Behind the Scenes with Klinger Hagerman: Boutique Public Accounting Explained

Ever wondered what makes accounting "boutique"? Micah Clinger breaks down this mystery with refreshing clarity and enthusiasm. Unlike traditional accounting firms that spread themselves thin across numerous services, ClingerHagerman dives deep into specialized areas—specifically auditing for state and local governments, non-profits, and select industries like construction and manufacturing.

Micah's journey from aspiring teacher to specialized auditor offers a fascinating glimpse into how career paths evolve in unexpected ways. With 18 years of experience under his belt, he brings both expertise and a teacher's knack for explanation to the table. This combination allows him to dispel common misconceptions about auditors (no, they're not all working for the IRS!) while painting a picture of modern accounting that's focused on partnership rather than intimidation.

What truly sets ClingerHagerman apart is their philosophy on client relationships. Rejecting the stereotype of auditors as scary figures looking to play "gotcha," Micah emphasizes their role as trusted advisors who help organizations improve incrementally. "We feel that we're on the same team," he explains, describing a collaborative approach that transforms the audit process from a dreaded inspection to a valuable opportunity for organizational growth. This mindset—coupled with deep industry knowledge—is changing how local governments and non-profits view their accounting partners.

Ready to connect with a different kind of accounting firm? Find ClingerHagerman on LinkedIn or visit their website at www.clingerhagerman.com to learn more about their specialized approach to public accounting.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Nick George.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a boutiquepublic accounting firm?
Well, one might be closer thanyou think.
Today I have the great pleasureof introducing your good
neighbor Micah Klinger, withKlinger and Hangerman.
I'm sorry, klinger, hangermanall one word.
Capitalize the H in the middle.
How are you doing, micah?

Speaker 3 (00:36):
I'm doing great.
How are you doing, Nick?

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Excellent.
We're so excited to learn aboutyou and your public accounting
firm, so please tell me allabout it and what makes it
Boutique.

Speaker 3 (00:47):
Oh, that's a great question, nick.
I think the main thing thatmakes clear Heyerman Boutique is
that we are a very niched andspecialized public accounting
firm.
Oftentimes, public accountingfirms do a lot of a lot of
different things, or a little ofa lot of different things, and
our firm specializes in just twoor three specific industries

(01:09):
and we do a lot of work in thoseindustries, and so we focus on
providing financial auditing orauditing or assurance services
or consulting services to stateand local governments, as well
as not-for-profits, in additionto construction and
manufacturing companies, and sothat's all we do and we go very

(01:30):
deep in those sectors, andthat's what makes us boutique.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
How did you get into this niche of public accounting?

Speaker 3 (01:40):
I feel like it was kind of by accident.
I was originally going tobecome a teacher and somehow I
know what you're thinking.
Accounting and teaching thoseare very different things.
But just during my collegejourney I was introduced to
accounting and somehow I fellinto it and it just struck me

(02:02):
and didn't even know what publicaccounting was at the time.
But that was told that that waswhat a person was supposed to
do and you got an accountingdegree and so firms started
coming to the school where Iwent to college and I started
interviewing and got into it.
And here I am, 18 years later.

Speaker 2 (02:20):
Wow, what are some myths or misconceptions that you
run into with customers thatdon't know as much as you do
about your industry?

Speaker 3 (02:28):
I would say, probably the most common myth or
misconception.
When I tell someone that I'm anauditor, almost instantly
they'll say something like, oh,like IRS?
And I'm like, no, no, Iprobably couldn't spell tax if
you spotted me the A and the X,and so, no, we don't do anything
with the IRS or tax audits.

(02:49):
We perform audit services forcompanies that need audited
financial statements or reviewedfinancial statements, which
could be for a variety ofreasons.
If it's a private company, itcould be a debt covenant, and so
the bank says, hey, we need youto give us audited financial
statements.
Or, in the case withgovernments, usually a state

(03:11):
statute will dictate that theyneed to have their financial
statements audited by anindependent accounting firm or
auditors every year.

Speaker 2 (03:19):
And is that your target market?

Speaker 3 (03:22):
That is our target market.
We specialize in auditing stateand local governments and
not-for-profits.
And when I say state and localgovernments, what does that mean
?
It involves we audit a lot ofcities, counties, school
districts, charter schools.
We also audit a lot of specialdistricts like fire districts,

(03:44):
water districts, those types oforganizations.
In addition to not-for-profits,and especially if they receive
federal funds, we do a lot ofaudits of organizations that
receive federal funds and haveto have compliance audits.

