Principal
Hill, Barth & King LLC
Boardman, OH
Craig Steinhoff seems to have it all on track. He declared accounting as his major in college from day one. During school, he interned in a public accounting firm and, naturally, got hired there after graduating.
“I've taken the most direct path into the public accounting world,” he says, and so far he likes where it has taken him. But go back far enough, and Craig was once just as clueless as anyone else.
“When I look back at how I chose this profession, I guess it was just dumb luck,” he says. “The father of one of my friends was a CPA. I always thought that he was a nice and generous man. When I found out what he did for a living, I said, ‘I want to do that.’”
And do that he has. “Many of my friends are either doing something that has nothing to do with their college major or they're struggling to find work.” Not Craig. He enjoys what he does each day, especially being a resource and mentor to young people within his firm. “I love the sense of accomplishment I get when I complete a task. The rush I get when a job is done is like nothing else.”
In addition to the fulfilling work and opportunity to guide others; Craig gets to spend plenty of time with his wife and two young daughters. And if all this has you finding yourself in his shoes a few years back, saying to yourself, “I want to do that,” Craig says the first step is an easy choice:
“Being a CPA,” he says, “Will prepare you for the business world better than any other designation around.”
Consider yourself pointed in the right direction.
Years as a CPA: 13
Best job: Principal with Hill, Barth & King LLC
Worst job: First shift McDonald's
Hobbies outside of work: Golf
Pets: A Malty Poo named Bailey
Words to live by: "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first hour sharpening the axe." - Abraham Lincoln