Todd Harrington joined Trout, Ebersole & Groff right out of college – and hasn’t looked back since.
Now, 20 years later, Harrington is the Lancaster County accounting firm’s managing partner.
The firm named Harrington to the position last week after his predecessor, Donald Johnson Jr., retired. Harrington hopes to continue the firm’s commitment to developing community relationships and building a quality team, even as the industry braces for potentially major changes in 2017.
Originally from northwestern Pennsylvania, Harrington came to this corner of the commonwealth to attend Messiah College. He joined the Trout, Ebersole & Groff after his graduation in 1996 and was promoted to partner in 2007.
He attributes any successes over the years to the firm’s partners, many of whom have retired since he started. That includes Johnson, who grew the Manheim Township-based firm from 65 to more than 100 professionals during his six-year tenure.
The potential for major changes to the tax structure during a Donald Trump administration is one of the biggest issues facing the finance industry right now, Harrington said, noting the firm is already receiving questions from clients about how they should prepare.
While specifics of how any proposed changes might shake out are still uncertain, Harrington said, his advice to clients has generally been to use the same planning strategies they would any other year: accelerate reductions for 2016 and try to defer income to 2017.
Harrington hopes to continue attracting young talent to Trout, Ebersole & Groff during his time as managing partner, just as the firm attracted him when he graduated from college.
Despite what he described as a competitive labor market in central Pennsylvania, the firm has strong relationships with area colleges through internships, externships and campus visits.
Winning over skilled future professionals these types of programs, he said, helps ensure the firm continues to add to its 87 years in central Pennsylvania.
