Holthouse Carlin & Van Trigt, led by Chief Executive Vicken Haleblian, has a number of offices around L.A. County, where it has 434 accountants. It was founded in 1991 and its offerings include audit, advisory and business management services.
Haleblian spoke with the Business Journal about his outlook for the year and evaluating how AI may play into the business.
How is the accounting industry faring in Los Angeles and Southern California right now?
Southern California, and Los Angeles in particular, offers unlimited opportunities for public accounting firms to work with fascinating clients who face complex business challenges.
California continues to attract some of the most innovative entrepreneurs from around the globe. These business leaders have achieved remarkable success, generating significant wealth that requires specialized services such as advanced tax planning and strategic business guidance. Clients operating internationally need firms with expertise in global tax matters, while businesses with multi-state operations require a robust SALT (state and local tax) strategy, as states increasingly focus on revenue collection.
The bottom line is that firms capable of delivering tailored solutions and assisting clients with complex challenges are well-positioned to succeed in this dynamic and competitive market.
With the second Trump Administration now underway, do you anticipate any changes to the business climate that will keep accountants busy working with their business clients?
Most would agree that the first Trump Administration was unpredictable. Even so, we can look back at the first term for clues about what might happen in a second term. The general expectation is that the administration will focus on policies that favor businesses.
Among our clients, we’re seeing a growing interest in moving forward with transactions. Inflation is still a concern, but many clients are gearing up and preparing to act.
What steps is your operation taking – if any – to implement new technologies such as generative AI software?
Like many of our peer firms, HCVT is in the early stages of evaluating AI solutions. We’re exploring ways to incorporate the technology to streamline the development and delivery of client work.
We view AI as a key tool for enhancing the employee experience and improving employee retention by saving time and reducing repetitive tasks. This will enable our professionals to focus more on addressing clients’ business issues rather than getting bogged down in redundant tasks.
What do you do to increase accountant retention at
your office?
At HCVT, we prioritize our employees. Being a good person matters here, and we make sure every hire reflects that, without compromise. We apply the same principles to taking on new clients. Our hiring decisions and client acceptance process are intentional, ensuring that every addition to our firm strengthens our culture.
By upholding these standards, we create an environment where our people thrive, fostering meaningful career growth opportunities for everyone. Central to our approach is investing in our people through mentoring, coaching, technical training and empowering employees to grow and advance in their careers.
Recognizing the importance of work-life balance and flexibility, we offer two recharge weeks each year to help our team unwind between busy seasons. The firm shuts down during these weeks – one around the 4th of July and another during the Thanksgiving holiday – giving employees the chance to fully disconnect from work.
We further support employee engagement by providing opportunities to build rewarding careers through challenging client engagements. Our professionals work with prominent clients in dynamic industries such as private equity, media and entertainment, real estate and high-net-worth individuals and families. This variety not only keeps employees motivated but also helps them develop into well-rounded professionals.
What is your outlook on remote working in 2025?
Remote work has its place in public accounting, but we’ve found that a hybrid approach works best in markets where we have office locations.
At the start of 2024, we implemented a model that asks employees to work from the office twice a week and allows them to work from home the other three days. This balance enhances learning opportunities across all levels, provides access to support for solving complex problems, and fosters collaboration. It also offers employees the flexibility to address personal needs while meeting the demands of our clients.
Full-time remote work is possible, and we gained valuable insights about it during the Covid-19 pandemic. Our biggest challenge was staying connected with employees who weren’t based near one of our offices.
While we still have a number of employees working remotely in regions without a physical office, we’ve implemented strategies to keep them engaged. For instance, these employees travel to Southern California a few times a year for meetings and team-building activities, and we continue to explore other ways to strengthen their connection to the broader team.
