Rholan Larson and John Allen dream of starting an accounting firm in the Twin Cities. A coin toss determines whose name is listed first — and Larson wins. Soon after, LarsonAllen opens its doors.
With a commitment to growth, for the firm and their clients, the four partners open their doors for business in Peoria, Illinois. Later the name is shortened to Clifton Gunderson.
Neil Clifton drafts the firm’s first firm philosophy.
We will serve our clients and the public at large with absolute integrity and objectivity and with the highest degree of professional competence. We will serve our clients in confidence and with a professional sense of duty. We do not flatter ourselves to think that we can be all things to all people, but in those areas in which we chose to serve, we will strive to make the highest level of professional service available to our clients.
Should the interest of our client run counter to the best interests of the public, the interests of the public must come first.
We expect each partner and employee to continually strive for self-improvement and work for the continued improvement of the ability and efficiency of the firm.
It is our belief that each partner and employee must obtain from the profession both a profitable return for time, money and self, and the happiness and self-satisfaction which come from creativeness and competence.
Asking the question "Is this a good long-term business decision for this firm?" the Opportunity 82 framework is created. Soon after, Clifton Gunderson introduces its "one-firm" concept, which emphasizes a firm-wide team focus, creating a culture that is unified and supportive.
Clifton Gunderson and LarsonAllen join with several other firms to provide wealth advisory services. Evolving over the years, eventually the firms offer wealth advisory services independent of one another. The LarsonAllen practice was later bolstered by the 2010 acquisition of LeMaster Daniels, which offered wealth advisory services since 2002.
LarsonAllen introduces a program designed to help emerging leaders experience leadership development opportunities. Today, the Promise Leadership Series continues, helping to foster a succession-based mindset across the firm and develop firm leaders of the future.
John Langan & Associates team joins LarsonAllen bringing $3 million of new outsourcing business and growth opportunity in Washington, D.C. With a reputation for deep industry knowledge of the nonprofit industry this addition establishes the Business Operations (BizOps) outsourcing group.
Members of LeMaster Daniels, a Spokane-based firm with 11 offices, $45 million in revenue and a history dating back to 1908, join LarsonAllen. The former LeMaster Daniels team brings with them a reputation for industry specialization, particularly in agriculture, and years of wealth advisory experience.
LarsonAllen ends the year at $285 million in revenue.
CLA is born Clifton Gunderson and LarsonAllen merge to form CliftonLarsonAllen LLP
The two regional firms join together in a shared dream to be America’s leading professional services firm. Eventually, the firm will identify its purpose: to create opportunities for our clients, our people, and our communities.
Gordy Viere, former CEO of LarsonAllen, and Kris McMasters, former CEO of Clifton Gunderson, serve as co-CEOs.
CLA by the numbers:
$550 million in revenue
4,000 people
50 offices
The Monagham group joins the CLA family and brings expanded outsourcing capabilities in the form of the consulting and accounting solutions team (CAST). CAST services center on project work that focus on building relationships with clients and working with all organizations, including publicly traded companies. With $7 million in revenue in 2013, the CAST practice grew to $70 million by 2019.
A new career coaching and feedback process is designed to help CLA family members build their inspired careers.
CLA begins operating without a headquarters — a move that sends the message that all locations across the country are critical.
The CLA Foundation is created With a mission to connect diverse networks to create career opportunities through education, employment, and entrepreneurship
Since its inception in 2015, the CLA Foundation has granted more than $5 million to advance career opportunities in communities across the nation. All grant nominations originate with the CLA family, who nominate organizations with a focus on three categories: education, employment, and entrepreneurship.
While the grass roots beginnings of CLA’s diversity and inclusion journey began earlier, this date marks the formal development of a national diversity and inclusion council, later re-named the diversity, equity, and inclusion council. Getting DEI into our DNA isn’t just an HR initiative, a leadership initiative, or a DEI team initiative — the CLA family continues to work together building a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace.
Young, passionate leaders eager to make a difference join the national young executive team and local young advisory councils, giving voice to the future generations of CLA.
Looking ahead, the future innovations team pulls together to drive innovation and seamless solutions, laying the foundation for CLA’s approach to solutions and innovation today.
GALLINA team members join the CLA family, with more than 12 offices throughout the West Coast and $60 million in revenue. The former GALLINA team members bring deep industry knowledge of construction, real estate, and related industries and a culture rooted in supporting its people.
Reinforcing the collaborative nature of CLA and embracing the team of teams strategy, the leadership advisory team is created to offer newer leaders an opportunity to speak directly to the firm’s strategies, advising the executive team on firm direction, priorities, and initiatives.
Introducing the bike CLA adopts the bike as its symbol
A bike is people-powered, built to ride with confidence and ease the journey — the ultimate expression of a seamless experience. Neither bike nor rider can go it alone. It’s about forming a relationship to move forward faster. Like the bike, CLA’s seamless experience is designed to help our clients accelerate their journey so we can cross the finish line together.
Embracing innovation, a group of audit professionals come together to dream up possibilities for a new audit approach. The result is a program personalized to CLA’s clients that also creates opportunities for people to build inspired careers.
With a commitment to innovation and future forward thinking, CLA introduces its audit of the future.
The Seamless Assurance Advantage approach offers seamless scheduling, enhanced planning, additional service and industry resources, and strategic client communications. The approach is designed with CLA’s purpose in mind — to help create opportunities for our clients.
Schenck team members join the CLA family. Prior to joining CLA, those team members operated one of the largest firms in Wisconsin, with $90 million in revenue and a culture rooted in making a difference with their clients, people, and communities.
BlumShapiro members join the CLA family, having previously operated as one of the largest regional firms based in New England, with $95 million in revenue and a culture rooted in stepping forward with their clients and people and imagining the possibilities.
CLA and NABA team together in a first of its kind corporate sponsorship to foster meaningful change in the accounting industry and advancing equitable representation of black accountants. As part of this sponsorship, CLA provides office space to NABA in its Greenbelt, Maryland location.
Putting its purpose: creating opportunities for our clients, people and communities, to work in Nashville, CLA is serving clients in health care, private equity, manufacturing and distribution, real estate, technology and more.
Building upon its family values, CLA is creating inspired careers for CLA family members and working alongside the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, supporting the Twendee program to help create opportunities in the Nashville community.
