From Small Practice to Industry Leader: The Rise of MP CPAs with Tim Provost

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Meet Tim Provost with MP CPAs

Unlock the secrets behind the incredible rise of MP CPAs as we sit down with partner Tim Provost, who takes us through the firm's transformation from a small practice to a full-service accounting leader. Discover how MP CPAs, originally founded by Rick Moriarty and Jay Primack, has flourished over the past 30 years, expanding its team from 20 to over 50 dedicated professionals. Learn about the extensive range of services they offer, from complex tax solutions to business valuations, while meeting the talented team that makes it all possible, including tax directors Melissa English and Sharon Blazejowski.

Beyond the professional realm, Tim shares a personal glimpse into his life, revealing how he balances his high-powered career with indulging in local culinary delights, raising a puppy, and participating in a men's baseball league. From his initial career as a high school teacher to becoming a key figure at MP CPAs, Tim's journey is filled with insights into the importance of marketing and personal growth. Join us for a conversation that blends expert financial advice with heartfelt personal stories, offering listeners a well-rounded perspective on success and fulfillment.

To learn more about MP CPAs visit:
https://thempgroupcpa.com/
MP CPAs
413-739-1800

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to the Knowing what Counts podcast, the
place where expert guidancemeets smart financial decisions.
Whether you're a high net worthindividual or a thriving
business, the experts at MPCPAsare here to help you protect and
optimize your wealth.
Let's get started, becausesuccess begins with knowing what

(00:25):
counts.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Welcome everyone.
I'm Sofia Yvette, co-host andproducer here in the studio with
Tim Provost.
Tim, how's it?

Speaker 3 (00:40):
going.
I'm great, Sophia.
How are you?

Speaker 2 (00:43):
I'm doing great.
So, Tim, over the years, you'vegrown a remarkable following.
However, some listeners mightnot be familiar with your full
journey.
Let's take it from the top.

Speaker 3 (00:58):
Could you share a little background about your
company and what you do?
Yeah, a little background aboutmy company and what I do here.
Our company was founded by twofounders, rick Moriarty and Jay
Premack, just over 30 years agoand started out as Moriarty and
Premack, which a lot of ourclients still actually know us
by.
We changed our name since toMPCPAs after the founders were
no longer here, and the firm hasgrown from, since I got here, a

(01:20):
little under 20 people to justover 50 people in the 16 years
that I've been here.
We're a full-service accountingfirm.
We do audits, compilations,reviews, tax services,
consulting, business valuations,estate and gift planning and
also have a financial servicessubsidiary.
We have the services thatanybody that needs anything we

(01:40):
can do it here for them.
It's not something that anybodywould outgrow and we'd have to
go somewhere else for um.
We work with individual clients,business clients, mostly
clients with complex taxsituations.
They don't just take the normalperson off the street who might
just go to hr block.
You know we're looking forcomplex clients with situations
that they need to help with andwe have a great team of experts

(02:03):
here.
We have four partners myself,doug Diebald, patrick Leary and
Phil Jadier, who have a greatvariety of experiences over the
years.
We also have some other greatpeople.
You'll hear from our taxdirectors, melissa English and
Sharon Blajewski.
Melissa, in addition toauditing, also specializes in
employee benefit plans, andSharon has a niche in working

(02:26):
with schools, charter schoolsand nonprofits.
The audit side also has amanager, brooke Williams, who
specializes in nonprofits.
On the tax side, we have a fewdirectors as well Lisa Bean and
Bob Supernot, who've been aroundfor a long time and offer a
great wealth of knowledge andexperience, and Joe Oliveira,
who is a high net worthspecialist.

(02:46):
We also have some managers thatyou might hear along the way.
We have Tim LaFallon, jeffLeBeau and Matt Barron.
Tim also specializes in statetax preparation and planning,
and Matt and Jeff specializewith high net worth clients and
business returns, and so you'llalso hear from some of our
seniors along the way.
You know a lot of people comingin.

