New Partner in Charge in Indianapolis Creates Opportunities for All
Published on by Ian McManis in Firm News
Since merging with Barnes Dennig in 2016, Kathy Ahearn, CPA, CGMA, has led the Indianapolis office through a period of growth, not just in the term of office footprint, but also in the size of our staff and diversity of clients. Kathy’s authentic and compassionate leadership has been at the foundation of the great success that has established Barnes Dennig as a household brand in the state of Indiana.
In a conversation with incoming Indianapolis Director in Charge, Rob Ford, CPA, Ahearn spoke about some of the greatest milestones the Indianapolis office has achieved in the past five years:
“We’re getting referrals from people we haven’t gotten before,” said Kathy, “The market recognizes that we have a lot more depth of services than we had prior to our merger in 2016. We had been very focused in non-profits and affordable housing, and we’ve been able to create great new relationships with clients in manufacturing, IT managed services, and some retailers. That’s exciting.”
When asked what he’s most excited about in leading the Indianapolis office forward, Rob responded, “I’m excited to give our staff new opportunities to work with new clients in different sectors. As you mentioned before, we were focused on non-profits and affordable housing, but we are seeing some new opportunities come to the table with clients in firm-wide core niches, like construction, manufacturing, wholesale and distribution, and privately-owned commercial businesses.”
New Indianapolis Office Space
Another big change coming to our Indianapolis office is the space itself. We’re excited to be moving to a larger office space in the Castleton area that will have help facilitate our office growth, provide better amenities for our staff, and offer increased access to our clients.
“We’ve tossed around the term ‘Starbucks feel’ for our new office,” says Rob, “our staff can get away from their office or cube, and they can set up at a high-top table, or a private booth in the office. We love encouraging collaboration but allowing for individual space when necessary.”
“We have conference space that allows for larger group gatherings, and we have a really awesome client tenant lounge in the building next door. We’ve actually already taken advantage of it! We took the staff over for a tour and had a little happy hour afterwards,” says Kathy with a grin.
As Kathy transitions towards retirement over the next several years, she looks forward to spending more of her time focused on her clients, her relationships with the growing Indianapolis staff, and her family.
“While change can be difficult and a little scary, I think it’s ultimately a very good thing,” said Kathy, “I know our clients will appreciate the transition. They’ll receive fresh ideas and new ways to do things efficiently.”
As always, let us know if you have any questions or want to talk more.
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