Q: Being a strategic advisor to PKF Texas President, Kenneth Guidry on marketplace initiatives must be interesting, challenging and entertaining all in one. What are some of the key initiatives over the years that have surfaced as a result?

Kenneth Guidry as a leader has traditionally surrounded himself with people who are specialized in their thinking. This allows us to use our PKF Texas mantra of allowing people to “use their skills where they lie.” I find that I lead my team in an imitation of how Kenneth has led me and my fellow directors. I rely on my team to use their skills to keep me informed of the things they are smarter about than I am.  I believe Kenneth counts on the directors for the same thing. Together we have created a firm culture that still allows us to have a competitive advantage since people are the key to our future.  Because we have infrastructure in place for our talent to excel, it helps us to be an innovative firm in serving our clients and the marketplace. Everything from the award-winning PKF University in the early 2000s to the first accounting technology blog to our current Doing Business Over Coffee events, these have all worked well in stimulating buzz about our firm.

Q: Living and breathing accounting services marketing like you do, what frustrates you about where the public accounting profession is with marketing at this point in time? Where is professional services marketing lacking, falling short or just being too darned stale and boring?
I think “frustrated” is kind of strong, but I do see growth in our industry. Keeping pace just ahead of where the market is going is a challenge due to blend of virtual “no limits” and the traditional “confines” of the industry thinking. There are a few key players that have managed to do this, but the industry as a whole is trying to get their minds around the fast pace tracking we must do. Now, the international effect from world events is a “trickle response required” ingredient, particularly in geographic regions like Houston (4^th largest city in nation). We have 92 consular corps offices here (next after New York and Los Angeles) http://www.houston.org/pdf/research/18AW001.pdf, along with housing one of three offices of the World Bank. A more cohesive joining together of our networks and alliances to figure out how to market to the needs of our clients, based on this international and cross-state line resource is needed. It is essential in overcoming the mindset of lack of physical presence needed to serve effectively, in an industry that has always placed prime value on personal, face to face relationships.

Q: PKF Texas has made a point to practice corporate social responsibility. What does this really mean and how has it impacted the firm, your clients and the places where PKF does business?
Our commitment to the community, not the transaction, is our recipe for success. When we lose sight of this we lose our bearing. We are proud of our Houston community and want people to know it as a center for entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation. Each year we choose three charities to support with various fundraising and on-site volunteer activities. This year we are supporting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), Camp for All and the Houston Area Women’s Center. Additionally, each employee is given eight hours of paid time off a year to devote time to the non-profit of their choice.

Our commitment to Houston is why we also co-founded the Fast Tech 50 Awards, sponsor university business plan competitions and sponsor events and organizations such as Coffee with the Consuls, the Greater Houston Partnership’s Houston Young Professionals Endeavour (HYPE), and the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce (GHWCC). I am the 2013 Chair of the GHWCC and our Manager of Practice Growth, Jen Lemanski, will chair HYPE in 2014.

Q: Along with many other honors, you’ve been named one of Houston’s 50 most influential women. What has this meant to you professionally? What has it meant to the firm?
It was a great honor for me! As my LinkedIn headline states, I am a marketplace strategist and connector. Within the firm and the marketplace, I develop strong trust and ties with people. By making the right connections and building the right teams, the firm or organization is set for success. Being honored as one of the 50 Most Influential Women is an extension of these efforts for the firm. The diversity of the list allowed for connections to women PKF Texas might not have met otherwise. It provided nice PR and an extra dash of credibility. I’m appreciative of Houston Women’s Magazine for recognizing women in this manner, and now the owner of the magazine has agreed to be a part of the Marketing/Communication Strategy team for the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce. Our experience has been that ultimately these relationships have led to business for the firm.

Q: What advice might you bestow upon today’s university accounting student or those accountants who are new to public accounting?
I started in accounting marketing 18 years ago. Having experience in a range of industries prior to joining an accounting firm, I had clear goals in mind of the milestones I wanted to reach in the industry and my career. I knew I needed to find a firm which would support these goals. Both the firm I worked at in Dallas and PKF Texas in Houston have allowed me to use my skills to grow the firm and have positioned me for success. I have talked to many marketers over the years who have to fight for the tools, voice and appreciation they need in order to be successful. In each firm, I had (and still do have) a sponsor who “spoke” the CPA language. Having that sponsor is key to being positioned where you have a voice at the table and can accomplish the goals set for the firm and yourself.

Q: How does your firm recruit talent? What are the common characteristics in people who have been successful employees?
The Human Capital team handles this for the firm. We serve the HC team as an internal client and assist them in their communications efforts with recruits. We believe a well-branded firm can not only attract but retain excellent team members. We look for certain character attributes in our potential employees: positive spirit, confidence, ambition, pride, adaptive capacity and excellence. These characteristics are trademarks at PKF Texas. In 2001, we implemented a very successful internship program with major universities in the Houston area. Today, many of the managers in our firm started in this internship program.

Q: What have been some of your fondest memories of your time at PKF Texas?
In 2005, I became one of the first non-CPA owners in the industry. I had worked many years to achieve this and did so with the help of many people along the way. When I moved to Houston in 2000, ownership was a goal I had set for myself. I was clear about this when I met with various firms in Houston. PKF Texas had the culture, the resources and the willingness to recognize the value of having a marketer with a seat at the table. With my interest in women’s initiatives and positioning success, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my sponsor Kenneth Guidry, for assisting to pave the way for me and many others within the firm.

One of the favorite parts of my job is seeing my team develop and grow within their own careers in an industry that I love. Accounting marketing as an industry has not been known for people’s longevity and consistency. Raissa Evans, Executive Manager and Jen Lemanski, Manager, are the exception to the rule. They have been on my team for 10 years and 7 years respectively. They have each had great success as marketers. Raissa was named the 2011 Marketer of the Year, the first to come from a firm with a previous Marketer of the Year winner. She is also on the national AAM Board of Directors and on the board of the Houston Interactive Marketing Association. Jen was the inaugural Steering Group Chair for the Leading Edge Alliance Young Professionals Special Interest Group. She also is the current Vice-Chair for the Houston Young Professionals Endeavor (HYPE).

Q: If you had to hop on a time machine and go backwards to a time before you entered the accounting world–and then had to pick a different career path–what might you have chosen?
Ironically, I had many different career paths that got me here. I was a fashion buyer for Allied stores, worked for a U.S. Congressman and Texas State Senator and was in the staffing industry before the accounting world found me. At the time, we don’t necessarily understand the path to where we will end up, but it’s clear how all of the experiences I have had, have helped to build me for today’s wonderful challenges.

Q: What’s in the future for Karen Love?
Well, just having had my 60th birthday, I hope having a 61^st is in my future. Grin!

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