Concannon Miller is very proud to be named a finalist for the 2017 Societas Award for Responsible Corporate Conduct.
Presented by DeSales University’s Forum for Ethics in the Workplace, the award honors businesses that demonstrate responsible corporate conduct through legal compliance, corporate and individual accountability, commitment to stakeholders, and social responsibility.
Concannon Miller President & COO Ted Witman says being recognized for strong ethics may be the top honor a company can receive.
“Every CPA firm’s website talks about integrity and ethical practices – it’s easy to talk it but it’s not always easy to walk it because money gets in the way. We don’t let money trump our values,” he says. “It’s important to us to have a firm of people that look to do the right things the right way all the time – that to me is the definition of ethics.”
The field of public accounting dictates high ethical standards. Clients trust their CPAs with confidential company and personal financial information. At Concannon Miller, our clients’ approval of how we handle their finances and privacy is of the upmost concern.
Integrity is among the company’s core values, but at times, those ethics are put to the test. While few and far between, the firm had rare situations where prospective clients have asked if we ever bend the rules to better our clients’ bottom line. That answer – for more than 50 years – has always been no.
“There have been occurrences over the years where we’ve walked away from opportunities if they don’t meet our ethical standards, which speak volumes,” Witman says. “We work to be ethically creative within the boundaries of the laws, but never outside them.”
Concannon Miller also holds its internal business operations to very high ethical standards. The firm has an open door policy, where the president, human resources director and all the shareholders’ offices are always open. If any employee has an issue of concern to raise, they feel welcome to broach it and any concerns are always investigated and handled professionally.
High standards are taught to all Concannon Miller employees, through regular ethics and technical tax and accounting law training. The firm’s commitment to ongoing training and development far exceeds the industry standards.
The Societas Award also recognizes the company’s professional development opportunities and community service. Concannon Miller will be honored as a finalist at the awards ceremony on February 2, during which the winner for the 2017 award will be named.
