and what we believe in doing this podcast is all about transparency.
NABBA's Impact and Personal Experiences
00:01:02
Speaker
And we want to have a conversation about what it looks like For NABBA, an organization that's at the pinnacle, when I think about organizations that are making an effort and and and doing the right thing as it relates to a community of individuals, I think about NABBA. But first so first and foremost, when I think about you and all your achievements and accomplishments, um it brings to mind, you know what what's at the core of that?
00:01:26
Speaker
I mean, I know I can look at you and tell you a black man. Right. Yeah. Every day, all night long. Right. Yeah. But if the audience is probably thinking, and some may or may not be thinking this way, but yeah what is your recipe for success as a black male in corporate 28 years in accounting? I can only imagine some of the things that you've experienced. So if you wouldn't mind sharing just a few things. that yeah You know what? I don't think it's um I don't know if it's so much ah of a recipe, but more so much of a foundation of values, right? I mean, I think we all come from a community where you have to lift each other up, right?
Passion for Accounting and Storytelling
00:02:05
Speaker
Like Nava. And I came from a community. I was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, and got introduced when I was in the eighth grade to this thing called accounting, right? And I was like,
00:02:19
Speaker
accounting, what is this? right And I will deal with he always tell the story, what's funny is, you know when I was learning about different you know industries to go into different job opportunities, accounting kept coming up. So I was like, well, tell me more about this accounting thing, because it was all about numbers. And they were like, you know so I said, they told me about accounting. I was like, so so let me get this straight.
00:02:47
Speaker
You gonna pay me to count other people's money? Well, I'm in, right? Count me in. But, you know, I fell in love with this thing called accounting literally in eighth grade. And then in high school, I had a unique opportunity. um I took two years of accounting in high school and it didn't scare me away. um The one thing I appreciate about accounting and what and what I love about accounting is
00:03:19
Speaker
you know, numbers can tell a story, right? And and it's it's important for us to tell our story. And that's why I love accounting. Accounting, numbers tell a story, right? You know, why did you fail? Why did you succeed, right? When you watch a football game, numbers tell a story, right? If the game was, you know, 10 to nine in football, like, oh, that was a defensive,
00:03:46
Speaker
game, if ah if the score was 45 to 42, there's like there was no defense, right? Numbers tell a story.
Challenges and Determination
00:03:53
Speaker
um And that's what I love about accounting. The other thing about, you know, you're talking about being a black man in this particular field, something else I like about accounting, let's be honest, accounting doesn't know no color.
00:04:11
Speaker
Right. It really does. And if you it really in it in this basic sense, accounting knows no color. You know, you get reminded every day that you're a black man. Right. But when you dive into the numbers, um you kind of lay out what those was mean. oh that That color goes away. But I quickly learned that there was not a lot of people that looked like us. And
00:04:42
Speaker
You know, sometimes I could scare you, right? And just so much of your your parents, my parents, you know, takes a village. um I didn't run away from it, right? Somebody had to be the first, right? You know, so why should I run away from a profession that, you know, I fell in love with just because and I didn't see a lot of people that look like me, you know?
Support and Mental Health
00:05:10
Speaker
so That really drove me harder. And then, you know, went to college, majored in accounting. He was like one of two blacks at Bully University that majored in accounting. So I was used to it. You know, then I started at Crow. You know, as you said, I, you know, a little bit of a unicorn. Crow baby, is that what you are? Crow baby, right? I was a prodigy. I started when I was two years old. But, you know, honestly, I think
00:05:39
Speaker
You know, as I started my journey into the profession and as I continue to youll reflect you know in my journey, I wanted to help other people that look like me to not go through the same thing that I went through, right?
00:05:56
Speaker
um You know, I'll probably, you know, like I said, i've I've shared this and I think we should, we should talk about this more no matter what industry you're in. You know, I'll probably had mental health before I knew it was mental health. Right. Because, you know, I was, I put so much pressure on myself when I started at the firm to overperform. Right. Because I felt, well, shoot, if they were not going to, um,
00:06:24
Speaker
If I performed poorly, they were not going to hire another black person. right that That was my thinking. Was it true? No. right But that was the pressure I put on myself. And I think that's the pressure so many of us, when there's so few, we put pressure on ourselves because we are the only ones, or the very few, and you want to over-perform and over-deliver. And sometimes you get asked to over-perform and over-deliver.
