At Mueller Prost, client service and a family-first atmosphere are equally important, along with delivering professional tax, audit, accounting and consulting services for privately held companies worldwide. The firm’s size offers a unique advantage and a very personal focus. It only has three offices—two in the St. Louis area and one in Irvine, California—with 180 employees.
Doug Mueller, president and partner, says the company’s driving principles are evident in many ways, but achieving them begins with the men and women who make it all possible. He and other firm leaders go out of their way not only to get to know staff members and their spouses, but to help them achieve a healthy balance between their personal lives and daily work. “When people are here, they’re here,” Mueller says. “They’re not distracted.”
Because work during the winter season can require longer hours, employees who meet or exceed their goals can qualify to have Fridays off during the warmer months, generally from around Memorial Day to the end of August. And for those who are unable to keep up with household chores during more stressful seasonal cycles, Mueller Prost provides housekeeping services twice a month for employees who qualify.
Perks like these provide the kind of motivation that keeps employees sharp and on task, Mueller says. And since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 has begun taking effect for U.S. clients, the firm’s collective talent is needed more than ever.
The law is the most significant tax reform effort in the past 30 years and touches everything from business deductions to charitable giving, Mueller explains. Its proven to be vague in areas, so the firm is waiting for guidance from the U.S. Treasury to help clients understand how their lives and businesses will be affected. But despite the law’s vagaries, it is a prime example of how Mueller Prost plans for all possible scenarios on behalf of its clients, Mueller says, which differentiates the firm from others.
In most cases, potential clients view CPA firms more or less equally, but Mueller Prost is able to stand out by keeping promises, treating clients well and focusing on planning. Those values originate with the firm’s founding in 1983, when Mueller and Michael Prost, vice president and managing partner, started the company in Prost’s basement over a ping-pong table that doubled as a desk. The two men were young entrepreneurs who became inspired to launch their own business after Prost attended a seminar on acquiring real estate.
While they never got into the real estate business, they built this business from the ground up, which Mueller says has made them much more attuned to their clients’ needs and goals. “We were young enough and naïve enough to try it, and we caught a few breaks along the way,” he says. “And here we are now, blessed with a lot of good clients and talented staff.”
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