RubinBrown: One Firm, A Tradition of Trust

RubinBrown: One Firm

to life and business. The nickname stuck with him throughout his life (although sometimes shortened to “Grap”). After graduation, Harvey and Mahlon went their separate ways, working for different small local accounting firms. At their respective firms, they focused on completing the requisite three years of experience before taking the CPA exam, according to professional requirements at the time. Neither

MAHLON RUBIN (LEFT) AND HIS FATHER

Harvey nor Mahlon had the opportunity to work for what was then one of the Big 8 public accounting firms because those doors were closed to Jews even though Mahlon had finished at the top of his class in accounting at Washington University. A few years later, by coincidence both men ended up working in the same downtown St. Louis office building on Chestnut Street where a chance meeting one day in the elevator sealed their destiny. At the time, Harvey was still working at the same firm he had started with after college, but had recently decided to start his own practice. While excited about the prospect of building his own firm, Harvey was also concerned about having enough business to make ends meet for his young family. Ironically, Mahlon had recently started his own practice, sharing office space (but not clients) with Sidney Gornstein, whom he had connected with at a meeting of World War II veterans, and needed some part-time assistance. Mahlon proposed that Harvey could earn

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