00:06:51
Speaker
Uh, just to prove your worth, right? but You know, prove your value. So, you know, and then that kind of started my, my journey and the into, into NABBA. Um, I saw other people that look like me. I was like, okay, well, you got two here. You got three here. Like, oh, shoot. Like, what is this? You know, so NABBA really, um.
00:07:11
Speaker
helped me through the profession, helped me through the process. And I quickly found my calling of, you know, helping other people that look like us, you know, in a profession. And once again, who knew this little black boy that grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, when one day, let alone be a chapter president,
00:07:31
Speaker
but be you know sitting on the mic talking to you, ah being the chairman of the board. So I owe a lot to accounting in the profession, ah but you know I do also understand and humble that there's not a lot of us and You know, just got to find different ways to get people to look like us and into into the profession, into ownership, becoming partners, becoming VPs, becoming CFOs.
NABBA's Evolution and Diversity Efforts
00:07:58
Speaker
It's important. um So, you know, that's what we're about to hear it now is just, you know, taking people to look like us to the next level, ah you know, every step in their journey, right? Whether it be all the way from high school with ACAP, all the way to the board table, so.
00:08:15
Speaker
So just speak to that when we say NABBA, and I remember NABBA.org, and I know NABBA Incorporated, and there's a transformational process with that. What does that mean? When I say NABBA.org and NABBA Incorporated, because one looked like it became really a business. No, I mean, it's all it's it's it's all really, it's all the same. We have, just like in any business, and just like in the profession, right? Who knew?
00:08:43
Speaker
that firms will be hiring engineers, right? When we first started, right? yeah You know, engineers, medical professionals, right? it's the The profession has changed has changed AI. You know, we we we can spend four hours, and that's still not enough to talk about how AI is impacting the profession. But, you know, once again, going back to now,
00:09:09
Speaker
We have always evolved right as ah as an association um you know here at the convention right you know is not only accounting, but finance, entrepreneurs. right One of the things that We, you know, I think we we did recognize, but, you know, appreciate more and focus more on these entrepreneurs. There are so many minority entrepreneurs that are accountants, right? They have their own accountants. And that always has been, I would say it wasn't taboo, but it's just something we never really thought about, right? It's like,
00:09:45
Speaker
They are CPAs that have their own firm. They're entrepreneurs, right? How can we, as an association, not only promote the the profession and accounting, finance, but also help entrepreneurs, right? Because they want to grow their firms. yeah So I think we quickly, ah you now you talk about cybersecurity, we just talk about AI. So we understood as an association that we needed to evolve. And I think we also understood that we got to be a voice in the community right for people that look like us. We understood and and take it upon ourselves to open the doors where the doors may be closed, ah to be a voice when there is not a voice, you know to create a table for for people that look like us, to sit at at at a table where there may not be a table.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Challenges
00:10:43
Speaker
um and And, you know, lastly, provide resources, right? You know, we have a ton of kids, you know, at the Navajo convention, we have over 192 student chapters across the country, right? It is that we must make an impact, you know, for our people. So, when I think about what you're sharing, and I think about success, and I also think about challenges, yeah speak to some of those challenges.
00:11:13
Speaker
that you guys are experiencing right now, given? Oh my God, yeah. The challenge, is I mean, you know, turn on the TV, the attack of D.E. and I, right? I mean, mean I don't want to bring that up, but I'm happy you did. No, I will bring it up yesterday, today, and tomorrow. It's it's interesting um that, you know, there are certain forces that think D.E. and I is a bad thing.
00:11:39
Speaker
right But can't point out what the bad thing is. right You just hear like, oh, I don't want to go woke. And my favorite question is, because I challenge people, what does you what is going woke mean? Help me out. I need to understand. right And like let's get the heart of the matter. right Is 1%, 2%, 3% of Blacks in a profession, is that too much for you? I mean, what's the problem? right and You know, I think we need a challenge more in knowing that DI is a business case for success for all companies, right? Whether you like it or not, the world is becoming more diverse, right? So get over it, right? So you can push back on DNI all that you want. It is not going to change the fact of who you see as a client.
