Accounting for Success | Mihaylo College of Business and Economics

Story by: Lorie A. Parch

Pictured from left to right: Gordon S. MacLean '86, Manuel J. Ramirez '87, Fernando R. Jimenez '96

Manuel Ramirez knew what he wanted to focus on as soon as he earned his business degree: ?Working at an international accounting firm that would allow me the flexibility to obtain my master?s in tax law,? he says. ?And that?s exactly what I did.?

The normal path to make partner in an accounting firm is about 10 to 15 years; Ramirez did it at the age of 25 after five years. He modestly says he was ?in the right place at the right time,? but he also knows his willingness to tackle a difficult, complex area ? international tax and accounting issues ? set him apart, as did his bilingual skills. ?I was looking for a way to differentiate myself in the Orange County marketplace,? he explains. ?This specialty is extremely technical and there?s a lot of ambiguity. It?s mentally challenging for me, and I enjoy the balancing various countries? tax laws. We help bring clarity to those areas to make sure our clients pay as little as possible.?

Ramirez was never really interested in the ?usual? way things are done. As an accounting student at Cal State Fullerton in the ?80s he worked 30 hours a week while taking 18 units; as a senior he became president of the Accounting Society. And when he graduated from CSUF in December 1987, he started his professional career off strong. ?The quality of the professors was high at Fullerton; the academics were sufficient to allow me to obtain a position with a national accounting firm upon graduation,? says Ramirez, who will join Mihaylo?s Dean?s Advisory Board this fall.

Now, as managing partner/CEO of leading accounting firm Ramirez Jimenez International CPAs (RJI), based in Irvine, Calif., Ramirez works with fellow Mihaylo alumni Fernando Jimenez ?96, partner in charge, tax services at RJI and Gordon MacLean ?86, a partner at RJI and an advisory board member of CSUF?s Executive Council. The global nature of RJI?s work (the firm currently serves clients in 20 countries) and its recent selection to work with DFK International, the 10th-largest association of CPAs in the world, combined with the current volatility in the world?s economies, mean these alumni are definitely in the right place at the right time to help their clients. Ramirez?s years-long relationships with Mihaylo faculty like Kathleen Wright and Betty Chavis help him share his real-world knowledge about accounting and tax law for the benefit of the school?s programs.

But when it comes to counting his successes ? which include long-standing philanthropic work and serving as president of the California Board of Accounting under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ? Ramirez says it?s not these professional accolades that matter most to him.? ?My biggest success would be my ability to balance my personal life with my business life,? he says. ?I?ve been with my wife, Adriana, for 18 years. And I believe that prioritizing my faith and my family before my business interests has personally served me well.? Business is not easy. If you show up to work every day, and follow through with your commitments, it gets easier.?

Source: http://bizblogs.fullerton.edu/blog/2012/10/21/accounting-for-success/

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