Ashley Landes, CPA

Get To Know Ashley

Q. What activity or person from your youth influenced you most and provided you with life wisdom?

A. That would have to be my parents, Holly and Chris (affectionately, Lolly and Pop, to my niece and nephews). They sacrificed a lot to raise my sisters and I without any help from their own families and with very little means. Like many parents, they selflessly struggled, never allowing the enormous sense of pressure they must have felt to spill over into our atmosphere. We had a perfect childhood. I am forever grateful. From my dad, I get my goofy sense of humor (apologies to all) and work ethic; from my mom, my perseverance, and my life perspective.

Q. How would your colleagues describe you and what you bring to the team and to clients?

A. I think my team would describe me as knowledgeable. I’ve been in this industry a while now and, thanks to the nature of our service offering, have had the pleasure of working with a ton of small businesses, each blazing their own trail through the exciting, yet often cumbersome, world of federal contracting. This exposure and interaction with so many unique companies in the govcon space has afforded me a “master-class” worth of experience that I am very grateful for. Still learning every day, though! It is the government, after all. There is no shortage of new regulations to keep us all on our toes!

Q. What would you say is the biggest opportunity for your clients today to achieve financial wellness?

A. Pay attention to your job costing. Stay on top of tracking your true profit on each contract you support. Achieve compliance now. Don’t wait for DCAA. Create an annual budget and use forecasting to price new work accurately. Establish banking relationships and start planning (and preparing financially) how you might leverage credit to propel your business forward when the right opportunity comes. Network with peers in your industry; consider joint venture opportunities.

Q. Which of the company’s core value(s) resonates with you most?

A. Ownership and Results Matter are the foundations of my core personality. Ever the Capricorn, accountability is the lens through which I view the world instinctually. People First, however, is where I find fulfillment and purpose. I get the honor, every day, of working alongside the most wonderfully talented and beautifully spirited group of nerdy accountants you could ever wish for! Where’s the fun in achieving alone? We succeed together, not because we must (we’re all pretty darn smart and capable) but because we want to! We learn from each other, push each other forward when motivation wains, listen to one another, and celebrate each other, personally and professionally.

Plus, we’re cool. It’s not a core value, per se, but we are cool. Cool resonates with me, obviously. I’m super cool. (our core value of “humility” need not chime in.)