00:12:35
Speaker
the new businesses, right? So it's just humorous to me when I hear the attack on D-E-N-I um and it's unfortunate, especially in our profession. It's not like we're oversaturated in the profession, right? So I give it more humor if I hear it in a profession, I'm like, you act like we got too many people anyway in a profession. So yeah we better be doing,
00:13:04
Speaker
a damn better job of bringing more kids to the profession. Black, white, Latino, Asian, gay, you name it. Right? So it's so, you know, even when you talk about DNI in the profession, like we need to do everything we can.
00:13:18
Speaker
to bring young people to the profession.
Intentional Diversity Strategies
00:13:20
Speaker
So would you say that's more of a, because when I think about business and I think about human capital, it's a generic reference. Human capital, we need them in order to make the business function. Okay. right So is it okay that we so start labeling things as wellness for human capital and not focus on DEI or call it DEI?
00:13:44
Speaker
i call it yeah i call I call it D-E-I, I call it black, I call it yeah i call it what it is. right it is you can't You can't turn away from what you see.
00:13:57
Speaker
you know so you know you know If I'm diversity, i am you can call me something different, I'm still black. right That ain't gonna change. So you're gonna look me in the face, you're gonna see a black man. Tomorrow you're gonna wake up, you're gonna look at me, you're gonna see a black man.
00:14:12
Speaker
right So I appreciate and I welcome those challenges. Let's talk about them because I'm going to call you out on it, right? Because the the the profession needs it, right? To survive the profession needs it.
00:14:33
Speaker
So when we talk about survival and I think about crows and I, because I know crow in an intimate way and the uniqueness of their strategy and what they've done within the community and more particular within certain universities, but ye you and historically black colleges, talk to me about that formula that you guys have. Cause I think it's unique. I've never heard anybody else do it that way. Yeah. I mean, I think the one thing I appreciate and that's why I've stayed at the firm for as long as I have,
00:15:02
Speaker
is in our profession, and you know this, you have to be intentional about your next move and how you're gonna grow as a firm. And Crow has done a very good job of being very intentional of saying, we wanna become more diverse, you know, so our values are at, you know, building a better future together today.
00:15:29
Speaker
right, and a better future is not going to the same universities as you go to, right? I always say if you go to the same pond, you don't get the same fish. There are so many other ponds out there with so many other kinds of fish that taste just as good, right? Even better.
00:15:48
Speaker
So why don't you go to other pods to get a different kind of fish, right? So you can open up the doors to become a better firm, look at things differently, right? And you know we decided to focus on a couple of HBCUs, FAMU, North Carolina A and&T, and it grown into a beautiful thing, right? We we were very intentional about you know giving back and hiring from both Florida A&M and North Carolina A&T, as well as those universities, those students learn more about Crow and the opportunities at Crow and our values and our culture. You know I want more than that. I want some of that recipe. Because I know you guys are human. Call me up. I ain't going to give you the recipe. But the one thing I would say is, and this is for everybody, is it's OK to be intentional.
00:16:47
Speaker
you know I think sometimes, you know especially in today's environment, you don't want to you always wanna continue to be general, right? I was like, if I wanna cheesecake, I wanna cheesecake, I don't want any other dessert, right? It's okay to be intentional on what you want, right? So it's the same thing when it comes to you know diversity, is it's okay to be intentional, right? Because there's a certain kind of,
00:17:13
Speaker
you know, perspective and leadership and culture that you want. And I encourage every company and firm to be intentional and be okay with that, right? Because you want those individuals who's going to support you to be okay with that intentionality. So, um you know, I love intentions, right? Because you I know where you're coming from, right? You know where I'm coming from. it like this We're going after North Carolina A and&T students. Even if they don't come to Crow, we we're making the profession better, right? you know Even if students from FAMU don't come to Crow, it's okay.
Authenticity and Professional Evolution
00:17:57
Speaker
We're making a profession better, right? We're giving back, you know? Just like now, I'm here to give back, right? If I can bring along one young person and inspire one young person to switch over professions or, you know, take a different view or perspective into accounting or finance or whatever the case may be, you know, I love being i love the intentionality, right? because You know, sometimes it's it's just like, you know, going back to sports. You gotta have a goalkeeper.
