.floatimg-left-hort { float:left; } .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 12px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;}
There are six items in the statement of values from McGowen Hurst Clark & Smith P.C., including integrity, excellence, respect and teamwork. The final two, family and fun, are among the most important, says Bob McGowen, a managing partner with the accounting and business advisory firm.

With absolutely no shortage of fun.

Cindy Wubben, director of human resources, said the firm, which has offices in West Des Moines and Winterset, has a social committee that organizes something fun for the employees to do once each month. Last year at tax time, they had a pirate party. This year? An Easter egg hunt.

“I know that sounds funny, but we have a ball doing that,” Wubben said. “It just breaks up the day. We have a good time hiding the eggs the night before.”

Both McGowen and Wubben said they think it’s always important to bring all 60 employees together away from their hard work – even if it’s for candy Easter eggs.

“The group works so hard trying to serve the clients and give them what they need, and at the same time it is equally important that we stop and come together as a group and just build those relationships internally as well,” Wubben said.

McGowen said the company’s mission statement is twofold, with the first part being about serving their clients and the second about providing a work environment that enables its team members to achieve their personal and professional goals.

Along with the fun, the company offers a flexible work schedule, opportunities to continue education, a wellness program and a volunteer time-off program that encourages employees to give back to the community.

Though McGowen said it’s tough to come up with new programs every year, Wubben did say the company would be reinvigorating its mentor program to help improve succession planning.

This is the fourth out of the past five years that the accounting practice has finished in the top three of the Best Places to Work survey, and McGowen is just happy that the employees, during the thick of tax season, have continued to show their satisfaction with the work environment.

“For the partner group, there just isn’t much better of a response that we can get than that,” McGowen said. “We try awfully hard to make it a family, but to know that they appreciate it is really worth something.”