Six Saturdays and a Sunday

Generally, I think retirement is different for women and men though I should probably just speak for myself. As a first grade teacher, I always said that when I couldn’t sit “criss cross applesauce” anymore, it was time to go. Well…I could still make it down (getting up was not pretty), but there were other signs. So when the opportunity came (I might have nudged it a bit…), I wholeheartedly said YES, PLEASE! Before I move on to the real purpose of this post, please know that I LOVED my career and I did not take leaving it lightly, but I also knew that the pace was taxing, my patience was not as good as the kids deserved, and my expectations for myself were harder to meet as time went by…so in 2019, I retired thankfully before COVID hit. And here it is almost 4 years later and I can confirm that retirement is EVERYTHING it’s cracked up to be!

Jump forward 3 1/2 years and it was Glen’s turn to contemplate “retirement” – whatever that meant to him. His situation was completely different from mine and his process for determining his path was different from mine and eventually…he came to the same, or maybe a similar place as I did…As he likes to say, “Six Saturdays and a Sunday” didn’t sound all bad!

Last week TYS, the CPA firm Glen and his colleague, Chris founded, held a retirement event for Glen in a suite at an A’s game. If you know Glen, you know that he’s been an A’s fan his entire life – through the good, the great, and the ugly so this seemed like the perfect way to celebrate his incredible career. The entire firm was in town so it gave them all the opportunity to reminisce with Glen and enjoy the beautiful Coliseum atmosphere (that’s another sad post). Glen also invited a few clients and of course, Niels, Blair and I were there. It was a beautiful day for baseball (the A’s lost), and I think everyone had a great time.

In the days before the game, I thought about Glen’s career and considered preparing a few “words” to share. As I reflected, I think what really stood out was the profound impact he has had on the careers of so many others – be they clients (who, more often than not, became his friends), and everyone else who passed through the firm from intern to partner. Understanding his impact really hit home for me when on that infamous Friday in March 2020, Glen, Niels, and Blair all walked through the front door and called “dibs” on their new office space in the house that I thought was going to be my castle during retirement! What I learned during those months (years) is that all three of them are incredibly talented, caring, and skilled. I enjoyed hearing and seeing them in their roles and was just completely wowed by their professionalism. I witnessed the positive impact Glen has had on his “kids” as they make their way in their own careers. But what I learned and began to appreciate about Glen is that he is not only an accountant – for sure a gifted mathematician – he’s also a planner, financial advisor, teacher, counselor, therapist, consultant, confidant, guide, sage, mediator, futurist, and oh yeah…a CPA.

What I really came here to do is share my memory of Glen’s career. I most assuredly got some details and dates wrong, but the following is the gist of his accomplishments as I remember them – and they are many. Please indulge me…Glen has always loved baseball and I think that we can liken his career to a baseball game.

We’ll start with: Spring Training aka The Years at Chico State

Glen likes to tell anyone who will listen that “all the good stuff in his life began at Chico”. He took a crooked path to get there – I think he was a “freshman” for something like 7 years before he made it Chico, but when he got there, he knew what he wanted to do…and it wasn’t attend class and study. Not being the most focused student, he did learn how to stay awake for long hours which was good training for becoming an accountant and getting through “busy season”. However, he didn’t get that training in the library, I’ll let him tell those stories, but he did learn how to get up after an “all nighter” and get to his earliest class at 1:00 pm. See…great training for the run-up to all the April 15ths of his career! He actually did get a great education, made lifelong friends, and has stayed connected to the University through the years.

His First Hit – A Single at Jones and Marzluft, later JHS

Glen began his career in Danville with the CPA firm, Jones and Marzluft. Rumor has it that as he was being considered for a position, an employee who was a Chico State grad and knew Glen from their shared accounting classes, recommended that they NOT hire Glen…hahaha. Good thing someone on that hiring team saw his potential!

