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If the word “accountant” still brings to mind images of pocket protectors, thick glasses, and – well – nerds typing away on calculators, you haven’t met the team at Citrin Cooperman. If you’ve never heard the terms “accounting firm” and “entrepreneurial drive” in the same sentence, you also haven’t met the team at Citrin Cooperman. And if you’ve never heard of an accounting firm started in NYC with seed money from a legendary rock band, then you’ve definitely never met the team at Citrin Cooperman.

But if you haven’t, you should. Now the 23^rd largest CPA firm in the country, Citrin Cooperman has built a major presence as accountants and advisors over the past 38 years, operating 10 offices from Metro DC to Boston (plus an affiliate office in India), with 940 employees, including 40+ of them right here on Long Island. Michael Sabatini, Managing Partner of the Long Island office, recently invited CMM Managing Partner and HIA-LI Board Chairman Joe Campolo to tour the firm’s sleek new space in Melville, where they discussed everything from philanthropy to attracting millennial talent.

Citrin Cooperman has thrived by taking an entrepreneurial approach in helping their clients build their businesses. As Partner Corey Bell explains, “we become part of the client’s team.” Sabatini describes his team as down-to-earth people who care and who make it their mission to deliver value, whether through traditional tax and audit offerings or cybersecurity, valuation, and consulting services, among many others. With nearly a thousand professionals at their fingertips at Citrin Cooperman, clients also enjoy access to someone with the right expertise for their unique issues.

Citrin Cooperman’s sweet spot is servicing privately held family businesses in industries ranging from real estate to healthcare and everything in between – many of whom have outgrown their longtime accountants. Indeed, there’s no shortage of accounting advisors on Long Island, but Citrin Cooperman’s holistic approach – their tagline is “Focus on What Counts” – reflects their emphasis on serving as true business partners.

How does the firm foster this culture in new hires? “The tone is set from the top,” Sabatini says. And while many traditional accounting firms have found it difficult to adapt to changing times, Citrin Cooperman has demonstrated forward-thinking leadership by aggressively courting the millennial workers who represent the future of the firm – and investing in them once they’re on board. The new Melville office is a “millennial-focused space” designed with young people in mind: an open concept office with glass walls and an abundance of natural light. Amenities include an eat-in kitchen with lounge seating, tables and chairs, and large TVs – not to mention a nearby walking trail and a gym complete with a golf simulator in the building.

But more important than these modern features is the firm’s focus on keeping their younger talent engaged and excited. Case in point: rather than spend their days reviewing workpapers in a windowless office, young staff members work with partners on all aspects of the business, meeting face-to-face with clients and learning the ins and outs of their work. “Citrin Cooperman University” offers staff both technical training and culture-building; the office closes on Citrin Cooperman Cares Day for staff to volunteer together, giving time and dollars to the local community. The firm supports employees through wellness programs, flexible scheduling, professional development, women’s leadership training, and even an international exchange program – all of which have grown out of staff feedback, reflecting just how much the employee’s voice matters at Citrin Cooperman.  The firm has also put their relatively new HIA-LI membership to good use, building their Long Island presence and making important new connections that have already joined them as clients or staff.

With the firm’s rapid expansion, their approach to client service and staff investment is clearly paying off. As you walk down the green-accented hallways at Citrin Cooperman, you get the sense that there’s something unique about this accounting firm. As they promise, “Business isn’t boring; your advisor shouldn’t be either.”

Learn more at https://www.citrincooperman.com/.

 

  

Citrin Cooperman partners Corey Bell, Michael Sabatini (Long Island office Managing Partner), and Michael Myers welcome CMM Managing Partner Joe Campolo to their sleek new space in Melville. Next photo: No Conference Room 1 here. The conference room names in Citrin Cooperman’s new office pay homage to beloved Long Island destinations.

 

  

The millennial-friendly, open concept space features many amenities including a kitchen area with lounge seating, tables and chairs, and two big screen TVs. Next photo: The office incorporates the colors of Citrin Cooperman’s logo in unexpected places.

 

  

Michael Myers, Michael Sabatini, Joe Campolo, Corey Bell, and Michael Feller pose in the lounge area. Next photo: Citrin Cooperman: Focus on what counts.

 

 

By Patrick McCormick and Richard DeMaio

Nine unelected Supreme Court Justices are tasked with deciding the most important issues confronting our country. For better or for worse, we the people are beholden to the jurisprudence of nine politically unaccountable legal minds.  However, the minds of Supreme Court Justices are neither infallible nor uniformly programmed. Justices come to the bench with different backgrounds, biases, methods of analysis, and interpretations of the Constitution. These idiosyncrasies yield the legal decisions that regulate our democratic way of life and reflect the norms, values, and attitudes of society.

Supreme Court decisions are a yardstick to measure society’s progression. Not all that long ago, in many infamous cases, the Supreme Court reached legal conclusions deemed unfathomable today. The Dred Scott decision, Dred Scott v. Sandford, 60 U.S. 393 (1857), held that former slaves even in the “free states” of the North were not free and denied them access to federal courts. In Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896), the Court declared the doctrine of “separate but equal,” holding that a man that was one-eighth black and seven-eighths white was not permitted to sit in a white-only carriage because he was required to sit in a black-only carriage, which was considered legal “equality.” In Buck v. Bell, 274 U.S. 200 (1927), the Court upheld a statute permitting the compulsory sterilization of intellectually disabled individuals, noting “[t]hree generations of imbeciles are enough.” This opinion was cited by the Nazis a decade later. In Korematsu v. U.S., 323 U.S. 214 (1944), the Court upheld the internment of thousands of Japanese-Americans while Americans of all races were overseas fighting fascism.

