Saltmarsh Holds Beacon Leadership Program for Accounting Students

6/8/2017 - By Zachary Farrington

Saltmarsh welcomed 10 exceptionally qualified accounting students to our office on June 1st and 2nd for Beacon, the firm’s first summer leadership program. The dynamic, two-day program paired fundamental leadership training with team building and out-of-office activities to offer a 360-degree view of what it is like to work in the accounting field and be a part of the Saltmarsh team.

Students representing the University of West Florida, the University of Florida, Pensacola Christian College, Auburn University, and Troy University participated in this leadership and development program, which was the first of its kind offered by the firm. After learning about the history of Saltmarsh and our firm culture and vision from President Lee Bell, the students and staff had the pleasure to hear David Brown of Studer Group speak on Leadership in the Office: Making Others Better; Making It Last.

Afterwards, the students tasted the famous local fare at McGuire’s Irish Pub before returning to the office for a tour of the building. The rest of the day was packed with a panel on Leadership in the Community which featured State Representative Frank White, Hong Tran of Baptist Health Care, Scott Grissett of The Andrews Institute, and John Gormley of BBVA Compass. “At the heart of Saltmarsh is client service, and what better way to serve the client than to instill those values in interns and employees who can grow with the firm” noted White. John Heer of P3 Leadership followed the panel with an informative seminar on Servant Leadership in the Office. After a busy day, the students had an opportunity to relax and enjoy a Pensacola Blue Wahoos Game for our annual Saltmarsh Family Night at the Ballpark.

Beacon’s second day focused on the culture and team at Saltmarsh, as many shared their personal experiences and perspectives to give students a taste of what a career in professional services is really like. IT shareholder, Stephen Reyes moderated an interactive panel of Saltmarsh professionals as they shared their testimonials and discussed their experiences among each other. “I felt this Q & A panel was the best possible way to learn about the real day-to-day tasks and life of the firm,” said Madison Foster, sophomore at Auburn University. Whether they worked in Tax, Audit, Financial Institutions Consulting, Investment Management, or Information Technology, all agreed that the culture of Saltmarsh was a unique one that spans across the firm’s varying service lines.

The students spent the rest of their day enjoying the food and festivities of Pensacola from Flounder’s Chowder House and V. Paul’s to the beaches and Grand Fiesta Parade which celebrates the city’s rich history. Clint Allen, a junior at Troy, remarked that “This leadership training has been second to none.” Saltmarsh counts it our privilege to have provided these students an opportunity to learn about leadership values they can use wherever their career takes them.