At Eide Bailly, accounting may be the game, but relationships remain supreme. And this top 25 CPA firm puts its young professionals at the core of its culture.

Eide Bailly promises a work experience like none other, and they deliver by encouraging growth, promoting from within and celebrating achievements. Core values are built into their culture statement, and focus on respect, integrity, trust, innovation and creativity.  

New hires receive an “Eide Guide” and career advisor to coach them through their development.

Their professionals are encouraged to take part in their EB Xchange program, which are experiences that last from six weeks to six months and provide exposure to new insights and knowledge in other firm specialties, with participants returning to their original service area on completion.” We have great YPs, and we want to give them the ability to explore opportunities within the firm,” said Chad Flanagan, Fargo Partner in Charge.

Eide Bailly’s YPs are highly involved in decision-making. They’re able to train new staff and interns, mentor, or serve as Career Advisors on initiatives like the Ambassador Program or First Focus Committee for advancing women in the accounting profession.

They offer unique benefits such as Tuition Reimbursement, Wellness Benefits, Flex Time, Infertility Coverage, Milk Delivery for Traveling Mothers, Pet Insurance and more.

Even in the busy season, they never lose sight of fun. That means having office parties with bingo, trivia, cookouts and the infamous Ten Key challenge.

Plus, a Corporate Responsibility initiative encourages giving back. Full-time employees are given a $200 corporate match to donate to a non-profit of their choice. This year, the Fargo and Bismarck offices matched over 80 donations for a total of nearly $14,000 on Giving Hearts Day. Employees are also given eight hours of paid time off to volunteer, and unlimited time to serve on boards and committees.

“We enable our employees, including our YPs, to utilize Eide Bailly’s influence in the market to better the community and quality of life,” Flanagan said. “We actively focus our community investments on the areas of education, leadership, community growth and economic development.”  Just some of the causes their professionals volunteer with are Junior Achievement, the United Way of Cass Clay, YWCA Cass Clay, Rebuilding Together, Great North Pole, The Chamber, and service clubs including Rotary and Kiwanis.

A focus on their young professional development stems from planning for the future of the firm, as they know that their younger staff will soon become partners and owners. And, they know that a workplace that delivers a better experience for their staff will deliver a better experience for clients.

New hires and interns receive specific trainings for audit, tax and outsourced services, while managers attend specialized training known as NextGen, which prepares them for the next step in their career. Once named partner, professionals embark on a two-year program that allows partners across the firm to discuss questions and challenges associated with transitioning from employee to owner. They learn expectations of staff development, business development, ethics, client relationship development and more.

The Fargo office offers an internal lunch and learn series on services and industries within Eide Bailly. The Ambassador Program also helps professionals grow within the firm and develop necessary skills.

Behind Eide Bailly’s Women’s Initiative
In 2008, Eide Bailly developed a women’s initiative. The vision of the initiative, First Focus, was to nurture a culture where women are as likely to succeed as men. The need was identified after analyzing hiring and retention statistics. While they historically have hired new associates at a fairly even rate, the firm's partnership was only 21% women in 2008. Now, efforts include general communications awareness to the firm as a whole, as well as targeted communications to specific groups. Women are invited to a Focus Forum series, which dives deeper into these issues impacting women and gives them an outlet to discuss these topics. Today, the firm’s partnership sits at 30% women.

What do YPs at Eide Bailly have to say?
“From my first day as an intern I could tell that Eide Bailly was different from any company that I had worked for previously. The firm not only had a clear mission of maintaining a work/life balance while providing outstanding service to our trusted clients, but they also lived that mission.” – Dustin Long, Audit Senior Manager

“Fostering a culture of giving back means businesses build a strong sense of community and become more attractive employers. @EideBaillyLLP matches donations, and we get time off to volunteer! Pretty sweet. Beyond that, the firm is always supporting local events, fundraisers, etc. I work with generous people!” – Anna Larson, Social Media Strategist