00:18:31
Speaker
Right? Yes. You can't just have people running around. You gotta have somebody that has one. The intentionality, your job is to block balls from scoring. It's the same thing, you know, being intentional. Like we are real going after dynamic, diverse candidates from those two grade schools. Fantastic. So when we start talking about talent, he said diverse talent. Yes. But we also, I know accounting and I know advisory and I know solutions that for being off to the market. What does that talent look like? When I say talent, and I want that candidate to come in because I've got audit and I've got tax and i've got I'm delivering all these things as ah as it relates to AI and how I'm going to compile and and research um and review this information. What does that talent look like? yeah i mean I think the talent looks like um going somewhere where we haven't been. right you know One of the things
00:19:29
Speaker
You know, when I talk to students about, you know, what their next move is going to be after college is, bring something else to the table, right? You know, it's a given that wants your leadership, your values. But, yeah, focus on AI, right? Because you're going to help me out because, you know, I'm lucky I can spell AI, right?
00:19:55
Speaker
but But be take the advantage of being a young person who is used to this technology, right? That is an asset that firms are looking for, right? And you know I think we gotta continue to encourage young people to bring their their authentic selves to work, right?
Lifestyle and Benefits of Accounting
00:20:18
Speaker
From a talent standpoint. And I think that's that's another another opportunity for the profession is to to evolve on making sure that young professionals bring the authentic selves to work. So it's okay, you know, you was joking about the kind of... So what does that evolution look like? When you say evolve and bring meaning, not fear? Yeah, not fear. And it's okay to wear some good looking titties or whatever the case may be. I can't step up my game. Right. Yeah, you do. You really do.
00:20:51
Speaker
it's a As a profession, it's okay to not wear a tie. I'm wearing a tie. you know It's okay. it's It's not the bad boogeyman anymore. right so We as a profession have to be okay with, and even our clients are asking for it. right The market is saying, I don't want you showing up in a stuffy town all the time.
00:21:12
Speaker
so You know, we as a profession needs to continue to evolve even from an authentic self. It's like, you know, we can still get our work done and still provide for the marketplace and for our clients. We're out of town and with some tennis shoes on.
00:21:29
Speaker
You know, I think about the, we're looking for talent. Everybody's trying to source talent. And someone made the comment that we don't celebrate enough as professionals. So there's not the interest in the profession. ah What do you think about that? I don't know if I would call it celebrate, but we don't talk about how good our life is in a profession. And I've changed that, right?
00:21:53
Speaker
and you know I tell people I got the designer bags and I drive nice cars. I've seen you. Yeah, you see me. I look good in it, too. ahead and yeah I do look good in it, I know. oh But we need to talk about the good life we live, right? I mean, we really do, right? I'm blessed to be able to provide for my family. I'm blessed to be able to go on international trips. And we need to not gloat about it, but talk about it. So young people say, oh, that's what I want to do, right? I want to have a nice house. I want to have a vacation home. I want to travel overseas. I want to drive nice cars. That is OK, right? I want to be able to provide the finer things for my family.
00:22:34
Speaker
And you know I think we as a council have always been very conservative about you know our lifestyle. And no I talk about it, right? Yeah, that's why you do see me walk around in my designer bag, in my little man purses, whatever the case may be. But I talk about it not to gloat, but just to to talk about how beautiful of a life you can have in the profession. The nicer things, right? And it's OK to want the nicer things.
00:23:05
Speaker
It's OK to have a nice car. It's OK to have nice clothes. um And I think we, as a profession, need to talk more about that. Other other professions, they'd be on TikTok, dancing. And we need to do that. you know I'm still trying to figure out my TikTok navigation. i you know I do have a little rhythm. But we need to do more of that as a profession, right?
00:23:30
Speaker
um You know, it's when I was a kid, they say, um you know, my dentist, you know, they should say, well, if you ignore your teeth, they will they will go away. Same thing with the profession. If we continue to ignore the lifestyle of the profession, it will go away.
00:23:52
Speaker
And, ah you know, is a pressing no, but the numbers are going away. Right. And we just we just got to talk about the beautiful life of accounting and and talk it in a way that relates to young professionals and.
