Q&A with Brad Falteysek: My path to government accounting (and why I’ve carried on with it for 25+ years)

Abdo partner and government advisor Brad Falteysek recently celebrated his 25-year anniversary at the firm. Over the last three decades, he’s focused his accounting practice on helping local governments overcome challenges, maintain compliance, and operate more efficiently.

Much has changed since Brad first joined Abdo yet some things have stood the test of time. One thing that has remained steadfast? His love for hamburgers.

Keep reading to learn more about how Brad ended up at Abdo (spoiler alert: he met his future boss at age 7) and his path to government accounting.

Abdo: What interested you in accounting?

Brad: Before I went to college at Winona State, I didn’t really know much about accounting, as I didn’t have accounting classes in high school. I just knew accounting dealt with numbers, and I was comfortable working with those. I ended up graduating with a degree in accounting and a minor in economics.

Abdo: How did you end up at Abdo?

Brad: After graduating from college, I moved to the Twin Cities to work for the state as a legislative auditor. Although I was happy with my job at the state, I learned of an opening at Abdo, which at the time (1998) was called Abdo, Abdo, Eick & Meyers.

I was intrigued because Jay Abdo was one of the firm’s partners, and I had gone to school with his oldest son, Nick, when growing up in Owatonna. I actually had spent time at Jay’s house when I was a youngster, attending birthday parties and such, before the family moved out of the area.

Because I knew of Abdo from my childhood connection, I decided to apply.

Abdo: How was the interview process?

Brad: At the time, our current managing partner Steve McDonald was leading the government group. He called me to set up the interview, which was to take place at a restaurant.

The only problem was, Steve has a passion for the culinary arts, and back then I ate only hamburgers. There were at least two restaurants to which I said “no.” We ended up at a Mexican place, and I certainly didn’t impress him with my breadth of culinary knowledge. (Steve claims all I ate were hamburgers on the first five days of the job.)

Abdo: What drew you to government accounting?

Brad: I like how there’s some consistency with the type of work yet also variation. There’s always a new accounting standard or challenge clients are facing on which they may need advice.

At this point in my career, I also really enjoy the relationships I’ve built over the years, both with my clients and my fellow Abdo team members. Being able to help clients or our staff understand their jobs better and do them more efficiently is what energizes me.

Abdo: What’s the biggest shift you’ve seen in government accounting over the years?

Brad: Without a doubt: technology. It’s changed how we go about doing audits for the better.

When I started at Abdo, we used to share a laptop for fieldwork, which we used for only one piece of the puzzle. We did the rest of the audit by hand using pencils and paper.

With the new standards, there’s a lot more involved with doing audits than there used to be. Without technology, there’s no way we’d be able to manage it!

Abdo: What’s been the biggest shift in Abdo you’ve seen over the years?

Brad: Probably the services we offer our local government clients. We’ve expanded our services into anything our local governments would need from a financial standpoint. This has allowed us to better assist our clients in their day-to-day operations.

The size of our government accounting department at Abdo has evolved, too. When I first started, there were maybe five of us (including Steve) in the Edina office. This meant I was able to work on nearly every client, which I really did enjoy.

Abdo: What advice would you give someone who’s just now stepping into accounting?

Brad: Build as many relationships as you can. I say this for two reasons: You need people to help you along the way, and it’s helpful to have a shared foundation from which you can work through issues and challenges.

From an auditing perspective, it’s also important to think about the client’s perspective and avoid rushing to judgement. I like to think people try to do their best. Whatever they did, right or wrong, there’s a reason why they did it. If we can understand a client’s reasoning, we can better explain why something needs to be done differently.

Learn more about how Brad and Abdo can be a guiding light within your organization by visiting our government accounting page.