Ryan joined Brown Edwards in January of 2003 after relocating to Virginia from Columbus, Ohio. Prior to joining Brown Edwards, Ryan worked as a tax manager in the family owned and managed advisory group for Crowe Chizek and prior to that worked two years for Arco Petroleum in Southern California. Ryan is a tax and financial planning partner located in the Lynchburg office. Ryan was named a partner in 2011 and has lead the tax department for the firm since 2009. He is a graduate of the University of Redlands in Southern California and resides in Lynchburg, VA with his wife Holly and his two children Mitch and Cassie. Ryan has a passion for community service and is the finance chair for the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance, the governance chair for Central Virginia Community College, a board member with Endstation Theatre Company, treasurer for the Lynchburg Estate Planning Council and volunteer instructor for the Co-Starters entrepreneur program for the City of Lynchburg, the Young Entrepreneur program and the Business Education for Artists program.
Let’s ask him a few questions:
Where are you from and where did you grow up?
I grew up in Southern California. La Habra to be exact. This was a part of the now famous Orange County. I grew up like most kids (well in SoCal anyway) taking the bus to the beach to surf.
Do you have any hobbies? If yes, tell us about them.
I am an avid Wakeboarder and love spending time on the lake. I am also a rehab junkie who spends weekends (and sometimes vacation) on major renovation projects.
What is something people would find surprising to learn about you?
One of the most surprising things was that I was selected to the same all-star team for high school football as Keyshawn Johnson and Amani Toomer.
What do you consider your best quality or trait?
I would believe my best trait would be listening and finding solutions to problems.
What is the best advice you ever received and from who?
One of the first partners I ever worked for was Jim Bieneman. He always said the client’s perception is their reality. I struggled at first to understand what that meant. Over time, I came to realize that he meant that whatever a client is going through or perceives about me (or the firm) is truly their reality. In order to really help a client, we have to look at the problems they face through their lens and not our own.
If you could be a superhero what would be your superpower?
The one power that I often think about is the ability to have extra time in a day. If I had the ability to not sleep, I could get so much more accomplished!
What is your favorite food?
Being from Southern California, of course, it is Mexican and the spicier the better.
What famous figure (living or dead) would you most like to meet and why?
Ronald Reagan, I grew up admiring him for his ability to communicate and connect with people.
What do you think is your biggest contribution to the Brown Edwards team?
Probably my energy and desire to have fun while working. At Brown Edwards we have the opportunity to help people every day, it does not get better than that.