00:24:10
Speaker
you know, I share with other professionals, hopefully you can appreciate this. I'm like, the vibe you give is the vibe they're gonna receive. How many times do we talk to our cohorts, even, you know, say like in tax, I'm not picking on tax, but it's gonna sound like it. Like, oh yeah, you know, I do tax. I'm like, hell, I'm not gonna go into tax either, you're talking like that, right? You know, I say, put me in a room with an engineer, with a teacher,
00:24:37
Speaker
You name it, I'll kick their butts on talking about the great job that I have. But I talk it from a different perspective. i'm I'm excited about my career. I'm excited about my job being able to see different industries, right? You know, it is the language of business. That is 100% true.
00:24:57
Speaker
It's like there will be no film if there wasn't you know a production account. right you know How many times people have gotten in trouble for not taking care of their finances? So you know I talk to other professionals and and encourage them, don't talk boring about your job. Get hype
Mentorship and Community Responsibility
00:25:14
Speaker
about it. right you know It is the most exciting job in the world. yeah Do we have a Super Bowl? No, but damn near show that it is like a Super Bowl every day. right There you go. So on when I hear lift as we climb, and this has been around for a while, yeah course and I think when I first heard it, I'm like, man, that's pretty cool. What's my responsibility as a leader, as a professional, as a black man, as a white person? What's my responsibility? You know, I'm gonna be 100% transparent. me
00:25:53
Speaker
It is not, it's technically not your responsibility, to be honest with you. It's nobody's responsibility, but you owe it to the people before you, right? It's, you know, I tell people like, it's not your responsibility, but you got to your position because other people help you get there. Whether you admit it or you don't, so you owe it to other people.
00:26:16
Speaker
right When I take on a role as charity, it is my responsibility, right? Just because of the role I have. But I owe it to the people before me to give back, right? So I always look into, and that's how my parents taught me, they raised me, yeah they know they didn't go to college, but they always told me, you owe it to your community to give back. So as I'm giving back and I'm trying to figure out that avenue, because I know we've got coaches, and we've got mentors, and we've got sponsors. Right.
00:26:47
Speaker
What does that mean? What's the right mix? I mean, how does that play work? Because I would think, and this is just my opinion. For someone like a Chris Mitchell, yeah i think it's I think it's twofold, right? You take on as many mentees as your schedule allows, right?
00:27:09
Speaker
um You know, for a person like me, I take on whatever I can take on as far as mentees.
00:27:18
Speaker
I have mentees and then I have mentees. I have something that I may talk to once a year. I have others I talk to on a regular basis. And there's different levels of that. right you know and And it depends on where they're in their career journey. I am very unapologetic and raw as as a mentor. right That's a good thing. Yeah. And and I warn i warre people. Yeah, because it's, you know,
00:27:45
Speaker
It's sexy, right? I mean, I get it. It's like, oh, the the chairman of NABBA, I want you to become my mentor, right? That's sexy, right? Because of my title, right? And, you know, I just have ah what I would call a reality check real quick. And other mentees who I've helped out, who've talked to, like, Mr. Herschel is different. I mean, yeah I'm not gonna be a cheerleader like you think I'm gonna be.
00:28:14
Speaker
Right? I'm not always going to tell you that you're right. Yeah, I'm going to tell you like, no, I would have did the same thing and probably went in hard on you. Right? So I warned, I warned young people that I'm not going to be your pom-pom and saying everything you always do is correct, right? It is a true, tough, you know, tough conversations that we're going to have. You know, I believe everybody should be a mentor, even in college.
00:28:45
Speaker
good point right I tell college students, you need ah if you got a little brother, a little sister, or a little cousin, you need to be a mentor. Because you learn as a mentor, you know this, Chris, you learn just as much as, I'd be right. For me, I learn so much about how those young people look at the profession, how they truly view the profession. right why Why are they going away from the profession? right And the other thing I tip people is, from a mentor standpoint, get mentors that don't look like you and get mentors in other professions.
Inclusivity in Leadership
00:29:22
Speaker
I have i have mentees that are not in the profession. I have well one mentee, he's a chef. ah you know You've met him before, and he's a real good chef, yeah. yeah And and it you know that's probably one of the most impactful. Did he teach you anything? He taught me a lot, and he didn't know he taught me a lot because
00:29:41
Speaker
his whole His whole perspective was about how can I put together the best visual display of food for people to come together and enjoy my meal. He was a very customer-centric focus, mentee.
