RubinBrown: One Firm, A Tradition of Trust

RubinBrown: One Firm

The first decade of the new millennium proved to be a turning point for RubinBrown in terms of growth and expansion. Jim Castellano’s role as chairman of the AICPA from 2001 to 2002 had enhanced the firm’s credibility and visibility nationwide. In addition, RubinBrown gained access to different markets as the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 took effect. Among other provisions, Sarbanes-Oxley required new auditor independence rules which mandated that the

same firm could not handle both audit and consulting services.

It did not take long for RubinBrown to take advantage of the changed landscape. As the largest independent public accounting firm in St. Louis at the time, RubinBrown was able to attract talented professionals from Arthur Andersen who wanted to join a well-known and highly regarded firm, albeit a local one, with high professional standards. Their experience and expertise provided RubinBrown the unprecedented opportunity to expand into consulting, which paved the way for significant growth for the firm. In addition, the firm was able to attract many new large audit and tax clients. Everyone benefitted from the influx of talented senior-level professionals who joined the firm, yet it took time for some of them to adapt to RubinBrown’s one-firm culture since it was a departure from their background and training.

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