It was during this time that I met Glen in Chico at The Bear 2 years post-graduation…another “Chico good thing” in my opinion. There were stories about his job – learning to stay focused when working the phones in the ” bullpen”, wild drunken work parties, trips to clients in Kansas and Denver, and a firm basketball team. The office team members were excited for the season when they saw this new 6’6” guy join the team. How could they lose with him under the basket? Glen will have to tell you his version of that story. It has to do with jumping skills.

It was here where he developed lifelong relationships with colleagues and clients. He learned his craft with the support of his mentors, including partners, managers, and peers. He learned how to close a deal and how to provide remarkable service, expertise, knowledge, and creative problem-solving. After all, he is the master problem solver.

After a brief stint opening a JM office in Orange County and then working for a client outside of public accounting, (plus a wedding and a baby), he returned to Jones and Marzluft in Danville and became a partner and then managing partner, but there was always his desire to have something more, something different – to create a different kind of firm.

Glen and Chris dared to dream and began building the concept of a something new. Tobin joined them in their shared ideals and…

A Double – Thomas York Was Born!

Glen and Chris had the fire to create something different – something that “could be”. They were a great team, largely because they were so different. They were eyes wide-open and their unique approaches and creative thinking provided balance, allowing them to create the “what could be”. They were wise enough to know that they needed support so they brought in important players to help them build out their vision – Jim Kelly, Boomer, Jim Gebhardt, and many more “influencers” (before “influencers” were a thing!) provided them guidance, helped them formulate their model, and gave them the “juice” that they needed to build Thomas York.

I think this is the period where Glen really hit his stride. He was having a blast being creative and I think he really “hit his groove” in those early days. I believe it was during this time that he really developed his unique communication style, peppering his conversations with riddles, “isms”, mottos, one-liners – call them what you may – they helped him get his point across! Mind you, sometimes those one-liners made us all roll our eyes, but they were definitely part of what makes Glen successful in communicating his ideas. I should ask his colleagues to share their favorites with us!

BTW…Shout out to our son, Niels. It was during this time that he began developing his accounting chops. He worked for Thomas York before he enrolled at Chico State. (Yes, his Chico grad parents couldn’t have been prouder!) TY provided him great background experience which gave him a leg up when he entered as an accounting major.

As Thomas York was just rolling, Glen had a life-changing event and he hit an unlikely…

Triple  – Also Known as His “Greatest Accomplishment”

Eight months after Thomas York got started, Glen was diagnosed with cancer and thus began the greatest fight of his life which he also calls his greatest and truest gift. During his long, challenging treatment and an even longer recovery, he was supported by Chris, the Thomas York staff, and all of his clients. They allowed him the time and space he needed to regain his health. Knowing that the firm was waiting for him to return was a major contributor to Glen’s ability to fight and eventually thrive. It didn’t take long after he was back in the office to realize that he was still dreaming about what could be and he rekindled a relationship with Tim whom he’d met earlier in the TY history and it was a…

Home Run – TYS – An Even Better Iteration of the Dream

Tim joined Chris and Glen and at the beginning, Glen’s trips to Rochester were frequent! What was really wonderful was that he was able to make the trips – a feat that was not guaranteed just a short time earlier. What’s even better? At TYS, Blair also found her talents and skills. It’s true that both Blair and Niels have learned so much from their dad. They have a set of values and skills that guide them in their careers: work ethic, problem-solving, communication, project managing and myriad other necessary accounting/business skills (including soft skills) that I can’t even label! Hey – now that I think about it…I realize that I am the only Thomas who hasn’t worked for the firm…hmmm…Should I have a turn?

As Glen was preparing for his “change of life” (let’s not call it retirement), he began the slow process of handing over the reigns to the next generation. We started traveling which made it easier for him to step aside, step down and be proud of what he and Chris created.

Robert Reich recently wrote about his retirement. He noted that “to retire” historically has meant to go into seclusion. I think we need a new term for what happens after you leave your profession, your calling, your career. Reich quotes Oliver Wendell Holmes who said, people “do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing.”

So as Glen rounds the diamond of his career, I’m reminded of a favorite Glenism…He always called work “play” because as he says…if you love what you do, it’s not work.

What will be Glen’s next game?