00:30:05
Speaker
And you know I love his perspective because he was always focused on making sure the food is at the right temperature, making sure the presentation is right, making sure when they ate his food, they enjoy themselves. And I'm like, wow, I really appreciate your focus on your client, right? And I think sometimes we as a profession,
00:30:32
Speaker
and just You know, sometimes forget about focus on your client, the individual. What is it that they want? What do they need? What is that presentation that you're giving it to them, right? When you give them that tax return or that audit opinion? Yes, normally just yeah a few sheets of paper, but how do you present it to them?
00:30:54
Speaker
right? What does that presentation look like? So I also say, you know, take on mentors as like a teacher, take on a doctor, you're right? Just get out of the your particular profession, you know, get a mentor or mentee to see a profession, but get other type of, just so you can see how they think and what you need to do to help them think from a different perspective.
00:31:19
Speaker
You know, something i've I've learned, and someone shared this with me probably about a week ago, and it was a seat at the table, you referenced that. And it's a seat at the table, and I've also heard, make the table bigger. but When I say make the table bigger, what does that mean to you? For me, make the table bigger, yeah you know, you know, Kimberly, Alison, Taylor always said this, and I think it's so true.
00:31:49
Speaker
When you talk about getting a seat at the table, I think a lot of people get scared about, you're taking food away from me, yeah right? They're taking something away from me. I'm like, no, I'm just asking you to scoot down, right? I'm gonna order my own plate. You're gonna order your own plate and you're gonna be full like I'm gonna be full. And I love how Kimberly will always share that. And it's so true, right?
00:32:18
Speaker
everything in life doesn't mean someone loses in it. Yeah. Right. We can all win. Right. And I think we forget about that, you know, especially in this profession is like, I want to make more partners. That doesn't mean if we add another partner in a firm, that someone else got to go. That means you're expanding as a firm. Right. And I think,
00:32:47
Speaker
we get away from that at times, that we're not taking, we're just adding too. It's not subtraction. It's adding, right? We just keep adding.
Personal Growth and Service
00:32:58
Speaker
So so I think we need to to really hone that in. So when i I've got another good my last question for you. Sure. And I'm thinking about you know, words of wisdom and your leadership and all that you've learned. If you had one thing to share with this audience and I'm talking about folks entering the profession and those that are seasoned, what would that thing be? Yeah, one thing i i I share with people, don't get comfortable in what you've already accomplished. I like that. I mean, it's, well, Hersha, I'm a senior manager. Congratulations. When are you going to make director?
00:33:38
Speaker
When are you going to make a partner? When are you going to make a managing partner? when you're gonna sit up you know sit on a ah board, ah a paid board, right? is So you can get comfortable in what you've already accomplished, just like, you're a golfer, right? If you shot three under, okay, you still may lose shooting three under. and You gotta shoot five under. And then sometimes you're gonna run against someone else that says, oh shoot, I gotta shoot seven under. So yeah I always go by the, don't get comfortable in what you already accomplished, right?
00:34:11
Speaker
and You know, it's when you accomplish, at least for me, when I accomplish something, you know, somebody else jumps on my back. And that's okay, right? Because you we always got to better our ourselves, we got to better the profession.
00:34:26
Speaker
ah Just be in that now, but you know you gotta do more. right That's the energy I get, is that you know is that I gotta do more for our people. right Whether it's opening doors for people like yourself to sit on paid boards or you know getting scholarships for young people so they can.
00:34:44
Speaker
you know, ah get their education pay for so they can get a master's of accounting, you know, and ease that burden or it is a first year staff getting to manager or, you know, a young person making sure they pass a CPA exam. So you can get comfortable in what you've already accomplished. I like that. I like that. You know, I forgot to ask this question early on, but I want to know because I put your bio out there very brief.
00:35:12
Speaker
What else did I miss? What did I miss about you? That one thing that I miss about you is that I am a humble servant. I appreciate that. so Appreciate that. You know, as we wrap up today, I just want this in. Herschel, we thank you. We thank you for your time because I know you're busy, but I really do appreciate you. I would always make time over for you. Thank you. Thank you. You know, as we continue to down there this road and this path and this journey of trying to figure out what we want to be in the accounting profession it is not easy and okay but we have folks that are there to help us regardless of the color of our skin i mean there are folks that are there to help us and as we continue this journey and this discussion that's what we are concerned about the transparency the honesty and just the information that you need to be successful so i thank you for tuning in and i look forward to our next conversation