MCB is pleased to announce our colleague Robert (Bob) Baldassari has once again been named a Top Financial Professional in Northern Virginia Magazine’s September 2022 issue.
The first time Bob appeared on this list was in 2010, just a few years after the magazine was launched. Those of us who have known and worked with Bob over his many years in the industry are not surprised that Bob’s talents and passion for his craft have once again been recognized.
Every year, Northern Virginia Magazine honors the area’s Top Financial Professionals, featuring the area’s leading accountants, financial planners, wealth managers, and estate planners. Magazine staff survey thousands of industry experts, asking them to identify leaders within their field. Professionals who receive the most votes by their peers are named to the list.
CPA Leader and Industry Influencer
A renowned tax expert, Bob joined the MCB family in 1996. He built his career on highly-personalized service, going the extra mile to not only understand his clients’ businesses, but also their industries. One of Bob’s many specialties, for example, is healthcare and medical practice management; he has served this industry for nearly 40 years.
How does one develop such a deep and dedicated expertise? “About 30 years ago, I heard that the most profitable CPA firms were ones that specialized in something. One of the industries I chose was medical practices,” Bob explains. “ I learned everything I could about medical practices on my own time. Then I went to three of my medical practice clients and told them I was trying to develop an expertise. No cost to them except for some time required by their office manager. I not only learned a lot, I got lots of referrals from other physicians.”
Bob made it a priority, for example, to really understand the ins and outs of their business and the issues they face. He researched what it costs a practice for each RVU (relative value unit) produced. The practice can then use this information when negotiating with the insurance companies and also when setting their fee schedule.
News of Bob’s expertise began to spread and he was asked to share his knowledge. “I prepared a seminar for the VSCPA on how to calculate cost of each RVU,” he said. “I think that ‘specializing’ in a certain area means more than just having a lot of clients in that area. It means knowing a lot about the inner workings of that industry.“
And Bob’s clients have certainly benefited from his proactive, dedicated approach. Long-term MCB client Northern Virginia Family Practice (NVFP) is an individually-owned, local medical practice that has been well-established in the community for 30 years. The practice has relied on MCB and Bob for a variety of tax compliance as well as tax planning services as NVFP has expanded to continue to serve its growing community. According to practice leadership, “We ask what are we missing; they present all the various options, models and tax ramifications, and give us workable answers…they just don’t react, they lead.”
In addition to tirelessly serving his clients, Bob is dedicated to the advancement of his profession. He is an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Taxation Committee. He has personally facilitated more than 70 tax-related presentations as a tax expert, has published several tax-related articles and appeared on television sharing his expertise. He was an adjunct professor of Advanced Federal Taxation at Shippensburg University and has also been an Instructor of Continuing Professional Education courses for the Greater Washington Society of CPAs, the Virginia Society of CPAs and other CPA firms.
Over the years, Bob has made it a priority to volunteer in substantive ways to support the accounting profession, with a long and distinguished list of board and committee positions serving the CPA community. He has held numerous leadership roles in the Virginia Society of CPAs, including on the Board of Directors, the State Taxation Committee and the Professional Ethics Committee. He has also served the Northern Virginia Chapter of the Virginia Society of CPAs, including as President, on the Board of Directors and as past Chairman of the Taxation Committee and Chairman of the Management of an Accounting Practice, from 2008 to today.
In 2014, the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants named him “Outstanding Member of the Year.”
Giving Back to His Community: It’s Personal
Bob has also found time to serve his broader community, supporting organizations meaningful to him and to his family. He has taken on leadership roles and board positions in the INOVA Health System Foundation, United Cerebral Palsy of Washington & Northern Virginia, Trauma Survivors Network and Cloverleaf Equine Center (formerly, Northern Virginia Therapeutic Riding Program).
A proud Italian American, he has also served as a board member of the Italy American Chamber of Commerce and the Italian Cultural Center, as well as Treasurer of the Sons of Italy, International Chapter. He was named to the “Who’s Who Among Italian Americans.” He currently serves in an advisory capacity for the Casa Italiana Language School and the Casa Italiana Sociocultural Center in Washington, DC.
Simply put, we’d be hardpressed to come up with something Bob hasn’t done. And he’s far from finished. For now, we’re grateful that he continues to share his wisdom, passion and joyful energy with us.
Said MCB Managing Partner Jude Covas, “The many awards bestowed on Bob are all well deserved, but only tell part of the story. Bob is the most unassuming and humble professional, carrying himself always with dignity and grace. In a profession that calls for the most trusted of trusted advisors, Bob has no peer.”
Another year, another accolade for our friend and colleague. Congratulations, Bob! Ti apprezziamo!
To see the full list of winners, click here.