It is critical to note that these decisions were the result of deliberations, and not a single one was unanimously decided. Even cases that have been deemed stains on constitutional jurisprudence included prophetic dissents that vigorously fought to uphold the core values of our Constitution: Korematsu v. United States, 323 U.S. at 242 (Murphy, J., dissenting) (“Racial discrimination in any form and in any degree has no justifiable part whatever in our democratic way of life. It is unattractive in any setting, but it is utterly revolting among a free people who have embraced the principles set forth in the Constitution of the United States.”); Plessy, 163 U.S. at 559 (Harlan, J., dissenting) (“Our Constitution is color-blind and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens.”); Dred Scott, 60 U.S. at 582 (Curtis, J., dissenting) (“[I]t is not true, in point of fact, that the Constitution was made exclusively by the white race. And that it was made exclusively for the white race is . . . contradicted by its opening declaration, that it was ordained and established by the people of the United States.”).

As is often said with regard to the Supreme Court, yesterday’s dissent is tomorrow’s majority opinion. Canonical dissents shape future deliberations as well as public discourse, and are the fuel that keep democracy moving forward. As Justice William O. Douglas stated, that “judges do not agree . . . is a sign that they are dealing with problems on which society itself is divided. It is the democratic way to express dissident views.” Melvin I. Urofsky, Dissent and the Supreme Court: Its Role in the Court’s History and the Nation’s Constitutional Dialogue 220 (2015).

Progress is measuring what was to what is. Thirteen years after Justice Curtis stated the Constitution was not “made exclusively for the white race,” the Civil War amendments were ratified abolishing slavery, guaranteeing equal protection under the law, and ensuring the right to vote. Fifty-eight years after the lone dissenter Justice Harlan pronounced “[o]ur Constitution is color-blind,” the spirit of his dissent was vindicated by the Court’s unanimous decision in Brown v. Bd. of Ed. of Topeka, Shawnee Cty., Kan., 347 U.S. 483 (1954), the death knell to the “separate but equal” doctrine established by Plessy. Some forty years after Justice Murphy’s scathing dissent asserting that the internment of thousands of Japanese-Americans “falls into the ugly abyss of racism,” Congress issued a formal apology and paid reparations.

These progressions reflect the flaws and resiliency of our legal system. The Supreme Court is comprised of nine imperfect citizens encumbered with biases and predispositions that inevitably seep into decisions affecting all aspects of society. Their opinions—whether majorities, concurrences, or dissents—are important and must be analyzed. They encapsulate viewpoints, both the eloquent and the ugly, vital to keep society moving forward. Even one articulate dissent is enough to lay the foundation to change history and the law in the highest court of the land.

The Court is insulated from the political whims of the electorate in that Justices cannot be voted off the bench. However, the Court can and must be held accountable for its decisions through we the people engaging in candid discussion and thoughtful analysis of those decisions. Therefore, in this blog, we’ll be doing our part to explore the decisions (and dissents) that so profoundly impact our society.

Food allergies are a growing public health concern with approximately 15 million Americans battling each day to avoid an allergic reaction. A food allergy is nothing to sneeze at; it is a life-altering medical condition in which exposure to a certain food triggers an adverse immune response. Allergy sufferers worry about more than a mere stuffy nose, watery eyes, or an itchy rash; allergic reactions can be life-threatening. Each year, 200,000 people in the United States require emergency medical attention for a severe reaction due to food allergies. In an effort to make the dining experience safer for those suffering from food allergies, the Suffolk County Legislature has imposed a new requirement on local food service establishments – and it just may help drive business, too.

Beginning on July 17, 2018, restaurants and food service establishments must include on all menus (including website menus), and menu boards located inside or outside of the establishment, a notice that declares:

“Before placing your order, please inform your server if a person in your party has a food allergy.”

The law applies to restaurants, cafeterias, delis, bakeries, ice cream stores, bars/taverns, and food trucks (exempt from the requirement are food service operations at schools, camps, child care facilities/programs, institutional settings, and temporary establishments operated by non-profits).

Restaurants should not view this requirement as a burden, but as a potential boon to business. Many people with food allergies avoid dining out because the majority of food allergy-related deaths are caused by foods consumed outside the home. (By not preparing the food themselves, allergy sufferers may unknowingly consume food that either contained or came in contact with the problem food. Dining out significantly increases the risk, as many people order without inquiring about ingredients or don’t have the medicine available to be treated immediately.) The new law aims to not only increase food safety, but also to increase business by encouraging allergy sufferers to consider dining out and assuaging the concern that food service establishments are unsafe for them.

By demonstrating an understanding of food allergies and a willingness to accommodate the customer’s needs, restaurants and other establishments can help eliminate the fear factor and bring in new customers. Indeed, the Suffolk County Department of Health Services is working on a program where food service establishments are afforded the opportunity to earn the designation “Food Allergy Friendly.” (More details to come.) While poor communication has long stood between the food service industry and those with food allergies, the wheels of change are now in motion.

Please contact us with any compliance questions you may have.

Thank you to John Eyerman for his research and writing contributions to this article.