Speaker 2 (03:57):
So you're not auditing.
I mean, you're not marketingyourself in the way that a
traditional public accountantmight just shotgun blast
themselves out there toeverybody.
At the same time You'retargeting these public
institutions.
How do you market to them?
How do you uniquely market tothat segment?

Speaker 3 (04:18):
That is an interesting question.
It's kind of a variety of ways.
Most local governments so yourcities they're required
periodically to send out arequest for proposal and so in
that sense it's kind offormulaic every three to five
years they may send out thisrequest for proposals and then

(04:41):
different public accountingfirms that specialize in
auditing governments may respond.
We've found that it's good toget involved kind of in your
state societies of CPAs inaddition to different
organizations that involve thefinance directors and different

(05:02):
other stakeholders at thesecities and local governments, so
that you can build thatrelationship, put a face to the
name so that when they arelooking to go out for an auditor
the next time that hopefullythey'll think of us because
they've met us and seen us inour involvement in those

(05:22):
organizations.

Speaker 2 (05:24):
Have you ever thought about podcasting to reach these
people preemptively?

Speaker 3 (05:29):
Honestly, I have not.
The thought hasn't crossed mymind.
In fact, this is my firstexposure to kind of this arena,
to the podcast arena, but it'san interesting thought or
concept.

Speaker 2 (05:42):
You seem I can see the teacher's background in the
way that you present yourself.
Podcasting is a way for peopleto give a sample of their work
to institutions that may not beable to put a name with the face
and the text and the picturesthat they've seen and the other
formats they've looked at.
This can kind of be the newword of mouth and reach people

(06:03):
in a in an authentic way thatmaybe would work for you trying
to reach out to them If they hadmaybe a link to one of these
where you were talking aboutsome of the problems that they
run into most often.
Just a suggestion what do youdo for fun when you're not
counting the beans?

Speaker 3 (06:19):
I was going to say, man, I didn't know.
I thought fun and accountingwere synonymous with one another
.
No, I would say, my wife and I,we have four children, and so
we're very involved in all theactivities that they do.
We have the oldest three areboys, and they're involved in
various sports.
It feels like, especially thistime of year, there's always a

(06:41):
football game going on somewhere.
There's our youngest, she's agirl, who's 10 years old, and
she's involved with basketballand volleyball.
So we really enjoy sports andbeing involved with them.
We also enjoy getting out intothe outdoors, going up into the
mountains, just experiencingnature, going on hikes and walks

(07:02):
and, uh, really enjoy travelingas well.

Speaker 2 (07:04):
so micah, if there's one thing that people can take
away from this interview aboutclinger hangerman, what would
you like that to be?
What do you want them toremember most about your company
?

Speaker 3 (07:16):
I think the thing I would like them to know is
oftentimes, uh, I think there'sa stereotype with with auditors,
um, where they they.
It kind of a stereotype orstigma in the sense that
auditors are scary, that they,you know, here they are looking
under the hood and looking atthe numbers and trying to play
gotcha, and that isn't us as afirm.

(07:37):
I mean, you may have certainauditors who are that way.
The way we look at it is wefeel that we're on the same team
.
We feel that we're your partner.
Obviously, we have a job to doand if we find things that we
need to report on certain issues, we do that.
Obviously.
However, it's not necessarilythrough that lens of gotcha.

(07:58):
It's really trying to help ourclients and these organizations
that we audit better meet theirreporting objectives and
internal control objectives andjust incrementally be better,
and so we really look at it asbeing a trusted advisor and a
valuable partnership andhopefully and I do believe that
our clients look at it the sameway- Micah, what are all the

(08:19):
ways online that people can findKlinger, hagerman and then a
phone number?
The best way would be LinkedIn.
We have a LinkedIn page forKlinger Hagerman LLC.
You can go out and find ourcontact information there.
We also have a website,wwwklingerhagermancom.
The firm's only been around forabout three years, so we would

(08:44):
like to build out that website alittle bit more.
However, it does have contactinformation on there as well.

Speaker 2 (08:50):
Right and you have 18 years of experience.
You said right.

Speaker 3 (08:53):
Yes, sir.

Speaker 2 (08:54):
Just wanted to clarify that for the people that
just heard the five years, sothere wasn't confusion.
Mike, it's been a pleasurehaving you on our show, for sure
, and we definitely wish you andKlinger Hangerman the very best
moving forward.

Speaker 3 (09:09):
Thank you Appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (09:12):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go tognpfortcollinscom.
That's gnpfortcollinscom.
That's gnpfortcollinscom.
Or call 970-438-0820.