In 1924, Elorion Plante opened a small accounting firm in Detroit, Michigan. The firm found great success, and in 1950, Frank Moran was named as a partner — the firm became known as Plante Moran.
Plante met Moran, a philosophy student, when he became a geometry tutor for Plante’s daughter. Moran’s philosophy is still at the firm’s heart today: “We are a people firm disguised as an accounting firm.” Since then, Plante Moran has evolved into a global organization employing nearly 4,000 people.
This year, Plante Moran is celebrating 100 years in business. To help them celebrate, we are spotlighting Ryan Abdoo, CPA and partner at Plante Moran. We hope you enjoy getting to know him.
Tell us a little bit about you. What is one fun fact that people don’t know about you?
I began working at Plante Moran right out of college 20 years ago. I was located in Chicago, and we had next to zero banking revenue at the time. Over the 16 years of working here, we built the Chicago banking team into the largest hub serving community banks within the firm.
I moved to Colorado four years ago and now building the banking practice here. Unfortunately, COVID-19 slowed things down for a couple of years. In spite of that, we have built a great banking team here in Colorado and are hitting our stride from a growth perspective.
A fun fact about me: I’ve run six marathons and roughly two dozen half-marathons.
Tell us about what you do at Plante Moran.
We serve both public and private banks with the typical CPA type of work — financial statement audits and tax compliance. However, we also have a large risk management consulting practice that includes subject matter experts in areas such as loan review, internal audit, regulatory compliance and information security.
What makes Plante Moran unique?
What sets us apart from other firms, especially in Colorado, is that we have roughly 800 boots on the ground in the state. We serve all industries, but banking institutions are something we are especially strong on — we are ranked first or a close second with the most CPAs in the state and are the 15th-largest firm in the nation.
We are community-driven and very big on building relationships and being a universal advisor. In working with us, you’ll find we specialize in banks, are pragmatic, consultative and fun.
What do you love about your job?
I love going out and networking with clients and meeting new people. I am also passionate about building and mentoring my team, which ultimately leads to building our practice. It’s like leaving a legacy that will live on for years. I try to encourage and promote my team to seek a personal and professional life in which they can find their long-term rhythm. While client service is paramount, work-life balance remains at the forefront of our team.
How has partnering with ICBC benefited Plante Moran?
Our partnership has helped me meet many great people and have a lot of fun in the process. I’ve gone skiing with clients, taken mountain biking trips with them and even hiked a few mountains. Our conversations range anywhere from personal to industry-related topics.
ICBC has introduced me to all these folks. The discussions I can have with them and some of the insights I can share will hopefully help them moving forward and when an opportunity arises where the broader Plante Moran team can help, we are ready.