(03:07):
We may have some advisors maybea financial advisor or an
attorney to kind of jump in anddo a joint podcast with.
That I think will have sometopics that people will be
interested in hearing about.
I have been here for 16 years,as I said, and I'm a partner
here.
I was actually a high schoolteacher before I came here.
I majored in accounting butdecided I wanted to try teaching
for a little bit and then afterthat it wasn't something I was

(03:29):
going to do for the next 30years.
I ended up back in accountingand I've been here ever since.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
Well, let's go ahead and switch gears back to you for
a second.
When you're not busy runningyour business, what do you do
for fun?

Speaker 3 (03:49):
Yeah, when I'm not busy running my business, which
is not a lot of time, but quitea few different taxis out there,
so there's definitely some timewhen you're here a lot, but
when outside of that, my wifeand I enjoy going out to dinner
and trying different restaurantsevery weekend and we have a new
puppy that's eight months old,so definitely a lot of work
there.
And also I play in the men'sbaseball league during the
spring and summer, when we'renot as busy, and I also help run
a youth basketball organizationduring the winter to kind of

(04:10):
stay busy as well.

Speaker 2 (04:13):
Very cool.
Now, Tim, I know you're a verybusy person and we know
marketing is key to anybusiness's success.
How do you market your business?

Speaker 3 (04:25):
Marketing is tricky in the accounting industry.
We don't take the normal personoff the street so we're not
just putting ads out on yourlocal TV or newspaper or whatnot
.
A lot of our marketing,honestly, is word of mouth.
You do a good job with yourclients.
They refer you to other people,so referrals is a big part of
it.
We also try to network andconnect with different advisors
who also share passing clientsalong that they need assistance

(04:47):
with.
So financial advisors,attorneys, whatnot.
We'll try to stay involved inthe community.
I'm on the Springfield Chamberof Commerce legislative
committee, so getting involvedin the chamber or other areas, I
think, is where we find thetypes of clients we're looking
for.

Speaker 2 (05:05):
So, tim, you're a very busy person, in your own
words.
Why are you doing this?

Speaker 3 (05:12):
Yeah, we're starting the Knowing what Counts podcast
as another way to reach out toclients and potential clients.
Knowing what counts is ourtagline, so that emphasizes
knowing more than just thenumbers with your accountant.
Like any other advisors, anaccountant should be someone
that's there, walking alongsideyou in your journey, trying to
assist you in what you needalong the way.

(05:32):
We try to reach out to ourclients at least once or twice a
year and touch base to see howthe year is going.
One of the biggest complaintswe get from new clients is they
never hear from their accountant.
So that's something that wedefinitely emphasize and try to
make sure that we're touchingbase with our clients a few
times a year, some even morethan that if needed.
And I was actually speaking toa client the other day who said

(05:53):
I just reached out to him foryear end to see how he's doing
and he's like funny, you justreached out to me.
I just saw a meme that said ifyou only hear from your
accountant in April, then youshould fire them.
So great that I reached out tohim at that time.
But it is a good point thatwe're in a service industry and
that's what we're here to do.
This podcast is a place thatwe're hoping to break down the
world of accounting in a waythat's easy to understand or an

(06:19):
individual with complexsituations.
Hopefully this podcast is goingto be something that's helpful
for you.
Maybe not every topic everyweek might pertain to a client,
but hopefully we can reach adifferent group of clients that
might want to learn more aboutthese types of topics that we're
going to go through.
Our goal is to offer clearexplanations of complex topics,
sharing practical tips,discussing how accounting and

(06:40):
taxes can impact your decisionsand your life.
We're hoping to release twopodcasts a month and we'll have
a variety of experts from ourfirm and possibly other advisors
on to help give people someguidance.
If they have more questions,they can reach out to us and we
can help them along the way.

Speaker 2 (06:56):
Love it, Tim.
We'll catch you in the nextepisode.
Have a fantastic rest of yourday.

Speaker 3 (07:01):
Thanks you too.
Next episode have a fantasticrest of your day.

Speaker 1 (07:06):
Thanks you too.
Thanks for listening to theKnowing what Counts podcast.
Ready to optimize your wealthand protect your future, visit
the mpgroupcpacom or call413-739-1800 to connect with our
team of experts.
Remember, success is aboutknowing what counts.