Stone & Company 40th Anniversary Message - The call to lift up others: Reflections on our 40th anniversary

This year Stone & Company, LLC reached an impressive milestone: our 40th anniversary. Thriving for forty years reflects many things, none more important than a continuous track record of dedicated service and integrity. It's core to Stone's professional DNA. Our commitment to our clients earns their loyalty, and that loyalty sustains us year after year.

While we're proud of our work and take pleasure in exceeding clients’ expectations, we know there’s more to business than simply doing business. Our success, and the gratitude that comes with it, compels us to make a difference in the broader community. For at the end of the day, only a couple of questions really matter, both as a firm and as individuals at Stone: Where did we make a lasting impact? And what exactly did we do to lift up others less fortunate than we are?

One focus has been the next generation — igniting their imaginations to see a rewarding professional future. We see accounting as an excellent career, but to most high school students the work is abstract, overly complicated and out of reach. That's why we take part in a New England Society of CPAs program that brings us into local high schools to explain what we do, and make it real for young people just beginning to think about their career paths. We also believe in mentoring one-on-one, as I did this past year with a young man in Dracut, MA, investing time in their lives as they weigh the decisions and challenges ahead.

I’m especially proud of the Stone team’s participation every year in the NECPA annual CPA Day of Service, where all team members show up together to volunteer at a local non-profit, each acknowledging the importance of giving back to those in our community who are less fortunate than us.

For me, personally, giving back has also taken me back to my roots in Jamaica. When Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm, struck the island last October, it devastated my hometown, including the hospital where I was born. There I faced that urgent question again: How could I help lift up the place that had nurtured me? I returned several times since the hurricane, donating time and money to help stabilize a community that still has a long way to go before it fully recovers. Through crises like a catastrophic hurricane, one learns what really matters.

When I acquired Stone from Phil and Matt Stone over seven years ago and merged it with my own small practice, I knew the founders had invested their professional lives in building a great business — and that it was up to me and the Stone team to carry their legacy further. And so we have: We’ve experienced significant growth since then and we're now the largest minority-owned CPA firm in Massachusetts, with a talented, diverse, committed team. But being an outstanding firm isn't enough. We deeply believe we have to stand out in the community as well, and we take great pride in who we are and our commitment to making a difference.

Happy 40th anniversary to the Stone team and everyone who has been part of our journey.

 - Rob Miller, Stone & Company Managing Partner

Stone & Company, LLC is a CPA firm based in Lexington, Massachusetts - www.stonecpas.com